<\/p>\nEach project has its own identity. I have to create a persona in my head of what the character will look like, the person who will live in the space. I am dyslexic, and sketching was something I did growing up, I found it very peaceful. I\u2019m still someone who needs visual cues and I try to imagine who my clients are because often they don\u2019t know who they are. There is often a person deep down, trying to get out, who can be so much more peaceful and zen than the person you meet on the surface, or so much louder and more bold. Then, once I\u2019ve figured out my client, I\u2019ll create something that is comfortable for them specifically, that suits their voice and how they want to live.<\/p>\n
What does comfortable look like for you?<\/p>\n
It needs to be not overshowy – it needs to look like not every detail has been worried about. Don\u2019t over think design. It\u2019s like when brides over think they\u2019re weddings. I remember walking down the aisle and not even looking at the stupid flowers I\u2019d spent hours planning. Don\u2019t over-focus on the things that don\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n
What does matter, then?<\/p>\n
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I feel like a home\u2019s decor is about storytelling, so what matters is what story it represents. I am not a minimalist, I like to over saturate all my planes and there is story to each piece of art on the walls. Each moment that is in my house, from the accessories to the carpets to the antiques are there because they draw you in, because they tell a story about who I am. But then not every piece of furniture needs to be as important – it can just be comfortable and look nice and doesn\u2019t need to be a statement you\u2019ve spent hours choosing. So, to sum up, walls are really important, accent pieces are important, pretty much everything else can just be functional. <\/p>\n
When you say walls, I know you also mean ceilings – so many of your projects highlight them with murals. Why?<\/p>\n
In life, we look at our phones so much – we’re constantly looking down, but we should be looking up, out, wider. A ceiling is an opportunity to widen your space – I always feel that if your ceiling isn\u2019t done then it feels like it got left out. The decorative artist Caroline Lizarraga and I did a cool ceiling wallpaper in gilded gold, and she did dripping paint down the sides of the walls. It\u2019s that level of imagination, I love the custom element, it is so exciting.<\/p>\n
How do you pick the pattern for the ceiling?<\/p>\n
It depends on what comes to me. For that one, the wallpaper was really interesting. I did a \u2018man cave\u2019 recently with a bar and a table where the ceilings were low. I did a saturated gray tone in the room, and the ceiling became too much of a focus, so I did an agate that looked like is dripping down from that. My general rule is that when I do dark walls I want the ceiling to be the focus.<\/p>\n
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(Image credit: Christopher Stark)<\/p>\n
Do clients tend to let your imagination run wild?<\/p>\n
Sometimes a client is very conservative, very trad, but even then I\u2019ll push it as much as I can. I did one project where everything was blue, and I decided to up it with a feathered wallpaper on the ceiling. It was a bold statement but not over-stated. And that\u2019s the rule for everything I do – I can\u2019t be over-stimulated, something that comes from having ADD.<\/p>\n
Yes, there are always moments of calm in all of your projects. How do you keep it feeling inviting rather than dramatic?<\/p>\n
It comes back to things being liveable – I am drawn to things I feel comfortable with, so if something is comforting, it can still be bold. Think about jewel tones – they\u2019re really rich but still really inviting because they\u2019re colors of nature. I like metallics because I\u2019m Leo and we like shiny things – a little sparkle is great, though too much is too much. Too opulent is hard for me.<\/p>\n
![\"blue](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Cp43kj7PqPUhxZHUk3wcjX.jpg\")
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(Image credit: Christopher Stark\/Design by Tineke Triggs)<\/p>\n
Your spaces often unfold in layers, with custom lighting, sculptural seating, and rich textures. What\u2019s your approach to creating a sense of rhythm and depth within a room?<\/p>\n
II will find lots of pieces I find interesting, throw them all into the basket, and then start taking things out as I build a presentation board. If you watch me scheme then you\u2019ll think it\u2019s chaotic. I do 20 schemes at once, putting fabrics and wallpapers together in groups, they just grow and grow. It\u2019s because I need everything to be visual.<\/p>\n
How do you know when you\u2019re done?<\/p>\n
The key to finishing a home is not the furniture, but everything else. An unfinished home is lacking art, accessories, plants, flowers, books and blankets and pillows – all that stuff that makes a space cozy. Once that\u2019s together, it feels finished.<\/p>\n
See more of Tineke’s work at Tineke Triggs<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"San Francisco\u2013based interior designer Tineke Triggs has built a reputation for creating spaces that are as fearless as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":85910,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[76,354,355,49,48,356,75],"class_list":["post-85909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85909"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85909\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"living](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/eNLZ7gjEZGK9aWXHXzxG2n.jpg\")
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