In the midst of a successful stint as the Chief Creative Officer of your own brand, deciding to start again from scratch can sound like a daunting task. Fortunately for Serena Dugan, the transition came naturally. After launching Serena and Lily 15 years ago, her decision to get back into her artistic roots couldn’t have happened more effortlessly. After completing an Art Residency in Orquevaux, France, she knew this was the right path for her. This past year, Serena officially opened Serena Dugan Studio where she launched her line of fabrics and wallpapers across showrooms worldwide, with Objects to follow in the Fall. Introducing this week’s Maker Monday, Serena Dugan.
Andrew Joseph: What’s your wakeup ritual?
Serena Dugan: Coffee, reflection on what I appreciated from the day before, intentions for the day ahead,
Andrew: How do you maintain a work/life balance?
Serena: By knowing there’s no such thing. Wherever I am, I try to be there and be present. I do my best to give fully wherever I happen to be, without obsessing about everything else I could or should be doing.
Andrew: What modern design trend makes you cringe?
Serena: Trend in anything makes me cringe. Design should be about expression and originality, not of-the-moment color palettes and must-have finishes. It puts a time stamp on the interior and limits how long you can live with it.
Andrew: What’s your biggest fear in life?
Serena: Not leaving it all out on the field. Not living my potential.
Andrew: Most adventurous thing you’ve done in your life?
Serena: Unexpectedly staying an extra 2+ weeks on a remote cove on a remote beach on a remote island off Bangkok to get certified to scuba dive.
Andrew: If you had one more hour in the day what would you do with it?
Serena: Learn a language.
Andrew: Favorite scent?
Serena: Rose+Sandalwood.
Andrew: What are you most excited about at this time in your life?
Serena: That the future is unwritten. It’s all what I choose and what I create. This is extremely empowering.
About The Maker | Serena Dugan is an artist and textile designer based in Sausalito, California. With an education in both Psychology and Fine Art, Serena has spent the past 20 years developing her imprint as a painter, textile designer, and Chief Creative Officer of Serena & Lily, the home and lifestyle brand she launched in 2004.
Three years ago, Serena stepped away from Serena & Lily to get back to her roots as an artist and painter. While painting, she explored shapes and rhythms in her compositions that she could not help but envision in pattern form. This is the inspiration for her new line of textiles, wallpapers, paintings, and objects for Serena Dugan Studio.
Andrew Joseph is a regular contributing editor for ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME magazine. See more of his work here.
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