Holly Gagne Interior Design is an east coast design firm we've been working with over the last year. With nature-based design sensibilities, their team leans on design solutions and materials that enhance natural light, respect our natural surroundings and architecture, and inspire a lifestyle that feels most comfortable and authentic. You can see why we work well together😉. Learn more about HGID's (@hollygagne) work and get inspired for your own space.
Describe your design perspective/aesthetic.
HGID is a full-service interior design studio in Rowley, MA specializing in large residential renovations and new builds. Our fully customized design plans are inspired by each client's daily flow and unique needs, designing in harmony with their lifestyle. We dive into every little detail to figure out what solutions can eliminate chaos and bring more enjoyment to the home experience. The HGID team leans heavily on nature based-design sensibilities to develop plans that promote natural light and respect the home's surroundings. We select materials that enhance a feeling of comfort and alignment with our clients preferences, and favor those that are closest to their natural state. The more imperfect a material is, the less we will worry about the normal wear it will endure over time. We encourage clients to select materials that they love rather than considering what is or isn’t on trend. And although maintenance is an important consideration in our design selection process, we try to steer our clients away from the thinking that everything has to stay perfect forever. This can really impede achieving a design that truly resonates for them. Ultimately, home is a place to live in your most comfortable and authentic state, and that means something different for every client – discovering this is a journey we enjoy taking every client on.
Tell us about the home you worked on that has our Seneca Table in it.
This was an antique home in the historical district of Newburyport, MA. We provided the interior design package for a full home gut renovation and addition which was completed earlier this year. The gorgeous Seneca table lives in the Sunroom - which was a more modern addition on the home. With this room full of windows, the layout was tricky for furnishings so we designed a built-in sofa that spans the only solid wall in this space with full views to the outdoors and totally open to the kitchen. The Seneca Table was the perfect complement, bringing warmth into the palette. We LOVE the small metal inlays on the top, such a perfect little detail that doesn’t overtake the natural feel of the piece. Our clients use this table for everything from breakfast to playing family games!
Do you work nationwide? Or just locally on the East Coast?
At this time we are a small and extremely busy team, so we are focusing on more local projects from Massachusetts and north through Maine. We are always looking to grow our local team if there are any amazing designers out there who love our vibe and this area!
Tell us about your new shop in Camden, ME.
As an Interior Designer, having a retail shop is a perfect complement to what we do. We acquire so many products when we are styling homes. We are always on the hunt for unique brands / items that feel aligned with our design perspectives. The shop has given us the opportunity to experiment and design with just our
team – to discover what we love and consider most aligned with the HGID brand. It is a place for customers to directly experience the feeling of our brand, and it is very fun to be able to shop at our own shop for our projects. Shop Online here.
What is a project you are currently working on that you are excited about.
We are working on a beautiful oceanfront home in Cape Elizabeth, Maine – it is our first big project in Maine! Our clients have a great sense of style and have been fun to collaborate with in giving this home a new and beautiful life that we know will bring their family so much joy. I’m originally from Maine but moved away from college on; we recently bought a vacation home in the Mid Coast so that we could work our way back into this state that we love so much. Maine is the founding essence of the HGID vibe. With the shop and this project, it
is beyond exciting to bring my passion for design back home – it feels like I was always meant to come back, but I’m so much more appreciative of this special place, now.
Do you have a favorite type of room you love to design?
I love to design Kitchens, they truly are the heart of the home and where the most interactions with family and guests happen. It is the perfect blend of an aesthetic and technical design process for me, and a space that we can truly have a huge impact on our client’s lifestyle. If we go through the process, we can make our clients daily life easier and more enjoyable for the most important social interactions with our people.
Who are you inspired by?
Our design world is filled with amazing women entrepreneurs who have followed their passion and created their own brand that is completely genuine and authentic to them. Seeing so many women who have figured out how to successfully support their family in a career right alongside one another is the inspiration I need right now. I keep aspiring to balance both of these parts of my life better. They both need to align with each other because when one is not running right or tipping the scale then the other sacrifices as well. I’m very grateful that I have both, but I continue to aspire to achieve greater balance for everyone I need to support at work and home.
Anything else you want us to know or share?
I just want to encourage anyone about to embark on a design process to invest the time to truly explore and discover who they are and what they like before doing so. We experience this in the design process quite a bit – where a client is so busy with their daily life that they are unable to get to this place of reflection and discovery before we begin and the decision-making process can become very challenging. Fear of making decisions that they will not like in the long-term often results in palettes that are sterile and disconnected from who they are. Our homes can give us that and so much more, if we put the time in and let them.
Photo Credits: Tamara Flanagan