Award-winning interior designer Simone Aïda Baur is a visionary with an exceptional passion for transformative impact, both socially and aesthetically. The vegan interior designer and vegan hotel consultant is committed to promoting ethical and sustainable practices in the hotel and the design industry. This dedicated advocacy is a testament to her integrity and core values, having transitioned from a vegetarian lifestyle to veganism within the last three years. Her holistic lifestyle change, in addition to her early career in hospitality, has poised her to excel in her upcoming venture, Vegan Hotel Concepts.
The forward-thinking initiative will provide guidance to hotels, ensuring that vegan hospitality is extended to discerning customers from booking to checkout. Simone, a multilingual and well-traveled professional, is already the founder of the aptly named boutique interior design consultancy, Global Inspirations Design, established in 2014.
Simone’s professional insights are partly rooted in her own experiences with temporary residency, particularly during her 20s and 30s, when she lived as a Swiss expatriate. Her first career in the hotel industry led her to traverse the globe, residing in seven countries on three continents. Simone noted that the Caribbean was among her favorite destinations. In fact, she had acclimated to life in the tropics so well that her friends affectionately deemed her an ‘honorary Caribbean’ resident. While working at luxurious hotels in the Caribbean, Dubai and London, she was inspired to hone her inherent design skills and enrolled in a diploma course at the renowned KLC School of Design in London.
This rich background helped cultivate Simone’s unique design aesthetic, which she described as “contemporary, timeless, and sophisticated, with an element of surprise.” In addition, her extensive travels underscored the importance of creating a “sense of home” wherever you are.
“For me, it was always important to make a home with whatever I had, if it was a room, or a studio in the beginning, and then apartments and houses, I always wanted to make it my home. This made me realize just how important the home is and the impact our surroundings have on our wellbeing. When we feel good in our home we can then go out into the world as our best self,” she said.
Conscious Consumption
As a vegan interior designer and Vegan Brand Ambassador, Simone takes great care in sourcing natural materials that complement her lifestyle and values. On her website and blog, she shares information that helps readers make healthy, cruelty-free choices. For instance, in a blog post titled “Vegan Interior Design: What’s a Vegan Home?” she delves into the significance of sustainable practices and offers useful guidelines, including the following list:1
Materials to avoid:
- Real fur (e.g. cushions, throws, poufs)
- Leather of all kind (e.g. sofas, chairs, poufs, wall coverings, décor)
- Down feathers (e.g. pillows, duvets, cushion inserts)
- Wool of all kind (e.g. rugs, blankets, fabrics like felt)
- Silk (e.g. curtains, cushions, wall coverings)
- Paint containing substances deriving from animals
Materials you can use instead:
- Faux Fur (personally, I don’t use any type of fur)
- Vegan leathers made of mycelium, apple skin, mango skin, pineapple waste etc.
- Down-free alternatives made of natural latex, kapok, tencel or hemp
- Rugs made of natural fibers such as bamboo, eucalyptus, kapok, tencel, linen, organic cotton, sisal and jute
- Blankets and fabrics made of linen, organic cotton, eucalyptus and tencel
- Vegetable silks, such as bamboo silk, banana silk and tencel
- Non-toxic vegan paints
Early Success
Simone’s excellence in design is exemplified by her accolades, which includes the “most stylish kitchen” award from the Virgin Islands Property and Yacht magazine for her work on the Ida Crest Villa in the British Virgin Islands. This achievement fueled her early career and solidified her commitment to creating spaces that resonate with her clients and complement the surroundings.
“The award is very special to me and when I say it means the world to me, I really mean it. It’s special because I won it for my very first project and because I won it in the BVI and the BVI has a very special place in my heart. It was also a great motivator because I won it quite early on in my interior design career, so it was something that really encouraged me to keep going,” she said.
For this project, which began in 2010, Simone was guided by the client’s design brief, and was able to deliver a minimalist, nature-inspired kitchen. A published comment by Charlotte Bailey, the Chief Operating Officer at Elian, addressed the winning entry, stating that:
“This beautiful kitchen has an elegant and sophisticated European style. The owner wanted a modern look and this was achieved with clean minimalist lines ensuring that the space encapsulated the beauty of Tortola’s beaches through understated sand coloured cabinet doors and the off-white quartz countertop [inspired by the foam that builds when the waves hit the shore] which worked beautifully in this large, light filled space.”2
Understanding the significance of geographical context, Simone noted the importance of adapting designs to local conditions. In locations like the Caribbean, she factors in high salt content and humidity, using materials that are suitable for such environments. This attention to detail ensures her designs seamlessly integrate with the architectural and environmental elements of each space.
An Eye for Detail
Simone’s design process is characterized by intentionality and a deep understanding of her clients’ personalities, lifestyles, and interests. Every detail is carefully curated to tell the client’s story, creating spaces that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also deeply personal. Her ability to incorporate unique elements, such as a personalized ‘New York skyline’ for a client in Switzerland, showcases her creativity and ability to transcend conventional design:
“…Another example is when I had a client here in Switzerland, who’s originally from India but has lived in New York for many years. He used to have a beautiful view of the New York skyline from his apartment and then he moved to Basel, Switzerland, and obviously his view changed.
“When he told me that he really misses the view of New York by night from his window, I decided to paint one wall in a dark royal blue and then hang a massive photograph of the New York skyline on it. The photograph is behind a glass, so when you look at it, it almost looks as though you’re looking out of a window, especially because of the dark background.”
These design details are acquired through thoughtful questions, posed to learn all she can about the client’s likes and vision. The resulting decor aligns with the client’s lifestyle and captures intricate details that add a personal touch.
Yuletide Season
With Christmas just around the corner, we decided to ask Simone for her take on holiday decor. While she favors a “less is more” approach to both general and festive decoration, she shared two philosophies: one is that “anything goes and whatever makes you happy” and the other is to “match the style and color scheme” of your home. The first option, she explained, allows for eccentric design with sentimental focus, whereas the second is a more planned and calculated approach:
“So, if you’re going with the first version, as in ‘anything goes,’ then it’s really using ornaments that [for example] have been handed down for generations, or ornaments made by your kids, family and so on. And this would obviously result in a very eclectic sort of style, mostly more traditional.
“Then, the other philosophy that I like is to use christmas decor that matches your interior and creates a more stylish and refined look.”
Simone added that just like with any design project, while planning seasonal decorating, certain key factors are important to note, such as determining the dominant style and color scheme of the home. She said that you can then either match the style and color scheme of your home or contrast it.
“For instance, if you have a very elegant home, very minimalistic, you can then use neutral colors for example… with lots of glass or elegant types of ornaments, or you can do the opposite and do something very colorful to completely contrast it.”
Simone noted that when residents seek refined and sophisticated decor, for example, for a holiday dinner party, engaging a professional can be ideal. As a benefit, hiring an interior designer can bring an element of surprise; This is because “you don’t know exactly what you’re going to get and that could be like an early Christmas gift to yourself,” she commented.
By the end of our interview with Simone, it was clear that she is truly an expert in mindful and meaningful interior designs. In addition to her love for sustainable living, she imparted several valuable insights to beautifully transform spaces – and perhaps inspire the use of vegan decor – for the holidays and beyond.
To learn more about vegan interior design and sustainable living with Simone Aïda Baur, visit the following websites: www.globalinspirationsdesign.com and www.veganhotelconcepts.com.
Sources
1[email protected]. 2022. “Vegan Interior Design | What’s a Vegan Home?” Global Inspirations Design. April 24, 2022. https://www.globalinspirationsdesign.com/whats-a-vegan-home/
2 Paviour-Smith, Erin. 2016. “VIPY Announces the Stylish Spaces of the Year.” BVI Property and Yacht. May 1, 2016. https://bvipropertyyacht.com/vi-bvi/stylish-spaces-of-the-year/
