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Designer Profile Dian Cleve
Designer Profile Dian Cleve
Designer Profile
| Dian Cleve |
| Written by Cheryl Tsutsumi |
| January 08, 2007 |
|
Dian Cleve story As a child growing up in Austin, Texas, Dian Cleve whetted her appetite for creative design by preparing meals at home with her father, a professional chef who was a first-generation Italian-American. “He instilled in me the desire to create beauty,” she says. “I really learned about aesthetics from him. As an interior designer, I consider color, contrast, balance, proportions, texture, harmony and detail. He worked with all those things plus taste, temperature and timing. Our family meals were beautiful; they were always arranged, always ‘presented.’” From the age of four, Cleve knew how to bring life to a plate with just a few sprigs of parsley or slices of crab apple. “My father taught me early on to strive for excellence,” she says. “He showed me the importance of beauty in everyday life, of bringing beauty into the home, of living with beauty.” That philosophy forms the basis for her work today as the president and principal in charge of interior design for Cleve & Levin, Inc., an award-winning full-service architectural and interior design firm headquartered in Honolulu. Established in 1990, its work includes residential, commercial, educational, industrial and hospitality projects. (Cleve’s partner, Jack Levin, heads the Cleve & Levin/Austin office in Texas, which specializes in restaurant design.) Cleve graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. Her college curriculum also included courses in environmental design and Western art history, so it’s no surprise she possesses the sensitivity, passion, inquisitiveness and keen eye for detail of a true artist. “My travels, education and practice have revolved around learning what constitutes good design,” she says. “Why is one building magnificent architecture and another just construction? How does an assembly of objects and colors take shape into something that’s beautiful and interesting? What is it that makes one room just a room with furniture and another room a joy and a delight to inhabit?” Those questions have guided Cleve on her quest for excellence throughout her remarkable 26-year career. One of her first major projects was revamping Shelly Mazda’s Honolulu showroom in 1984-85. “At the time, they were selling automobiles out of Quonset huts; it wasn’t glamorous,” she says. “I initially thought, I’m doing an automobile showroom; what kind of work is that for an interior designer? Then I thought, Get over it. Throw out everything you know about automobile dealerships and find a different way to think about this.” Cleve recognized that women generally make the final decisions about car purchases, but transactions were being made in a setting no woman would find appealing. Her mind began to click: What other high-end items were women buying and what made that experience enjoyable? “I immediately thought of jewelry,” Cleve says. “If you’re in a jewelry store and the staff is anticipating selling you something that costs $15,000, how are they treating you? Very well. You’re in a beautiful environment, they usher you to a comfortable seat and they do a nice presentation of choices. How could we accomplish the same thing for an automobile dealership?” Paint, leather, chrome, glass, metal—Cleve incorporated the elements of a car into a stylish, sophisticated showroom. Bright lighting, lavender and navy carpets, blue floor tiling, big round windows that resembled headlights, plush chairs and solid wood desks completed the new look. “The first six customers who came in bought cars,” Cleve says. “The salesmen were so proud of the facility they started working on days they normally had off.” Her innovative approach won a prestigious Award of Merit in AIA Honolulu’s Design Awards competition in 1986, and, speaking even more strongly about its success, it has been mimicked by numerous other car dealerships to this day. “That project made me realize the potential for fine design is not limited to a particular type of space; it’s always there,” Cleve says. “You just have to understand the purpose of the space and who will be using it. For example, if we’re working on a house, we learn as much as we can about the people who live there—what their ages are, what colors and type of art they like, what activities and hobbies they enjoy. We spend a lot of time listening to our clients so we can get an accurate lifestyle profile of them.” Over the years, Cleve has done makeovers for dozens of residences that run the gamut—from a beachfront plantation-style home that exudes exotic Hawai‘i right down to pillows fringed with real shells to a penthouse that employs exposed wiring and air-conditioning ducts in its contemporary industrial theme. “I respect clients’ preferences because those are the things that provide them with a sense of well-being,” she says. “When they’re at home, they want to be in a place that’s beautiful, comfortable and stimulating.” Achieving this, however, can be a complex process. While Cleve’s clients usually have clear ideas about what they want, she believes part of her job entails broadening their vision, offering options and keeping them abreast of the latest trends. For example, she says, “Green has become mainstream. There are carpet companies that will recycle carpet. It doesn’t have to go into a landfill; it can be shredded and reused as something else. Bamboo flooring is a renewable product. So are cotton, wool, silk and other natural fabrics.” Cleve is constantly on the lookout for new products. Her firm maintains an impressive, ever-changing library of books, magazines, brochures, and product and fabric samples, and employs a full-time librarian who keeps everything current and organized. “We do a lot of research,” Cleve says. “For every project, we have to make a thousand decisions. We agonize over them; we may look at over a hundred sofas to find the right one. The process involves a tremendous amount of trust. Our clients have preferences, but they come to us for expertise and execution.” What Cleve loves most about interior design is its dynamic nature. “You never do the same thing today that you did yesterday, and you can’t predict what you’ll be doing tomorrow,” she says. “Each project brings new challenges and new opportunities. Each client leads me on another exciting journey of discovery.” Cleve & Levin, Inc. 720 Iwilei Road, Suite 422 Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 Phone: 536-6671 E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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