DISC INTERIORS

Krista Schrock and David John Dick are the dynamic design duo behind DISC Interiors, an interior and furniture design firm based in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. DISC Interiors strives to create homes of calibrated simplicity that balance the push and pull of modern life, address a sense of place and persons rather than any particular period or style, and balance the traditional with the modern and aesthetics with function. The projects designed by DISC Interiors represent a one-of-a-kind combination of traditional details and contemporary chic.  They firmly believe that homes can be filled with less, and still remain powerful spaces.

Describe your design aesthetic in three words.

Relaxed, Classic, Calm

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Which person, place, or thing—inside the industry or out—inspires you?  

Krista: Recently I have been very inspired by gardens from around the world. My favorites have been a few Japanese gardens I visited in Kyoto, Lotusland in Santa Barbara and the Versailles gardens.

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David : I’m constantly inspired by nature, craft, and photography. Places and objects that tell a story and evoke an emotion of calm and stillness, such as the baskets of Annemarie O'Sullivan, the ceramics of Shoji Hamada and Warren MacKenzie, the photographs of Spanish photographic duo Albarrán Cabrera, and the Huntington Gardens in San Marino, (a place I visited most often during quarantine).

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Do you find inspiration in the past or are you always looking ahead?

Krista: I mostly gravitate towards the past for inspiration. Japanese and Scandinavian design is always a reservoir of inspiration, Ancient architecture and ceramics, old vintage textiles, fallen Amish barns, classic danish furniture design and anything with some rustic age is endlessly inspiring.

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David: I suppose a little bit of both, but the older I get, I tend to look to the past more often than dream of the future. There is a certain joy of seeing processes and techniques be interpreted by new generations, and how they evolve, such as a woven chair, or rug designs, etc. I love looking to the early sources, to see how they have changed and evolved, and stayed the same.

How did growing up in the heartland (Pennsylvania and Tennessee) influence your work?

Krista: Growing up in PA was greatly influential to my personal and design aesthetic. It taught me the art of simplicity with rustic age. I grew up in the country, so being around so much nature has influenced my design aesthetic by allowing me to create calm and peaceful spaces that have little visual clutter yet still feel lived in, relaxed and purposeful.

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David: Absolutely, I think traveling, and living in different places always influences one’s work, and spending my childhood in Tennessee definitely helped to form how I see architecture/interiors/and design. My love of craft and natural materials is rooted in my Southern upbringing.

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One existential question. Did you discover anything surprising during the last year (about your practice, about yourself?)

Krista: Yes! Many things but one big one was the need of how important it is to be purposeful in the way that I spend my time and who I spend my time with. Pre-pandemic, I used to find myself doing so many things I didn’t like to do, or hanging out with people I didn’t really enjoy, so that was a big eye opener for me. Life being reduced down to what you really care to focus your attention on, and to spend time with the people you really care for was the great lesson of the pandemic for me.

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David: I re-discovered the importance of family, and reconnecting with family on a deeper level. I lost my sister in law, way too early to glioblastoma, and spent a lot of last year thinking of death and dying, which has had a huge impact on how I am thinking about the future, and my personal relationships.

As the world collectively emerges now from a fraught year of isolation, we are all re-discovering a new way of living. Is this idea reflected in your residential work? What are people needing of their homes now as we emerge into a post pandemic world?

The pandemic was good for us in so many ways but what I have seen from clients was the importance of a beautiful, functional and calm home. This has always been the case to a degree but we found clients were way more intentional in their decisions during this time. They were thoughtful in their approach, thinking about how each room can be used to the best of its ability, no wasted space. 

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Your book “Portraits of Home” just came out this past month. Tell us a bit about the process. What inspired you to create this design tome?  

Rizzoli came to us about the idea of this book, we were beyond honored to collaborate with them. We have been working together for 10 years and this was the perfect way to reflect on our first decade as a design firm as well as our friendship. We were lucky to work on the book during the pandemic as it gave us time to really refine the lay out and writing. It was comforting in many ways to have this distraction of writing a book during such uncertain times.

We wanted the book to reflect the eclectic nature of our residentaial projects. We are very much a firm focused on our clients, creating homes designed for them. We feel our best projects come with clients who are really engaged and collaborate with us to create a beautiful and meaningful home.

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What are you currently working on that you cannot wait to see completed?

We just completed and installed a home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado that was a fantastic collaboration with the builder, client and our firm.

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What would be your dream commission?

To work on a beautiful stone home on the island of Mallorca with collaborative and fun-loving clients.

Did you take up any unusual hobbies during the pandemic that you’ve kept up now that the world is starting back up again?

Krista: Two hobbies I developed during the pandemic was a love of gardening, last summer I grew vegetables like cucumbers, squash, and a few other weird veggie varieties. Gardening has been very relaxing and restorative. This year my focus was more on plants like Mexican sage, bougenvilla, roses, jasmine. I tend to buy a lot of plants and pots too. I just love plants! I also have gotten into collecting an eclectic array of dish ware.  I’m not much of a collector, but I’ve enjoyed collecting plates because it’s an easy thing to buy online, while traveling and it’s a joy to be able to use different plates every day. 

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David: Like so many people, I spent many evenings drinking, which led to learning how to make cocktails, since restaurants and bars were closed. I picked up many great books, such as Apéritif: Cocktail Hour the French Way: A Recipe Book by Rebekah Peppler, and Drinking French with David Lebovitz.  One of my go to evening drinks is the “Americano.” Perfect for LA warm weather and is low alcohol, so you need not worry about having a few!

In a glass full of ice, add 1 1/2 ounces Campari, 1 1/2 ounces sweet vermouth, top with Club soda, and a slice or orange, or any citrus. Stir and enjoy!

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As I absolutely love music, (and music brought so much calm over the past year) the artist I listened to the most during quarantine is Matthew Halsall, a Manchester based jazz artist, whose albums “Salute to the Sun” and “Oneness” carried me through last year.