I’m With the BANDD: Meet Sara Malek Barney of BANDD/DESIGN
Entertainment expert rocks the design world in Austin and LA
What’s your favorite food? What’s your favorite drink? That’s what Austin- and Southern California-based interior designer Sara Malek Barney wants to know about you. “Designing a space is all about how you use it. A person whose favorite drink is a martini probably lives a pretty different lifestyle from someone who only drinks coffee,” she explains.
From entertainment to interior design
After fifteen years of working in the entertainment industry, Barney wanted a career change. Always a hobby but never a professional pursuit, interior design started calling her name. She enrolled in online interior design classes and began picking up clients before she even completed her degree. Her initial growth happened quickly; with a few large projects at the beginning of her career, not only was she able to transition from student to full-time interior designer, but she began building a team.
From Central Texas to Southern California
BANDD/DESIGN, now a four-person collective with an office in Westlake, works in the Austin and Los Angeles markets with a primary focus on residential interior design projects. Not limiting herself to a particular aesthetic, Barney is inspired by her clients and how they choose to inhabit their homes. She is drawn to spaces that are casual and comfortable and often finds herself designing interiors for families. She recognizes the home as the primary domain of a person’s life and does not take the privilege of its design for granted. “For most people, their home is their most valuable asset, so it requires a lot of trust to hire a designer,” she explains. “In the end, it makes the final product very rewarding.”
To view her portfolio and a full list of services offered, check out BANDD/DESIGN’s website.
BANDD/DESIGN is part of this year’s exclusive Dinner x Design event. Learn more, and hurry to get your tickets!