Design is what you see. Design is what you experience. Design is how you live your life.
This is what Design has always been for me, not just one thing but a part of everything. I truly feel that the world is waking up to the fact that it touches every part of our lives. The “what you see part” of the equation is the easiest to comprehend. It’s the spaces that surround you, whether it is at home or at work, from the layout of a room to the color of a wall. This is the more traditional way that Design has been accepted. Back in the day it was more about the hottest design trends, and making sure that your living room looks like a magazine cover. Which don’t get me wrong, are all high notes in my book. But I expect more and I want more, and so should you.
A shift started happening a while back that had people questioning how they felt in a space. How colors made them feel, and what made them gravitate to one space over another. I mean let’s be honest; twenty years ago you would have never heard someone comment on the energy of a space. We live in an interesting time for what I see as an “Engaged Design” movement. A movement that rips apart the boundaries that separated design, lifestyle, art, and wellness. Now this is what gets me excited! It’s not a thing that you buy or items that you match together, it’s how it makes you feel, and how you live a better life because of it. Now a days there is so many tools, information, and products that help you to do just that.
Every time I step foot onto a new project I get this sense of anticipation. It’s not just because I start to
see the Design come to me in flashes, even though that is true too. My real anticipation is because I get
to begin again, to begin another journey into what a space wants to be. Because if you’re going to create, make sure it not only looks beautiful, but it feels like living a beautiful life is the only way to do it justice. Let’s not be a part of way Design used to be, but we will be a part of what Design can be.
And so I begin again…
About Blanche Garcia
Famously known as a designer who goes against the grain in an industry so fixated on trends, Interior Designer and Entrepreneur Blanche Garcia’s aesthetic is not one that can be labeled. Instead, her design is looked upon as a lifestyle that is individual to her and especially to each of her clients. Long before her days as a successful Interior Designer, Garcia found her love of construction while volunteering at the age of 12 for nonprofit building projects around the country with her mother. It was there that she learned to develop construction crafts such as electrical, drywall and tile work, among many others. Realizing her passion at such a young age, Blanche left home at the age of 18 to be on her own. The hard knocks of life allowed her to face challenges head-on and taught her that who we are and how we live are just as important as what we surround ourselves with every day. An important lesson she incorporates into her work today. Her determination paved the way for Blanche to study Interior Design, obtaining a degree in the field from Willsey Institute of Interior Design and Berkley, New York. Having a knack for intuitively knowing how a client’s space should look, feel and function – Blanche works to help them create a space that is all about them and is a reflection of who they are and how they feel about life. The secret behind Blanche Garcia’s success is that, unlike other designers, she believes design should say something about the people experiencing it, not about the person designing it. Her design philosophy and approach urges clients to not only envision designing a space for someone else, but also designing a life they want to live. To Blanche Garcia, every decision in her work has a purpose— every fixture, every color and every piece of furniture has a reason to help tell your story. In 2011, Garcia starred as a contestant on the season 6 interior design reality competition series “Design Star,” on HGTV. It was there, where she introduced to the world her unique style of mixing eco-friendly materials with touches of luxury. Today, Blanche is a certified Interior Designer with over 18 years of experience in residential and commercial design and is the owner of B. garcia Designs based in Montclair, New Jersey. She is a “Green Design” LEED Accredited Professional through the United States Green Building Commission. Blanche is also a principal designer featured in the popular Travel Channel reality series, “Hotel Impossible,” where she helps tackle the job of revamping hotels along with host, Anthony Melchiorri. Her client list ranges from members of the New York Jets to “The Real Housewife of New Jersey” Danielle Staub, to corporations, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs and lounges. She has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, US Magazine, Red Book, Small Room Decorating, Latina, Design NJ, New Jersey Countryside, New Jersey Monthly, and more. Her design columns have been published in The Star Ledger and The Record. She has also appeared on MTV Cribs, Better Show, Daytime and HouseSmarts. Blanch Garcia currently resides blocks away from her office in Montclair, New Jersey, along with her Chihuahua Maddox, who serves as the Director of Office Morale.
