Anne Michaelsen Design have been shortlisted for Residential Project Value £1-2.5 Million Award in The International Design and Architecture Awards 2023. Read more about Principle Designer, Anne Michaelsen, below:

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Name: Anne Michaelsen Yahn
Company: Anne Michaelsen Design
Position within company: Principle Designer
Website: https://www.annemichaelsendesign.com/

Tell us a little about your background in design:
Anne has a Bachelor of Arts from Scripps College in Art History. She then went on to study Interior Design and Environmental Design at UCLA. Anne began her business 35 years ago in Los Angeles. Now headquartered in Newport Beach, California, she has continued to work locally and nationwide.

How would you describe your personal design style?
My personal style is a contemporary outlook but based on classical expertise. Respecting what came before us but being well aware of modern and contemporary outlooks, products, and lifestyles, and not forgetting a person’s family history, hobbies, travel, etc. I think it’s really important that my client’s homes don’t look like me, but look like them and that they have great taste.

Where does your design inspiration come from?
I find inspiration everywhere. I always tell people when they ask me how to get into interior design to get an undergraduate degree in something but also go to museums and travel. I find inspiration in nature and the color palettes of nature. I like my homes to relate to where they are. I always look for the color palette by looking at what’s around the home to start developing the interiors. Our design process starts with inspiration from the architecture and the environment. We start pulling from there.

In what direction do you feel that design is moving towards in a general sense?
There is a giant push for sustainable design and a preparedness for the possibility of another global pandemic.

Name five key themes to consider when approaching design in 2023 and beyond.

1. Sustainability
2. Health & Wellness
3. Work From Home
4. Importance of Location & Regionality
5. Reflect the lives of the user

If you could offer one piece of advice when it comes to design schemes, what would it be?
Consider the location, the architecture, and the authenticity of your selections.

How important are The International Design & Architecture Awards?
The International Design & Architecture Awards are tremendously important because they allow designers to showcase the projects they are most proud of while also getting the opportunity to view and be inspired by their peers’ highest quality of work.

What projects are you currently working on?
Anne Michalsen Design is currently working on many residential projects from the beach to the mountains. In Southern California, Seattle, Colorado, in the city of Denver and Aspen Mountains, and projects on the Big Island of Hawaii and Maui.

What was your favourite project to work on and why?
Our Modernized Hawaiian Retreat was extremely fulfilling because the clients, contractors, and our vision all aligned perfectly to create a harmonious project from the inside out. It was fun to work in a tropical environment and explore materials that could hold up to the Hawaiian elements, as well as enhance the users experience.

What was your most challenging project to work on and why?
The most challenging project was one in which the clients, a husband and wife, did not agree on many aspects of the home and could not compromise with one another.

Which products/services could you not live without when designing?
I could not live without our fabulous showroom and workroom partners, and of course, all the great CAD products that enhance our ability to articulate our vision to our clients.

What are your aims and goals for the next twelve months?
To expand Anne Michelsen Designs’ presence in the regions, we are currently working and love, to collaborate on several design-related products, and become more involved in the design leadership community.

Final thoughts; tell us a little more about yourself and your daily inspirations: Your most treasured possession?
Not necessarily a possession, but my husband and kids.

Your favourite holiday destination?
Italy

Your favourite hotel, restaurant & bar?
There are lots of hotels I love around the world, but the Allison Inn, in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, is very special to me. A local favorite restaurant of mine in Orange Country is Knife Pleat. The Pirates Den Bar at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club is a favorite.

Your favourite book, film & song?
I am reading right now, and love, One Souffle at a Time, by Amy Friedman and Anne Willan; my favorite movie is Julie and Julia; my favorite song is Love and Happiness by Al Green.

Your favourite food and drink?
My favorite food is artichoke, and my favorite drink is Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley.

Your favourite way to spend an afternoon?
My favorite way to spend an afternoon is cooking.

If you weren’t a designer, what would you be?
I would be a chef or a restauranteur.

Anything else interesting?
I was widowed very young, and my second husband and I have seven children and two dogs.

Anne Michaelsen Design

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