Laguna Niguel News - Aliso Viejo News: Orange County Register weeklies (CA)
Nov 9 2007
Author: SALVADOR HERNANDEZ
STAFF WRITER
Edition: 1
Section: Laguna Niguel News
Page: NewsC
Working for someone else was just not working for Sabina Vavra.
The 28-year-old Aliso Viejo resident went into banking shortly after graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she received a degree in law and society. It was a good job, she said, but like many other people, her second career has proven to be her real passion.
The entrepreneurial spirit runs in her family, she said, and "working for someone else was not what I envisioned."
So she left her secure banking job, a six-figure income and started taking interior design classes. Today, she is a designer with a steady client list. She has been recognized for her work, last year receiving the platinum award for best living room in the sixth annual Orange County Home Design Awards. The competition is sponsored by the Orange County Register's sister publication, Orange County Home, and by the American Society of Interior Designers Orange County chapter.
"I think everyone is pleasantly surprised I've made a successful transition," she said.
Vavra first worked for an interior design firm, paying close attention to how business was conducted.
"I just paid close attention to what they did and did not do," she said.
Creativity is a big part of the job, but success depends on being a good businesswoman, said Vavra
"First and foremost, this is a business and that's where my first degree comes in so handy for me," she said.
Vavra works with her clients and their budget, working with it in a way that it will be the most effective.
She also listens to what her clients want, and what they expect in the design.
The hardest part is working for more than one person, like a couple, and having to work as the mediator between two different tastes and preferences.
"I'm the mediator then," Vavra said. "They look at me from a professional standpoint."
About 80 percent of her work is in homes, but she also works on professional spaces, such as waiting rooms and lobbies.
Vavra describes her designs as fresh, sophisticated and innovativ e.
Vavra's tastes are constantly changing, and so are her designs. Consequently, the design of her own home -not just her clients' - is constantly transforming.
"I'm inspired by something new and (my style) just transforms," she said.
Vavra's main effort when taking on a new project is to control the mood of people when they enter a room, she said.
"It's easy to manipulate emotions according to your environment," Vavra said.
For example, someone should feel comforted and eased when walking into their home.
All of Vavra's clients are on a referral basis. That's mostly because she wants her clients to be familiar with her work before contacting her, she said. She wants her work to do most of the talking.
Caption:
BY DESIGN:Sabina Vavra is an Aliso Viejo-based interior designer.
Copyright 2007 The Orange County Register
Record Number: 104775782
