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Vani Sayeed Studios
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Pro Spotlight: 3 Keys to Creating Artful Open-Concept Designs
An artist and interior designer shares how to create harmonious, kitchen-centric great rooms
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Who: Vani Sayeed of Vani Sayeed Studios
Where: Newton, Massachusetts
In her own words: “Form, function and beauty are intimately related. I find it incredibly gratifying to create environments for people that bring them joy.”
A flowing open-concept great room is a haven where families can congregate. However, creating a design that blends seamlessly from kitchen to dining area to living room requires the careful and cohesive interweaving of texture, color and layout. Vani Sayeed, the owner and principal designer of Vani Sayeed Studios in Newton, draws from her experience as a multidisciplinary artist to create sophisticated open-concept designs for her clients. “Creating art brings me joy,” she says. “When my art practice brings me joy, I can bring that joy to a client’s space.”
Where: Newton, Massachusetts
In her own words: “Form, function and beauty are intimately related. I find it incredibly gratifying to create environments for people that bring them joy.”
A flowing open-concept great room is a haven where families can congregate. However, creating a design that blends seamlessly from kitchen to dining area to living room requires the careful and cohesive interweaving of texture, color and layout. Vani Sayeed, the owner and principal designer of Vani Sayeed Studios in Newton, draws from her experience as a multidisciplinary artist to create sophisticated open-concept designs for her clients. “Creating art brings me joy,” she says. “When my art practice brings me joy, I can bring that joy to a client’s space.”
Multimedia design. Sayeed’s creative sensibility emerged early in life. “I’ve always been interested in art and design,” says Sayeed, who attended college in her hometown of Mumbai, India. “The first two years of my university training included a rigorous study of fine art. We spent hours sketching, studying color theory and proportions and understanding light.” When it came time to choose a discipline to specialize in, Sayeed chose interior design. “I knew I could do a lot with it,” she says. “I could apply everything I’d learned about space, color, lighting and textiles as an interior designer.”
An artist’s eye. After college, Sayeed worked for different design firms in India before moving to the United States to study design at the University of Iowa. She earned a master’s in fine arts and moved to San Francisco before starting her own design firm and relocating to Massachusetts in 2006. Even with a thriving design business, Sayeed never let go of her art practice. Today she maintains a studio in Watertown.
“A diverse spectrum of global art and architecture informs my design aesthetic,” she says. “My art practice inspires my interior design work. I see light and space in ways that aren’t formulaic. I truly look at the world with a different lens, and I think that makes me a better designer.”
Designing an open-concept great room? Read on for Sayeed’s design tips.
“A diverse spectrum of global art and architecture informs my design aesthetic,” she says. “My art practice inspires my interior design work. I see light and space in ways that aren’t formulaic. I truly look at the world with a different lens, and I think that makes me a better designer.”
Designing an open-concept great room? Read on for Sayeed’s design tips.
1. Consider the Entire Family
Before she begins a project, Sayeed learns as much as she can about the residents’ daily lives. “The kitchen is definitely the heart of the home,” she says. “No one likes to be cloistered in a small room. So the spaces surrounding the kitchen are just as important — this is where the entire family comes in.”
In this Boston-area home, the entire family congregates in the kitchen for cooking and watching TV. The family dogs were also an important component in the space’s design. “This family loves their dogs and the dogs are allowed to go everywhere,” Sayeed says. “So we had to think about how everyone in the family used the space, both pets and people.”
Sayeed chose dark blue fumed base cabinets for the kitchen. “The dogs often open the bottom cabinets,” she says. “The dark cabinet faces disguise any dings from continual use.” Leathered stone countertops and elongated subway tiles add texture and interest to the space. Sayeed installed an easy-to-clean single-slab marble backsplash behind the stove. In the living area, royal blue sofas are enjoyed by both canines and humans. The sofa texture and color disguise pet hair and keep the focus on the room’s colorful design.
See more of this project
Before she begins a project, Sayeed learns as much as she can about the residents’ daily lives. “The kitchen is definitely the heart of the home,” she says. “No one likes to be cloistered in a small room. So the spaces surrounding the kitchen are just as important — this is where the entire family comes in.”
In this Boston-area home, the entire family congregates in the kitchen for cooking and watching TV. The family dogs were also an important component in the space’s design. “This family loves their dogs and the dogs are allowed to go everywhere,” Sayeed says. “So we had to think about how everyone in the family used the space, both pets and people.”
Sayeed chose dark blue fumed base cabinets for the kitchen. “The dogs often open the bottom cabinets,” she says. “The dark cabinet faces disguise any dings from continual use.” Leathered stone countertops and elongated subway tiles add texture and interest to the space. Sayeed installed an easy-to-clean single-slab marble backsplash behind the stove. In the living area, royal blue sofas are enjoyed by both canines and humans. The sofa texture and color disguise pet hair and keep the focus on the room’s colorful design.
See more of this project
2. Sight Lines Are Key
To create a great room where the dining, kitchen and living areas are distinct but also flow together, Sayeed suggests creating clear thematic sight lines throughout the space. “Repetition of materials helps your eye travel in a soothing way,” she says.
This Martha’s Vineyard vacation home features a great room with three distinct spaces. Sayeed employed variations of materials and color throughout the room to tie the spaces together. “The cladding on the walls continues throughout the space,” she says. Beige kitchen cabinets line one end of the room. Along the opposite wall, Sayeed used the same cabinet design to house the television, bookending the room.
The oversize rock fireplace mirrors the natural materials found on the beach just outside the French doors. Sayeed hung black Darlana pendant lamps over the central table, matching the black dining room chairs. “The lamps are very easy to maintain for a vacation home and they have a graphic quality,” she says. “The combination of chairs and lamps grounds the central part of the room.”
See more of this project
To create a great room where the dining, kitchen and living areas are distinct but also flow together, Sayeed suggests creating clear thematic sight lines throughout the space. “Repetition of materials helps your eye travel in a soothing way,” she says.
This Martha’s Vineyard vacation home features a great room with three distinct spaces. Sayeed employed variations of materials and color throughout the room to tie the spaces together. “The cladding on the walls continues throughout the space,” she says. Beige kitchen cabinets line one end of the room. Along the opposite wall, Sayeed used the same cabinet design to house the television, bookending the room.
The oversize rock fireplace mirrors the natural materials found on the beach just outside the French doors. Sayeed hung black Darlana pendant lamps over the central table, matching the black dining room chairs. “The lamps are very easy to maintain for a vacation home and they have a graphic quality,” she says. “The combination of chairs and lamps grounds the central part of the room.”
See more of this project
3. Focus on the Kitchen Sink
Although it may seem like a small detail, a kitchen sink affects the design of an entire space. “Having a kitchen sink that is well lit is important,” Sayeed says. “Ideally, place a sink under a kitchen window for natural light and add pendant lights or wall sconces for extra task lighting.” She considers a traditional farmhouse sink a great choice because of its utility and ergonomic design. “With a farmhouse sink, form and function go hand in hand,” she says.
This Tudor-style kitchen in Boston’s Waban Hill neighborhood features a farmhouse sink from Shaws under a double window. A glass mosaic backsplash contrasts the mix of dark wood and white cabinetry. Sayeed borrowed an architectural theme from the home by repeating a leaded glass motif at the top of the cabinetry. Natural stone backsplashes behind the stove and sink are easily wiped down.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Sayeed and examples of her work, visit Vani Sayeed Studios’ Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Although it may seem like a small detail, a kitchen sink affects the design of an entire space. “Having a kitchen sink that is well lit is important,” Sayeed says. “Ideally, place a sink under a kitchen window for natural light and add pendant lights or wall sconces for extra task lighting.” She considers a traditional farmhouse sink a great choice because of its utility and ergonomic design. “With a farmhouse sink, form and function go hand in hand,” she says.
This Tudor-style kitchen in Boston’s Waban Hill neighborhood features a farmhouse sink from Shaws under a double window. A glass mosaic backsplash contrasts the mix of dark wood and white cabinetry. Sayeed borrowed an architectural theme from the home by repeating a leaded glass motif at the top of the cabinetry. Natural stone backsplashes behind the stove and sink are easily wiped down.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Sayeed and examples of her work, visit Vani Sayeed Studios’ Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
At Vani Sayeed Studios we strive to create compositions of spaces informed by context, place and purpose. A... Read More
Review by saumya25:
We have had a terrific experience working with Vani and her team. We are redoing our kitchen and bathrooms and needed help thinking through color palettes and selecting finishes, hardware and lighting...More