How do designers garner inspiration for their projects? What are their favorite projects to work on? We met designer Jonathan Savage of SAVAGE Interior Design earlier this year at our Experience & Design Center and sat down with him to pick his brain. We discussed design styles, social media, travel and more. Check out what he had to say below.

Thermador: Where do you find your design inspiration?

Jonathan Savage: Whenever I travel, I always take notes and pictures – I’m always inspired by what I see in new places. I recently spent two weeks in Capri, and now everything I’m working on has blue and white!

THD: How do you navigate the needs and desires of your clients?

JS: Some clients will know exactly what they are looking for, while others leave it up to us to make the decisions. Nine times out of ten, I’m always asking clients the questions, like how do you live? How do you entertain or host? Then, we can personalize their home and the design to their unique lifestyle. It’s always different and I always ask a lot of questions – you can learn a lot about a person just from a general conversation.

THD: How do you help your clients narrow down their design options and choices – especially when in today’s world they are exposed to so much on social media sites like Pinterest?

JS: I give them homework – they need to give me their wants and their needs as well as what they are not interested in. When I get this list, it helps me see their priorities. Pinterest is also one of our most successful social media resources – we pin often. We like to pin things that we like, and clients will often refer to something they saw on our Pinterest page.

THD: Is there a specific style of design you would really like to work on?

JS: Right now, I’d love to do an all-white, simple concrete home in Capri, or Mykonos. I’d also love to do a high-rise in Hong Kong. Again, I’m very inspired by my travels and you can do different things in different places. I’m currently working on a project in London, which is very fun and interesting.

THD: The kitchen is the heart of the home. How do you approach the design style for this very important room?

JS: I design kitchens based on how a client wants it to be. Some clients have a staff and are looking for a closed off kitchen, while others prefer to do the cooking themselves and enjoy a more open kitchen space. There’s a huge rise in butler’s pantries and we’re putting in appliances in this room that we would never have done before. People want a beautiful kitchen to match the rest of the home, so extra appliances like a freezer, oven and refrigerator may go in the butler’s pantry.

THD: What’s your take on appliances installed throughout the home, not just in the kitchen?

JS: I’m definitely seeing a lot of this, especially with refrigeration. We’re putting refrigeration in master bathroom suites, wet bars and even master closets. We’re putting beverage centers in places that you would have never found them in before.

THD: What is one Thermador appliance that you were fascinated to learn about?

JS: The Freedom® Induction Cooktop was really cool, and I also loved learning about the Steam and Convection Oven. I would like to have more experience cooking with steam because there are so many benefits, and it’s a healthier way of preparing a meal.