Creating moments with studioHEIMAT
With bright colour palettes and fresh design perspectives, this Californian studio is committed to turning spaces into moments of memory.
A German word for a feeling of belonging, ‘Heimat’ is both the name and the ethos of studioHEIMAT, a San Francisco-based studio founded by Alicia Cheung Lichtenstein and Eva Bradley in 2015. The duo met while working for esteemed designer Ken Fulk and quickly formed a collaborative relationship. The studio is known for its clean, elevated designs with a distinctive sense of curiosity and even playfulness. “We want to be changing people's lives through our designs and work with them to create the life that they aspire to have,” remarks Eva. “By touching and changing these spaces into places where they will, in turn, make memories.”
With residential projects, the personality of the client and their use of the home are the driving forces behind the final design. The focus of studioHEIMAT’s projects often revolves around something Eva describes as ‘creating moments’ within a wider design. This could be evident with a pocket of unexpected colour or repurposing a disused hallway and revitalizing it as a small library. “One of the most important things is to create moments within homes. Not necessarily having white walls throughout but spaces where we are a little bit more daring with the colour and vibrancy.” This approach ensures that the enhanced design feels like home to the client and adds depth to the lived-in space, rather than blank, museum-like residences.
The duo firmly believes in influencing their clients to embrace designs a little out of their established comfort zone. “We feel like it’s within our job description to push them a little bit – or sometimes a lot! We draw on our experience and discuss it with our clients as it’s our mission to create a design that does the house justice,” says Alicia. One recent project includes the complete renovation of a Swiss house that was originally two separate spaces. “We took two very small apartments, combined them, and totally rethought the whole floor plan,” explains Eva. The new design transformed the entranceway into a sauna and a bathroom, and the kitchen is now where the clients first walk into the house. “The client initially said it was unheard of to arrive straight into the kitchen, but we argued, ‘It’s the heart of the home, why would you not enter directly there?’” she adds. Ultimately, the client agreed and continues to enjoy the renovated space.
Designers must develop an intimate relationship with their clients, which will continue to flourish with each new collaborative project together. A repeat client of studioHEIMAT is an avid art collector with an impressive selection of bright, contemporary artworks. When Alicia and Eva embarked on their third collaboration with her, they knew they could push the boundaries of the design to reflect the client’s love of vivid colours. “That project is a really fun one because it is so vibrant. We put art in every place we possibly could, which included decorative painting on certain walls and in little niches where you would not expect there to be anything – such as mini custom paintings in the closet hardware,” says Alicia. The bold design choices weren’t just limited to the client’s artwork but also in installations throughout the apartment, including painting the hallway with a flamboyant green malachite decorative treatment.
The unique nature of San Francisco – from the weather to the architecture – presents both challenges and opportunities for the studioHEIMAT team. “It’s extremely rare to have a ground-up construction in the city, so projects will most likely be a renovation,” explains Alicia. However, both founders believe in retaining as much authentic character as possible within the city's eclectic mix of Victorian residences. Alicia also comments on the distinct climate of San Francisco as an influence on the colour palette used by the studio. “You also want to just take into consideration the weather as it can be kind of foggy, and because of the changing light in San Francisco, I feel like there are certain colours we are drawn to here, such as jewel tones. If the colours are too bright, it sometimes doesn’t look right.”
Alicia and Eva both acknowledge the continual inspiration that San Francisco provides, from the numerous art galleries to the plethora of street art that adorns walls across the city. As the studio’s bio encapsulates, the feeling of HEIMAT is ‘the place where you feel the most “you”’ and with its creative, fresh approach to interiors, there seems to be no better place than at home in one of their designs.
To view more of studioHEIMAT’s designs, head to their website or Instagram.
