Meet Ani Ferrara | Interior Designer

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

Hi Ani, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking

The biggest risk for me was leaving the film industry entirely behind and entering the interior design field to do what I love.

Ever since I was young, I would write essays about what I thought my future would be like. I imagined being an Art Director and working hard to win that coveted Best Production Design Oscar. I started my journey by attending UCLA and studied set design. After graduating, I worked in the costume department on several Clint Eastwood movies and eventually climbed my way up to the art department. I worked on several shows and movies including a Marvel series and numerous Netflix films but never fully utilizing my creative skills. In design school, interior design was frowned upon, more of a backup career to production design. I did eventually make the jump to align my work more closely with my passions. It felt risky and intimidating at the time, but looking back I know I made the right call. As time went on and we all began working from home during COVID, judgments towards interior design quickly turned around. Interior designers became famous faces on reality shows, created their own furniture lines for big box stores, and were the hot commodity to have. The boom of the home industry exploded throughout the past 3 years, and I have been busy ever since.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

I began my interior design journey when I left the film industry. When I worked as a designer at West Elm, I created a relationship with every person I met. I truly learned the value of connecting with people on a personal level and how their home makes such an impact on their daily lives. Design is an experience. When you are entering a space, you are emotionally connecting with it. When I worked in the film industry there was much less reward in the set designs. All that work would get packed away. Interior design touches so many people and it’s much more rewarding to see families enjoy the spaces I’ve designed.

Vision is not taught; it is within you. When I walk into a space, I look at all the details and start building a very strong vision of how it could look. Being able to visualize an empty room is extremely instinctive. After furniture has been installed, the finishing touch is styling, turning a good room into a great room. I select pieces that have personal connections to my clients from their culture, their fields of interests, and their travels. Every piece has meaning and speaks to each other. I am a curious person and I am always learning. Every single client has been a different process of design. You’re never going create the same design twice.

Designing custom furniture distinguishes my work from others. When a client hears the word “custom” they freak out thinking it’s going to be the most expensive option when in most cases it isn’t. Custom furniture means no mistakes, no returns, no customer service, and no issues. Clients end up saving money in the long run because the designer controls the quality. When an item is created by a local artist, you’re able to express your vision and opinion directly. You may even be able to pencil your design to get exactly what you want. It’s a collaborative process between the client, designer, and maker. The economies of scale of a store-bought piece are not necessarily cheaper. You end up paying for additional things like administrative and office expenses for a piece that isn’t as high of quality. When you are making a piece for your home it’s going to look better, fit better, and feel better. These custom pieces tend to live on in the home for many lifetimes due to their quality and uniqueness. That is why I maintain relationships with local artisans who make one-of-a-kind pieces for my clients.

Lessons learned – Communication is the key for success, especially for problem solving. Many times, clients assume once you order a piece of furniture everything is going to go perfectly. 90% of the time this is not the case and has gotten worse during COVID. There are so many moving parts that get convoluted and there’s no accountability in the customer service industry. Now-a-days, communication gets disrupted during the delivery of furniture. I maintain very clear records and keep point people involved to ensure a smooth experience. I never assume anything and always confirm, reconfirm, and maybe reconfirm again, just in case. I negotiate significant discounts when furniture deliveries are delayed or damaged because the client deserves the best.

I want people to create their homes as an integral part of their life experiences. I want to make a positive impact on people’s lives based on my designs they live in. I want people to make happy memories in their homes and smile when they walk into their favorite room. I want my designs to be their own legacies.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

See –

Getty Villa: Located in Malibu with gorgeous ocean views, the sculpture art collection is phenomenal and the Roman inspired gardens are beautifully curated. Be sure to go during the day for a guided architectural tour of all the details and can’t miss all the amazing marble floors everywhere!

UCLA Sculpture Garden: This comes from my time spent on the north side of campus. They have a Rodin sculpture and a Richard Serra free standing steel sculpture that is grounding while still feeling this idea of continual movement. Go during the day for the best shadows and light coming through the trees. So peaceful and nice place for a picnic.

Petersen Automotive Museum: Such a surprise and inspiring place for an artist. Even if you don’t like cars, it is worth just looking at the designs, colors, textures of all the vehicles. Check out the Vault if it is open as it is a must see. They have the bat-mobile, cars given to royalty and cars over a hundred years old. The Tesla exhibit is pretty cool too.

Savor –

Elephante: Go for Sunday brunch and try the scrambled eggs. Best in your life eggs. The banana bread is a must. Book a reservation in advance for the Sunset room to sit on the balcony overlooking the ocean.

Broad St. Oyster Co in Malibu: The freshest oysters and shellfish you will have in California. By far the best caviar for the price. Always get the seafood platter to try all the bests of everything. The lines are long but go pretty fast. Also, the lobster roll is on point, but get the hot butter version.

Le Great Outdoor: Think of your favorite summer backyard BBQ party but with elevated flavors. This place is a hidden secret and so good! They grill lamb, shrimp, chicken, branzino and veggies to perfection. The wild mushrooms are out of this world and the pecan pie is chef’s kiss. Seating is only outdoors so best to bring a jacket for cooler weather.

Sip –

Caffe Luxxe: By far the best coffee in Los Angeles. Their Montenero blend is so smooth with just a hint of dark cocoa, caramel and jasmine notes. They have a few locations but my favorite is the original on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, especially in the mornings when the dog show starts as the whole neighborhood walks their dogs. They make a bomb cappuccino too.

Henry’s Coffee at the Old Town Newhall Farmers Market (Santa Clarita): If you decide to make the trip out to Santa Clarita, the Old Town Newhall Farmers Market is one of my secret favorites. They are open on Saturday mornings and Henry’s Coffee makes one of the best raspberry honey lattes on the planet. Not too sweet but not bland at all. All the flavors are perfectly combined and highlighted.

Erewhon in Pacific Palisades: Yes, famous for the most expensive smoothie ever but honestly this bougie grocery store has the best cold pressed bottled juices. If you save the bottle, you can bring it back for a $1 credit back for recycling. Just Greens with Apple is my favorite. Also, the Palisades location is so easy to go in and out since they validate the parking.

Smell –

Huntington Library: Don’t be confused by the title as this is not really a library but an insane botanical garden with several art collections. The rose garden is designed by world renowned rose curator Tom Carruth and every January they host a bare-root rose talk and shopping event. Truly the best quality and well-priced. Other gardens not to miss are the Chinese Garden and the Cactus Garden. They are re-building the tea house for afternoon tea and it is planned to open later in 2023.

Otto and Sons Nursery: Go in May during their Rose festival to smell all the delightful flowers. They have the largest selection of roses to purchase but also have a children’s garden, herb garden, and rose garden for the public to enjoy. Every year, the day before Thanksgiving they host a free cutting event, where you can bring your shears and a bucket to collect roses for your Thanksgiving table arrangements. They host many classes in Jan/Feb for pruning fruit trees and rose bushes. Even though they are located in Fillmore the drive on highway 126 is worth it just to see the beautiful farms and rolling green hills along the way. Stop by Roan Mills (close by) for an amazing blueberry scone. Such an amazing bakery that mills their own wheat.

Shop –

Nickey Kehoe: A designer’s dream shop for decorative accessories, art, and drop-dead gorgeous fabrics. They have such an eye for styling, pattern mixing and matching, and ceramics. I’ve used their fabrics for custom made bedding. They have beautiful hand painted candle sticks that are small enough to pack in a suitcase.

Big Daddy’s Antiques (Culver City) & The Well (Summerland): The most unique furniture from all over the world. They curate antiques but also create custom made lighting. They have one of kind pieces that will you will love for years to come. BDA is a combination of indoor and outdoor finds while their Summerland location, The Well, has an incredible outdoor space with French style green houses and limestone fountains. Truly a treat just to go and enjoy these shops.

Olive Ateliers (only on certain Saturdays): They are known for objects with old souls but Kendell, Ben, and Laura are trend-setting fiends. Their collection is so beautiful that you will spend all your money on each drop. Drops are only on Saturdays, usually every other week and they source weathered vintage ceramics, limestone troughs, and raw wood benches from Turkey, India, Indonesia, Greece, France, and Morocco.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

I am very close with my parents and they shaped my life.

I’m first generation Armenian and both of my parents were born in Tehran, Iran. My mom came to this country when she was 4 years old on a boat and came through Ellis Island. My dad came when he was 15 years old during the Iran revolution. He escaped right before the hostage crisis and flew to the US with $50 sewn into his jacket lining.

Both of my parents have very different careers. My mom is a financial advisor and my dad is a rocket engineer. They have been very supportive of the career I have chosen. My dad introduced me to the functionality and methodical side of design. My mom introduced me to the business side and accountability of design. Both have helped develop my career to foster my artistic abilities for success.

I pursued a career I was passionate about – more of a drive than a choice.

Growing up I was always surrounded by different arts and cultures. I grew up going to different art museums and cultural events. I grew up in a place where my imagination could flourish. My artistic inspiration was enhanced by nature, botanical gardens, and the wonderful beauty around me. Even though my parents have led very non-artistic careers, they always supported me to find success through art and design. I love designing spaces that make people happy. I pursued this artistic and creative career because it was truly what I wanted to do with my life.

Website: http://aniferraradesign.com/

Instagram: @aniferraradesign

Image Credits
Landon Vonderschmidt