In the Studio with Vani Sayeed
January 7, 2021
Interior designer Vani Sayeed creates artwork and interiors from her Newton, Massachusetts, studio.
Text by Bob Curley   Photography by Kelly Davidson
A single studio canât contain the artistic vision of Vani Sayeed. Nor can just one career for this energetic printmaker and painter, who is a highly regarded New England interior designer.
Hyper-local inspiration, whether a rain-soaked moment stuck in traffic in Mumbai or immersion in the seasonal colors of New England, complements Sayeedâs globe-spanning educationâshe has a BFA in interior design from India and a MFA in design from the University of Iowa. Her oil paintings are a mix of abstract landscapes and realistic nudes.
âI will draw, sketch, do watercolors, take photographs anywhere and everywhere,â says Sayeed. âInspiration and documentation of a moment is constant, but I then take it to another level by expressing it via a composition on a canvas, board, paper, copper plate, or a computer screen.â
Sayeed utilizes a printing studio in Watertown, Massachusetts, to do the gritty job of cutting copper plates to create her engraved and layered intaglio prints. Her design studio in Newton, Massachusetts, has a more relaxed vibe, despite doubling as her painting studio. On the walls hang paintings appended with prize ribbons. Her former dining room table serves as a catchall for fabric samples and prints.
âThe architecture has a lot of character because itâs an old building with great natural light, with a set of double windows and high ceilings with exposed wood beams,â says Sayeed. âItâs a very inspiring space for anythingâdesign or art, reading, or Zoom calls with clients.â
Sayeed draws heavily on her artistic background, particularly in the use of proportion, light, and scale, while designing homes. âDesign influences my art as much as art influences my design work,â she says. âBoth are process oriented, which I enjoy immenselyâto build something layer by layer, to be meticulous and develop it to a successful finish.â
Every interior design project begins in Sayeedâs studio, where she sketches hand-drawn layouts to scale before committing her ideas to digital AutoCAD layouts for clients to review. âThatâs where two years of old-fashioned schooling comes to help,â she says.
Sayeed doesnât pitch her artwork (or her rug collaboration with Landry & Arcari Rugs and Carpeting) as part of her interior designs, but some crossover inevitably occurs. The intaglio prints are particularly popular since colors and themes can be easily customized to match client preferences and project palettes. âThe goal isnât to sell my stuff, but to see what works in that space,â says Sayeed.
Vani Sayeed Studios, Newton, Mass., vanisayeedstudios.com
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