For more than 30 years, Dinyar Wadia and his team of talented designers have been putting their stamp on traditionally-minded homes with all the up-to-date amenities that modern families want. The New Canaan-based residential, interior and landscape design firm helps clients in Fairfield and Westchester counties and beyond to design houses with a sense of history and a modern perspective on their lifestyle and the environment.
What inspires you?
I’m inspired by good design in every aspect of life—from the book I make notes in to the way my office looks and the drawings we do—they’re all important and inspire me to do better each day.
What’s your design philosophy?
My philosophy is very practical. To start with, it’s our client’s ideas, wishes and budget from which we design a beautiful place where they can raise a family and entertain friends for many years to come. We do this to help them enjoy the process of creating something uniquely their own.
If there was one design trend you would bring back, what would it be?
Before World War II, even simple buildings such as railroad switching towers or the bridges across the Merritt Parkway or small houses in suburbs such as Bronxville, NY, were designed to be beautiful. I’d bring back this trend where the average person would appreciate, and be able to afford, an environment that has lasting aesthetic value and conveys a real sense of place.
What’s the greatest challenge in your job and how do you handle it?
Designing is easy. But changing things midstream to respond to new ideas—that gets challenging. I always try to smoothly fit any new idea a client has into the design we’re in the middle of, but it can be difficult. The real goal is to get to know your client and help them articulate their wishes early on, and then work in a way that helps them be in tune and fully invested in the design.
What’s one element that every home should have?
Every home should have a space where the family spends time and bonds together.
Is there a common design mistake you come across and how do you correct it?
So often I see homes that seem like a collection of what maybe were good
ideas but never quite came together. A project really has to be thought about as a whole, and that vision kept intact throughout the entire process.
What is your favorite room to design?
Can I have two? Entry halls and kitchens. You can really stretch out your design skills with the entry hall. The kitchen is where everyone spends time, as it’s right at the heart of the home. It doesn’t matter how big a house is—the kitchen is where everyone lives, and it has to be more than wonderful.
Wadia Associates
134 Main St. #1, New Canaan, CT, 203-966-0048
