Carmen Santana Interiors

How did you come up with the idea for Carmen Santana Interiors?
My partner and I set up a construction company a few years ago. I needed to study interior design because clients were increasingly asking for turnkey projects. As this was an area I loved, I decided to invest in training. And I’ve been getting a lot of work. By doing the interior design work, we are able to give our clients a much more customised response. We create 3D projects and sell the project, from construction to the interior design and decoration. 

What is your style?
An interior designer usually adapts to the client. Depending on the budget, we create the idea. Of course, if we can let our imagination run wild, we can create distinctive projects. 

What importance does the product have when thinking up a project for the client?
I always try to design something new for the client. To design different furniture. In fact, the pieces now come with the Carmen Santana Interiors design signature. These are pieces that you can’t find anywhere else, because they are created specifically for that client. I try to adapt my designs to the space. I recently designed the interiors of a clinic, for example, and what I had in mind was a space with panels, little houses for the children to play in, trees... in short, I thought I’d give a world to that place so that the children would feel at ease. Now it doesn’t even feel like a clinic. It’s like stepping into a space where children are enchanted by its beauty. I adapted the furniture to the spaces and brought the walls to life.

What’s the process behind your work?
Firstly, I try to get to know the client and absorb their lifestyle. If I know that the client doesn’t like books, I won’t put books in their home (even though I love books). We have to have this sensitivity. Then we prepare the project – we choose the colours for the walls, the materials for the floors, the finishes, the fabrics and the furniture that will shape and fill the space. Next, we present the project and adapt it to the client’s requirements. Once everything has been approved, we move on to the execution. 

Is there a type of design that you favour and instil in your projects?
I really like a contemporary style. The less cluttered a space is, the more life it reveals. We have to understand whether the client uses the kitchen, the living room or another space the most in a house, and we have to work out the design accordingly. Then there has to be comfort, and everything has to fit in with the client’s lifestyle. I like to leave a piece of my soul in my projects. I’m going to be a child for all my life (she laughs), so I try to leave a bit of that side of me in every project. I leave the dream.

"We adapt to the client’s requirements”

What is the hardest thing an interior designer can be faced with?
Essentially, finding a builder to carry out the work, and in that area, we are doing fine, because we do the building (we own Prisma Genuíno). We design the project and have someone to build it. That’s our greatest asset.