A Taranaki-based interior designer is mixing old and new to create visual narratives that resonate with their owners.
Gina Fabish loves a story, so it’s a good thing she’s an interior designer. There are lots of happily-ever-afters, fairytale endings and magical transformations in the New Plymouth-based designer’s work, and she enjoys creating homes and rooms that are a reflection of the homeowners’ personal narratives.
“My designs always start by meeting the homeowners and finding out who they are and the story they want to tell,” says Gina.
“When working with a client, I start by creating a mood board to craft a visual narrative about how the space is going to make them feel.” This approach to design stems, in part, from her other career as a photographer. While capturing homes for magazines and architects, she thinks about the bigger story the visuals are trying to tell. Her keen eye for detail behind the lens also helps her zero in on the elements in interiors. “I’ve always been inspired by the spaces we live in and how they can make us feel. I’m hugely influenced by texture and light. In this sense, working in both the photography and design fields is complementary.
How I design rooms and how I frame spaces compositionally for an image are similar – it’s all about the light, the lines, the texture, and how this all flows together. I think being a photographer has really honed my eye for detail in the magic of subtlety.”
One of Gina’s signatures as a designer is her ability to mix old and new. It’s something many homeowners struggle with, particularly when incorporating heirloom pieces into new builds or renovations, she says.
“One of my favourite jobs was working with some clients who I already knew from when I was a wedding photographer. I helped them push the envelope of what they wanted for their home. The entire dining and kitchen space was built around their nana’s old 1950s dining table, which they wanted to keep. We tied that in through colour and texture, and the room reflects them as a family – it doesn’t feel cookie cutter.”
Sometimes older pieces, particularly large ones, need softening in a contemporary home. “With a dining table for instance, that could be by using a rug or perhaps mixing in a few new chairs with the old ones so that the aesthetic isn’t as heavy.”
Gina says part of her role as an interior designer is to instill confidence in her clients and their own design ideas. When she meets new clients, she often asks them a series of questions about the colours they are drawn to and the pieces they love.
“I think design is about giving people permission to listen to their instincts. I feel they sometimes get a bit paralysed by the idea of rooms being ‘right or wrong’, or that there are rules they need to follow. Actually, they were probably on the right path already.”
Living in New Plymouth, Gina is inspired by the natural environment with the black sand beaches of the coast and the mighty presence of Mt Taranaki. She’s also inspired by the creativity of her community and her clients.
“There are just so many amazingly talented people living here. I think that being surrounded by nature ina place which enjoys a quieter pace always fosters creativity. Having an element of stillness helps people dream up ideas.”