We had the good fortune of connecting with Sara Queen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sara, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
My family moved six times, between three states, between the time I was two years to fourteen years old. Even before my mother was a professional interior designer, she and my father “made home” where ever we went. Moving was fun to me! Whether we rented or owned, we made each home ours. In Kansas City, my parents took a five story brick house in Mission Hills and remodeled the interior after Frank Israel, complete with I-Beams and perforated metal stair rails. In the tiny town of Carbondale, CO, my parents painted our ranch house “John Deere green” and installed hardwood flooring by hand. In Topanga, CA, my sister and I had periwinkle bedrooms with matching bunk beds. In Calabasas, now a middle schooler, my mother and I DIY’d wall upholstery in my bedroom with a pink faux fur! My mother has never shied away from color! We just had fun with it. All these transitions from different communities, schools, and homes has contributed to my love for home and the uniqueness of home today. My parents, sister and I, were and still are a tight knit family. Even though my sister is five years younger than me, she was my BEST friend growing up. I think that the high value we placed on family and the making of “home” has shaped who I am as a person today, and it’s also shaped my business. Working with my mother now as an interior design duo, one of our philosophies that we share with clients is our belief that your home should feel exactly that, like YOUR home. As designers, we are here to guide our clients in their discovery of home and we implement that vision together. That’s why our projects all look quite different from each other, and that’s something we take pride in, even with our signature designer touches.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My mother and I run a boutique interior design firm based in Calabasas, Lisa Queen Design. We cater mostly to local residential clients, with a handful of clients out of state and a few commercial projects sprinkled in as well. Right now, we are most excited about the release of our first coffee table book called, The Essence of Home: Bringing the Soul of the Home to the Table. The book will be available for purchase through our website and in local bookstores this April (2022). The book is full of beautiful photography by our two most trusted photographers – shoutout to Michael Wells and Mary Omel – showcasing many of our interior projects, and most interestingly, sharing some of our creative tablescapes. Grab a copy and check out our online store, The Queen’s Trunk, featuring a unique collection of tabletop items and antique decor!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m a big beach goer so I would take my visiting friends to Malibu for the day. We’d start at Malibu Cafe on the pier for the best fried egg sandwich is town, and then take a walk, swim, or surf on the beach. Surfrider beach is one of my favorite spots for long boarding. Then we would head up the coast toward Zuma Beach, which is my favorite beach for lounging. On the way we’d pick up lunch from Malibu Kitchen or Malibu Seafood and then go have lunch in the sand and sunbathe. For dinner we’d head to Nobu, Malibu for world class sushi. Some great sites to see along the way include the Getty Villa, a small museum focused on Greek and Roman art right off the coast (ocean views). Two great places to stay are the Surfrider Hotel or Calamigos Ranch. My husband and I got married on the beach in 2020 right in front of the Calamigos Beach Club.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutout to my parents for giving my sister and I the freedom to be explorers, nature girls, artists, and inventors. Shoutout to my sister for always racing to keep up with me as kids, and now for chasing after her own boss energy as a Google engineer. Shoutout to my husband who supports all my creative efforts at work and now in motherhood.

Website: www.lisaqueendesign.com

Instagram: @lisaqueendesign

Image Credits
Mary Omel

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