SEASONAL Design STORY Courtney Goodrich
Dane Austin daneaustindesign.com
“Comfort is the ultimate luxury.” If you meet Dane Austin you’ll find he’s compassionate, talented and trustworthy right off the bat. His firm, Dane Austin Design, creates spaces that are deeply considerate of the tastes, lifestyles and backgrounds of the people who live there. The results are warm, personal environments that are special, interesting, unique and comfortable, since, after all, Austin believes “comfort is the ultimate luxury.” Did anyone inspire you while growing up?
Design Inspiration
I grew up on the Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis, Maryland, near my grandparents—stylish, gracious hosts who loved to entertain. They were also well-traveled, and their home reflected that. It was full of paintings, furniture and objects of art from their adventures abroad.
New England home designers who transform, inspire and elevate
How did you get started in design?
“Creating beautiful things and transforming spaces brings so much joy and happiness to our lives!” says Pauline Curtiss, one of the seven designers working in the Boston area profiled in this issue. Creating joy and happiness is a common theme among each of these unique visionaries—for themselves as artists but also especially for the people who live in the environments they design. Keeping an eye on emerging styles, each of these designers also expresses a strong desire to transcend trends, taking their cues rather from those they design for. As Duncan Hughes puts it, “Ultimately, I want my interiors to mirror my client’s best self.”
58 | BOSTON SPIRIT
After attending college at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University and studying decorative art in London and Paris, I graduated with two fine arts degrees. I’ve been interested in design since I was a child flipping through the pages of design magazines, and I realize now, looking back, that movie sets and stage sets have always inspired me. What do you think will happen in interior design in 2020? People are more conscious and appreciative of good design in their everyday lives. I think preserving our natural resources will be more evident in design with significant inspiration from nature. And, since the gray movement of the 2010s is on
the way out, we’ll see a return to earthy tones—chocolate brown, pale pink, terra cotta, yellow ochre, olive green and cream. What do you focus on while designing interiors? “Know thy client.” To easily connect with your clients, understand their family’s needs and be able to interpret the lifestyle they envision is imperative to providing the overall design. A great designer will extrapolate and develop a concept vision that reflects the client rather than imposing a cookie-cutter look. Make it fun to work with you. The experience should be easy, enjoyable, and efficient. What gets your creativity flowing? I find a visit to the museum or a local art gallery provides the spark of inspiration when I need it. I may see a fabulous color combination or a pattern that becomes the jumping-off point to an incredible design.
