If you have not yet met Scot Meacham Wood, you are missing out on the pleasure of knowing one of the most talented and interesting Interior Designers in America.
Scot Meacham Wood: San Francisco Based Interior Designer
"I have always considered it a great pleasure to be part of the transformation of any home. Our homes should reflect our deepest passions, our true personalities, and show to the world who we are."
Scot has recently been featured in "Designers at Home: Personal Reflections on Stylish Living" by Ronda Rice Carmen. He is a standout in the company of distinctive design leaders, including Charlotte Moss, Celerie Kemble, Ashley Hicks, Barry Dixon, India Hicks, Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Suzanne Rheinstein, Rose Tarlow, Jay Jeffers, Jan Showers, Alex Papachristidis, Matthew Patrick Smyth, Colette van den Thillart, Bunny Williams and more.
Scot also specializes in Commercial Design and Custom Furniture
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| Four Seasons Residence |
Please enjoy our discussion below!
1) Welcome Scot! Tell us a bit about your
background. Did you develop a creative talent and design sense at an early age?
How did that come about?
Thanks! I guess I've always been creative to some
extent. I do recall, especially to my mother’s dismay, the number of times I
would re-arrange and re-style my bedroom while I was growing up. You know, move
the bed over on this wall. Re-hang all of the artwork. And I was endlessly
re-organizing my closets. And we’re talking about a 6 year old here. And I
think because we moved so often, my father was in the military, we were
constantly being asked to re-imagine our lives in new and different places. And
seeing the same furniture from our house in Florida suddenly in our house in
South Korea certainly opened my eyes to the ever-fluid world of design.
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| Berkley Living Room |
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| East Hampton Master Bedroom |
2) I understand that you worked several years with Ralph Lauren; what
did you
gain from that experience? Who else may have influenced your Design
Aesthetic?
My hope is that I never stop being influenced by
people. Though my ‘look’ is becoming very well established - there are numerous
designers that always ping on my personal design radar. Michael Smith. Miles
Redd. Charlotte Moss. Barry Dixon. Eric Cohler. And though their individual
styles vary - there is always on strong aspect of ‘completeness’ to their work -
with a strong sense of drama and style. I always like a little ‘more is more’
to my work as well.
I think the part of working for Ralph Lauren that
was the most influential to me was his ability to re-create and re-imagine these
‘worlds’ whether it’s all about an English country house - or a New York
penthouse - that always felt so specifically “Ralph.” There was a running joke
in the late 1990‘s - that the only store in London that felt like an actual,
iconic “English Haberdashery” - was the Polo store on Bond Street!
Working on the Home Collection rooms every season
with a complete visual university all of its own. It was all about the degree
of detailing in the space. The completely thought-out point of view of those
rooms. And the amazing romance that Ralph brings to all of his ‘worlds.’ That
is the part of my own business that is most effected by my work with Mr. Lauren.
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| Presidio Heights Bedroom |
3) Another thing I notice is that you work seamlessly from a feminine tone in a
room to more masculine color palettes, fabric, woods, etc. Yet you often
incorporate masculine touches into any room as opposed to having a “one man
cave” in the entire home to call his home. How does that affect the client and
finished project?
I always like to find that balance between husbands
and wives - between masculine and feminine . . . and the spaces that they
share. I've never really designed a space that was specifically ‘male’ or
‘female,’ as I wouldn't want anyone in the house to feel as though they were
being ‘left out.’ So one of my classic ‘men’s libraries’ might include a
beautifully detailed custom lamp shades with gimping trim - and a ladies writing
room would have a stout, manly antique dresser - for me it also gives the design
a great deal of energy and movement to mix opposite influences in one
space.
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| California Homes Article "Antiques in a Modern Home" |
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| Tartan Office |
4) Scot when I see projects that you have
envisioned comes to fruition; almost all have a sense of comfort and warmth.
What are your priorities for a project/ a home design?
In many ways, one thing that I often see missing
from ‘residential design’ is that sense of ‘residence’ - the people that
actually reside in these spaces. So we work on a very lengthy questionnaire with
our clients. With everything from how they plan to entertain within the space
to how many pairs of shoes they own.
The most important thing to me is ‘how is the house
going to be used.’ And then it is my job to create the most magnificent space
for that ‘life’ to take place in.
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| Atherton Residence |
5) On a personal note I know our readers would love to know about your personal
interests, collections and travels. I understand that you sing with a chorale
group? ( a gift I have always wanted)
I think traveling is one of the most important
inspirations for my interior design work - and the opportunity of seeing how
other people and other cultures live. I've been lucky to have clients across
the US - so regional travel seems to be a constant for me. It seemed as if I
spent the entire 12 months of 2012 in an airport . . . lol. And ‘Big Travel’ -
or what we sometimes call ‘gotta find my passport travel’ - is always the best.
Being submerged in a new culture - even if it’s just spending a week in Scotland
- always seems to awaken new creative ideas in me.
As far as other interests - I've always been focused
on being healthy - and living here in the San Francisco Bay Area is a parade of
options. Whether it’s spending my Saturday mornings running on the beach near
the Golden Gate Bridge - or trail running in Marin County - I always seem to be
out of doors.
Sadly, because of my travel schedule - I've not been
singing as much in the past few years. Hopefully things will settle down soon -
and I can get back into a small group.
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| Piedmont Library |
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| Detail Piedmont Tartan Library |
6) How do you relax after a long design job or even during that intense
process?
What is this ‘relax’ you speak of . . . lol. No
seriously, I do spend a great deal of my free time running. It really helps to
clear my head - and gives me a great deal of focus.
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| Woodside Showcase House Game Room |
7) Scot, Finally, what words of advice do you have for the beginning
designer?
I always remember that half of the ‘design business’
is the word ‘business.’ And you've got to run it that way. Keeping an eye on
your expenses and margins will help to create the financial basis for your
business to succeed.
Also - be amazing. Listening to your clients. And
listen between their words. They are describing their lives to you - and you
need to be an active participant in creating ‘that life.’
You can Reach Scot:
Thank you so much Scot for participating in my 2013 Interior Design Feature
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
I hope my faithful followers and friends will leave a comment for Scot.
As always thank you to all who support the Arts that make our world a more beautiful place!
The winner of the book by Leslie Sinclair, Secrets to Finishing Beautiful Interiors is Bette from Ideezine
A copy of Designers at Home: Personal Reflections on Stylish Living has been sent to me for review
