Sarah Barnard is Green Building & Design Magazine's Interior Designer to Watch!

Green Building and Design (GB&D) Magazine features Sarah Barnard, LEED AP in the December issue as their "Designer to Watch". For LA Designer, historic preservation and green design go hand in hand. By Julie Schaeffer

A daughter of historic preservationists, Sarah Barnard has always been interested in conservation--and now it's become a fundamental part of her interior design career. Barnard, who grew up and studied architecture and interior design in southern California, worked at a number of firms before ending up with Johnny Chao,a noted interior designer with a focus on kitchen and baths. Although Barnard enjoyed her experience with Chao, who remains a mentor and friend, after working with him for a number of years she wanted to expand her scope. "I fancy myself an artist first," says Barnard. "I make compositions and compositions don't end at a doorway."Thus it was in 2003 that Barnard decided to take her career to the next level with the founding of Sarah Barnard Design, a Los Angeles interior design firm that undertakes a broad range of projects, including private residences, offices, restaurants and spas.

All of the firms' work is mindful of healthy living, which to Barnard means not just being respectful of the environment, but also the structure's history and the space's inhabitants. It's something that Barnard learned from an early age, thanks in part to her parents. "My father spent most of his lifetime restoring antique furniture and millwork, and he and my mother started a grass-roots non-profit organization, The Olmstead Preservation Association, which works with their community to preserve and protect its historical resources," Barnard says. "Being around 'old stuff' taught me its value in the fabric of the community. When Barnard founded her own firm, it was only natural for her to take her mindfulness of healthy living to the next level by becoming a LEED AP, as well as an International Institute for Bau-Biologie & Ecology Building Biology Practitioner. "Historic Preservation and green design go hand in hand" says Barnard. "A lot of people don't see it that way, but for me they are fundamentally the same idea, which is making the most of what you have instead of wasting." Today many of Barnard's projects are LEED certified. She's currently working on the remodel of a landmark historic resource preservation center for the Santa Monica Conservancy, a non-profit group dedicated to the preservation of Santa Monica's unique history and architecture. Often however, clients aren't interested in pursuing LEED  certification due to the expense--but that doesn't stop Barnard from recommending sustainable features. "Even someone who isn't willing to take their project all the way through LEED certification can still use LEED guidelines, picking and choosing which energy or water saving features to incorporate," she explains.

That's not to say that Barnard won't work with clients who aren't interested in sustainable design; she's happy to. "Some people think sustainability is a marketing ploy and are tired of hearing the word 'green', so I definitely get clients who don't care about incorporating sustainable features." says Barnard. "For those folks, its important to be careful to avoid judging, because the green movement for a lot of people is a guilt movement, where an architect or interior designer comes into your life and tells you how your not living correctly. In those cases, it's my job to make people feel happy with the process, not forced to conform. So I don't present options as green, I present them as healthy living. Some clients may not be interested in recycling water or using solar power, but I bet I can convince them not to put poisonous furnishings in their baby's room." In that way then it's easy to see how Barnard's approach comes full circle. "It's our professional responsibility as designers to design spaces that are not just beautiful, but are also healthy for the people and the planet," she says. "Health and preservation are good places to start and you can branch out from there."

For more information about Sarah and her practice visit http://www.sarahbarnard.com/