Dream Weaver

Patrice Munden, Allied Member ASID, and president and principal designer of Patrice Munden Interior Design, helps her clients achieve the spaces of their dreams.

Text: Edited by Vicki Pickle
Photos: Colin Miller/Strauss Peyton

"I love to connect with my clients and create a vision for their home."
DESIGNER SKETCH
Hometown: Norfolk, Virginia; St. Louisan for 12 years

Education/Background: Bachelor of Science from Hampton University and Interior Design degree from St. Louis Community College at Meramec

Family: Married with two daughters, one dog

Favorite Design Style: Art Deco and anything from the 1940s

Favorite designers: Eliel Saarinen, Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
www.patricemunden.com

What is the most rewarding part of collaborating with clients throughout the design process?
People who hire an interior designer are looking to connect with someone who creates or shares a vision for their home.

When I learn how clients live and what they dream of for their spaces, I'm able to create a design plan that enhances their lifestyle – and is as functional as it is beautiful. Many times, homeowners find furniture and accessories they love and simply need a design professional to weave their newly acquired furnishings into their décor; this is one of my favorite things to do. The most rewarding part of the process is at the end – when all of the parts come together – and my clients say that their new surroundings have changed the way they live. It's great to hear that they love coming home at the end of the day!

What are your strategies for helping clients meld their indoor and outdoor living spaces?
I like to help my clients extend their favorite colors and design elements that weave through their interior spaces to the outdoors. With today's wide selection of outdoor furniture and fabrics, there are almost as many outdoor options as there are indoor options. I also recommend choosing from the large selection of canopies, pergolas and umbrellas that provide protection from the elements to make outdoor entertaining virtually stress-free. Outdoor fans, heaters, rugs and lighting serve to extend a home's living area to the outside – making it possible for more natural and enjoyable outdoor environments than there ever were before.

Do you recommend adding punches of "summertime" to lighten and brighten spaces?
Yes, especially here in St. Louis when so many of the last days of winter are gray. Once spring starts to emerge, I like to exchange pillows and bedding made of heavier fabrics for lighter, more colorful linens or cottons. I will often add in a new, spring-like color that was not previously in a room – such as tangerine or apple green. Also, natural rugs, fresh flowers, garden-scented candles and washable slipcovers are small changes that help welcome the warmer weather.