Lake Forest based interior designer, TINA DANN-FENWICK celebrates the 10-year anniversary of her eponymous interior design firm with a 2016 Design Excellence award from ASID Illinois. The British born designer and former barrister takes inspiration from her love of historic architecture and other cultures, influencing her European aesthetic and keeping her on trend.
Tina Dann-Fenwick. PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBIN SUBAR
IN HER EARBUDS
“The theme music from the movie The Hours by Philip Glass is haunting and moving so is great for de-stressing. I often play it when I am cooking dinner in the evening when I have had enough of the news on NPR. If I want to feel energetic, then I turn to pop, such as Mercy by Shawn Mendes and Prince. I am also listening to a great Podcast called Million Dollar Decorating where leading designers are interviewed about their businesses. I enjoy listening to their different perspectives and challenges, which often resonate with me.”
ON HER MOBILE
“I spend a lot of time keeping up to date with the design world. Shelter, Elle Décor, and Veranda are my favorite magazines, and I follow designers on Instagram such as Bunny Williams, Ashley Hicks, Alessandra Branca, and Martyn Lawrence Bullard as well as The World of Interiors and Architectural Digest. They give me great inspiration and a source for ideas. Interior designers need a well-trained eye, and being creative means you have to ‘take time to see.’ Wherever I go, even if it is just a walk on Open Lands, I see patterns, shades of color, shapes, and texture. It is a form of exercise for the right side of my brain, and it feeds my soul.”
ON HER NIGHTSTAND
“I am enjoying the second novel, The Story of a New Name, in a four-part series by the Italian authoress, Elena Ferrante. It is so much more than a coming-of-age story about two bright young girls living in a poor neighborhood of 1950s Naples. They are best friends with very different personalities and their lives diverge after one is given the opportunity to continue her education beyond grade school but the other is not. I always choose to read fiction, which gives me an insight into other cultures or times and which explores difficult choices people make in their lives.”
