#AllCoopedUp with Danielle Hausberg, Interior Designer
After years of working in design, before launching her own company, Danielle took time off and spent a year in Italy, enhancing her aesthetics at the Florence Institute of Design. Her work today imbues her sense of history, always connecting her choices with the past while creating contemporary settings and tying invisible threads between pieces in her rooms. Her aesthetic combines old with new, the slow-living, California lifestyle, and comfortable luxury. Caroline, an agent on my team, met Danielle at Camp Kayne at the Jenni Kayne Lake House, which we sold earlier this year. Danielle curated a beautiful selection of furniture for the house from her Objects collection, which the lucky buyer got to keep in the deal! - Jenna
What’s your profession, and what does your day-to-day work experience look like now?
I’m an interior designer and I also curate a collection of antique furniture called Objects. Pre-quarantine, a typical work day involved driving around LA either meeting with clients or sourcing from showrooms and galleries for various projects. That’s obviously not the case anymore! Now all sourcing has moved solely online and client meetings have become phone calls.
The design community around LA has been doing their best to support each other's businesses during this time. It has been nice to be able to support both local vendors and vendors from all over the world through my projects that are still continuing on in quarantine.
Usually under normal circumstances, the work week can be so overwhelming that it can be hard to find creative time to just design and conceptualize projects. A positive of all of this is that we have time to think ideas through, which has been really helpful for both me and my clients during the design process.
Are there objects or spaces in your house that you are newly appreciating? Or are there objects and spaces you have come to loathe?
I have a beloved vintage Italian glassware collection. All of the pieces are from the 30’s or 60’s, most of them are colored glasses, pinks and ambers, from either Murano or Venice, that I bought at local Florentine flea markets. A lot of the collection is on display in my home, but it is really being put to good use now. Making a martini in a pretty glass makes the drink taste that much better!
Loathe: Definitely our couch. It is not nearly comfortable enough for quarantine life! We will likely be buying a new one soon, perhaps from Six Penny.
Describe your at-home quarantine uniform.
Mainly muumuus. Some new and some vintage from A Current Affair.
Who are you quarantining with? Do you feel the need to “get away”? How do you make it happen?
I'm quarantining with my boyfriend, Josh. I feel very grateful to have company during this time, but “getting away” looks like me sitting in the bedroom and him in the living room—there aren’t many other places to go!
Tell us the best shows, podcasts, or books you’re loving right now.
Unorthodox & Ozark, and now starting The Sopranos for the first time. I’m also reading The Untethered Soul which has been incredibly eye opening, especially during this bizzare time - I highly recommend!
Do you have any new quarantine activities or rituals?
Cooking! It's been relaxing and rewarding and serves as good instant gratification. I have both cookbooks by Alison Roman and her recipes are on repeat.
What is your favorite quarantine snack? What restaurants are you ordering takeout from?
We live close to Bay Cities in Santa Monica, so I have been going there and buying their fresh bread and cheeses every week or so. That’s been my go to snack - baguette with fresh ricotta, olive oil and flaky sea salt.
What is your creative outlet and how are you making space for it?
I love looking through my design books for inspiration and it's nice to actually have time to do so.
I also started taking Italian classes online through DuoLingo. I studied design in Florence and now go back often to source furniture for my Objects collection. Italy in general is always a huge inspiration to me, and when I am there, I feel most inspired and creative. I was actually in Florence in February for a buying trip when the virus broke out and I had to cut my trip short and head back to LA much earlier than expected. Now I am loving taking Italian as a way to make good use of my extra time, but also to feel connected to a place that I love dearly.
What are you doing for exercise?
Neighborhood walks! We live in the Ocean Park area of Santa Monica, 3 blocks from the beach, which has amazing historic, Victorian Craftsman style homes. I love walking and admiring the architecture and general old school beach vibe of LA—it inspires me and keeps me motivated. I dream of having a cozy porch or sunroom one day!
What’s been the biggest challenge for you throughout this?
The biggest challenge for me is managing the uncertainty of the times and what that means for our world, our health, and at the micro level, my business. I try to not to get too caught up in it, but sometimes, that’s easier said than done! There are so many lessons to be learned from our
time in quarantine, but I hope one thing we continue to do is embrace aspects of slow living in life, post-quarantine.
When this is over I cannot wait to ______
Have dinner at Musso & Frank Grill with some dirty martinis!
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