Dispatches From a Worldly Designer
By OCinSite At-Large | May 05, 2011 10:03 AM
Arianna Noppenberger
By Somer Flaherty | Laguna Beach Magazine, May 2011
As an unhappy law school graduate, Arianna Noppenberger was ready for a career change. Still living in Italy at the time, she enrolled in the interior architectural program at one of the best private schools in the area—the Instituto Europeo di Design. The budding designer didn’t just fall in love with a new career, she also found her now-husband, architect Horst Noppenberger. The two moved to California a few years later and Arianna began developing the interiors of his projects. Eventually she was able to branch off and start her own interior design firm, Laguna Beach’s Aria Design, which fittingly sits in a building designed by her husband.
Laguna Beach Magazine: Tell us about your office in Laguna Beach.
Arianna Noppenberger: I opened my own studio at 247 Forest Avenue after looking for years for the perfect space. The building burned down in 1998 and my husband redesigned it, exposing the original brickwork. He blended the old and new using glass canopies, skylights and exposing wood beams. I love being in my office—it has high ceilings, lots of natural light, restaurants in front and is walking distance to the beach! Only in Laguna can I have all this at my doorstep.
LBM: You were born and raised in Italy but have worked in Laguna Beach for years, how does that inspire your designs?
AN: I lived and worked in buildings built many centuries ago in downtown Bologna, Italy. When I moved to Laguna, I immediately felt the lightness and the beauty of living in contact with nature within such a great climate. I found this community a fresh open environment where I could experiment and be innovative.
It’s inspired me to design homes with open floor plans connected to the outdoors, allowing a life in close contact with the natural beauty and topography of the place.
LBM: How would you describe Laguna Beach home design?
AN: Modern, minimal, sustainable and tactile with a natural, lived-in feel, earth palette of colors, materials and textures.
LBM: What do you love about working here?
AN: Laguna attracts people from all over the world. I enjoy working with clients of ethnic and cultural diversity. This allows each of my projects to be unique and for me to evolve as a designer.
LBM: What is your favorite thing about Laguna style?
AN: People generally associate Laguna with the cottage style, but if we really look around we’ll discover that our town is very eclectic when it comes to styles. This is what makes Laguna so unique. It is a community that promotes diversity and I hope it always will.
LBM: What’s the first question you ask a client?
AN: I don’t have a first question or a set questionnaire. I find myself listening more than asking. During the design process the interactions with the client lead me to discover their personalities, desires, preferences and dislikes.
LBM: What are some of your favorite textures?
AN: The ones found in nature.
LBM: What’s your biggest design pet peeve?
AN: Anything that is a bad replica of styles of the past, for example, the use and abuse of what is called Mediterranean style in our area!
