A bright, airy kitchen with ample countertops for a pastry chef client

On Ken Fulk and his influence
I was the 20th person hired at the firm and their first intern. As part of a school project, I remember looking through a House Beautiful magazine that featured the Durham Ranch (St. Helena) kitchen. I loved that the barstools were like old springs. It was seared in my memory. And later, after months of being an intern there, I realized that it was Ken’s own home. 

I remember my first time walking into the studio, feeling the sense that this is a different place, something special. I think of the sheer willpower of willing things into existence, as Ken did -- not unlike the Steve Jobs reality distortion field. And it was a very fast-paced environment. You're pulling rabbits out of hats, being resourceful with the things that you have, and always with a very specific kind of vision in mind – Ken’s vision. There was also the constant sense of discovery as you're walking through those projects and the feeling that you were creating a living moment, especially with those over-the-top events, for which Ken is famous. 

On starting Studio Heimat
I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. It's embedded in me, probably the result of being a child of immigrants. I also have a passion for business, for the process of how things work. That’s one of the reasons I elected to start my own studio in partnership with Eva. It was time to try something else. Eva and I were getting really good at executing other people’s projects, but we weren’t honing our own vision. When you're executing other people's vision, you're never really as creative as you could be.

Alicia's entrepreneurial spirit was embedded from her early roots

On how the partnership works
Back in 2011, I realized that Eva and I work well together. That same year, I also met my husband. Both of them are Pisces. I think it more than coincidental that I found my personal life partner and my business life partner in the same year.  

With some partnerships in the design industry, you're all business or you're all design. You know your lanes and you stick to them. Although Eva and I were originally very intertwined throughout the entire process, when we started getting bigger and began hiring employees, we had to develop processes that aided communication and effective workload management. So, we have started to divide and conquer. She mostly runs and manages the projects, which she is very good at, and I’m doing everything else. We trust each other implicitly. There's a mutual growth and confidence in each of our areas of expertise.  Where we disagree is on some business-related spending issues -- I may want to put more money into the studio or hire another person. Eva’s a little more conservative with that kind of spending. It’s a good balance.

A balanced partnership

On the design perspective
Our defining motivation and belief when we're talking to clients is that they are our muse. We have to know what has brought them to the point where they want to spend all this time, effort and energy on building the next phase of their life -- what lifestyle aspiration they have for the house. We believe that clients consider hiring designers with the following distinction in mind -- do I want that designer for their particular look, or do I want somebody who's going to design with my needs and preferred style in mind? We definitely fill the latter need. Eva and I have an ease, approachability and practicality about us that clients like and appreciate, and that can be a benefit in situations where the client can be easily intimidated by the designer’s reputation and demeanor.  

We don't have a particular design aesthetic, but the one constant that shines through in our work is our generous use of color. And there is a greater sense of eclecticism. The feedback we often get is, “I could have lingered so much longer because there were so many things that I didn't notice the first time looking”. We’re obsessive about considering the experience from every single angle and perspective as you're walking through a space. The space is like a vignette or life moment and, as the iconic Diana Vreeland said, "The eye must travel." You should feel good in that space. 

I don't think of us as artists. I think of us as curators. So much of our job demands aesthetic “balancing”, whether that's color, texture, fabrics, mood, scale, proportion. We also strongly believe that function and comfort are equally important as the aesthetic, particularly where our clients have or aspire to have families. It’s imperative that we accommodate the intimate rituals of our clients’ daily lives in our design. 

I want to work with architects and builders that we really respect. I want to work on collaborative projects where we can get into the minutiae of a project, like programming around millwork. Where we can curate the home from the perspective of its volume of space and how that affects the choice of furniture and art. I would love to do more with art. 

Eva Bradley's home, as featured in Elle Decor. Photo by Frank Frances

On artisans, craftsmen and experiences she admires
Mark Bonomi of Bonomi Cabinets does impeccable millwork. We’ve also been fortunate to work with Ford Mazzola Associates (Charles, his wife Pam and their team) on the design of the restaurant, Prospect, a collaboration of Chef Nancy Oakes, Pam Mazzola, and Kathy King from Boulevard Restaurant. I remember a particular design challenge that seemed to have no solution. Charles was like, “Don't worry about how we're going to do it. Just tell me what you want. Tell me what your vision is”. And they figured it out. It’s so refreshing to work with them.

I loved Morocco. Beautiful wares, artisans literally making things in front of your eyes, seeing different rug vendors, getting to see how they make Zillege tile and mosaics. 

Single Thread restaurant in Healdsburg remains in my memory. They are so good at the curation of the experience, of the food. It’s tantamount to an artistic experience. Californios at Folsom and 11th is the other stand-out. It’s modern Mexican food with a Michelin star. We experienced an evening where they had a collaboration with Erin Huff, who is a ceramicist. She was making pots in the middle of the outdoor courtyard as we were eating, and we were being served on some of her dishes as well.

The serene living room of a Belvedere lagoon home. Photo by John Merkl

On the perfect client, the perfect project and the perfect budget
Clients come to us because they know that we're good at what we do and we’re easy to work with. If you want the design process to also entail some fun, excitement and unexpected positive moments, then you’ll be in the best of hands. Our perfect client knows what they want and knows themselves as well. They are at a place of life in which they feel they can experiment and have some fun with their lifestyle. 

Our project list is primarily residential – single family, multi-family, condominiums, and major mansions, including a whole estate in Palo Alto. Most of our projects are within the Bay Area, but we’re now working on projects in Miami and upstate New York, as well as designing the livery for our first private jet project. Budget-wise, our projects run the gamut from a low of $250,000 to a high of $2 million. 

On drive, determination and the future
I am somebody who grew up playing team sports. Because of that, I'm highly team-oriented -- within our own internal organization, but also within the relationships we have with contractors, architects and clients. I like to be part of the mix. I like the energy that resides in a great client relationship – producing something highly-creative, including an off-the-wall idea, presenting it to the client, and then seeing the idea come alive. 

The idea of finding circumstances and opportunities where things are a win-win for everybody, is really compelling to me, for example, events, partnerships, and cross-marketing. I like the community aspect of it -- that everybody's doing something, but everyone's also getting something out of it. I find myself more drawn to like-minded people in that respect. 

A very special woman, Elsie Wu made a big difference in my life. She was in the tech business. I was compelled by the fact that she is so positive, and learned from her that through due diligence and corralling a group of people, you could create something out of nothing. I was also struck by the power of the mind and self-belief, that your destiny is in your own hands and you can do whatever you want.

Follow Alicia on Instagram! @studio.heimat or @aclisha22

Read more interviews HERE

This is an in-depth interview series featuring interior design luminaries who are redefining the business. The interviews are conducted by Alf Nucifora, Chairman of LuxeSF, and brought to you by...