ABOUT
Marina Darsalia, founder and principal of Darsalia Design, is an International Designer specializing in custom luxury residential, commercial, and nautical spaces for private clients and spec homes. With a unique personal style, balancing flair and grace, Darsalia’s projects have been featured in numerous publications.
Darsalia draws inspiration from her travels to Europe, Asia, Middle East, North and South America. Combining comfort and unique charm to create harmony and flow, while respecting each client’s individuality and the architect’s design.
Curating the design, décor, and art, Darsalia is most noted for combining subtle colors and elegant forms with style. She effortlessly juxtaposes each piece, whether it’s contemporary or vintage, linear or organic, graphic or instinctual, fluid or stationary into a lucid and absolutely personalized design.
Marina Darsalia is a former model and UCLA graduate with a Bachelor of Arts, specializing in Interior Design, Home Décor, and Art Consulting for the past 15 years. Now based in Los Angeles, Darsalia has collaborated with renowned architects from United States, Mexico, Italy, and Russia customizing homes, offices, and yachts in Santa Monica, Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Mexico City, Miami, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Darsalia’s projects have been featured in Hedonist, Elle Décor, Architectural Digest, Forbes, Dwell, Veranda, Robb Report, and Town & Country.
INTERVIEW:
Marina Darsalia is an accomplished interior designer with the gift of creating harmonious visions within the home and bringing them to life. Every home has an inner soul, an extension of the person living in it waiting to be represented. Darsalia taps within to truly represent those details that would have otherwise stayed hidden. Through her love of art and color, she can assign each project she works on with its own unique identity. This interview with the brilliant interior designer offers a look into her career and great insight into luxury interior design.
Tell me more about yourself and how you got started as an interior designer.
Ever since I was little, I had a passion for design. My mom is a photographer and an art curator, so I spent most of my youth in art galleries, studios, and museums. When I was young I started moving furniture and art pieces around the house to make the space flow better. I guess I’ve always had a passion for spatial dimensions. While studying at UCLA, I interned for an interior designer and for an art gallery. I loved it! After I graduated, I began remodeling and decorating homes in LA and in Mexico City, then expanded my business into design, decor and art consulting.
How would you describe your style when designing?
I really love to incorporate high-end fashion couture elements into my projects. The fabric textures and patterns, the cut of the garments inspire my design. It’s no wonder that so many incredible fashion houses have successfully expanded into decor and interior design. You have Etro, Cavalli Home, Bodega Venetta, and Louis Vuitton making beautiful furniture pieces.
My style has elements of duality, feminine and masculine, sensual and whimsical. I like to take contemporary and modern spaces that are linear and geometric and bring curves and textures into them so they come together in a coherent, harmonious way.
Do you think fashion trends and interior design trends go hand in hand?
Absolutely! colors, textures, and materials definitely overlay fashion and interior design. A great example would be specific colors trending on the runway. Right now that is the case for pinks, maroons and orange. This combination would normally not be used but is now seen in decor items such as chairs, sofas, or wall coverings. In other cases, you can also see heavy use of leather, embroidery and fringe as well as urban materials such as metal and cement hues.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
From everything! Through my time modeling I got an amazing opportunity to travel to spectacular destinations around the world, which continue to influence me to this day. I also draw a lot of inspiration from nature. I love bringing organic forms into my projects to give it warmth. I enjoy using elements such as wood and stone as design elements….and of course art. You can have the most beautiful floors, wall finishes, fixtures, and furniture in a home; however it is the splashes of color and the shapes of the objects that really brings everything together.
Can you describe the accomplished projects that you have done?
I’ve had the opportunity to work along amazing builders, architects and clients within the luxury market. Each project is unique, and to me each home has a soul that you have to tap into. For example with Roman James Design Build, I worked on the Betty Davis estate in Beverly Hills. This beautiful mansion was a complete renovation, redesign, and rebuild. The goal was to keep the glamour of Betty Davis alive and it is to date one of my favorite projects. I was able to find beautiful vintage posters of her movies that were incorporated into the home. I also chose furniture that captured the essence of old Hollywood glamour.
What is your dream project?
I would love to restore mansion/villas in Italy, Spain, Portugal and France. To take historical properties and renovate them. To give them new life by incorporating modern elements while still keeping the spirit of the homes alive.
What’s the next goal you want to achieve as an interior designer?
I would love to design a home decor collection. To create a line of timeless pieces that works for both residential and commercial spaces.
What are some key design elements that you have incorporated into your personal space? What do you add to make your personal spaces more you?
Definitely art. For every home that I’ve done, I’ve curated an incredible and unique art collection. Having photographs, drawings, paintings and sculptures that flow together in one coherent collection is key. Each unique piece of art has to start a conversation, create a mood, and guide your eye from one space to the next.
What are some interior design tips you can offer to readers?
That your home can be both functional and beautiful and you don’t have to choose one over the other. Also, to select pieces that make you happy, because you want to enjoy them every day you see them. Select key areas on where to splurge. A good place to start is by identifying the space in your home where you spend the most time. You’d want to find quality pieces to anchor the room and not so expensive items to complement them.