March 15, 2021 – Ironware International

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT: Betsy Wentz Interior Design

We first collaborated with Betsy Wentz on a stunning Palm Beach Mediterranean Revival home in 2016 and we continue to be amazed at the range and scope of her work not to mention her sheer enthusiasm. Never one to follow trends Betsy focuses on the sustainability of her design work and connection with clients for beautiful, meaningful and enduring results.

Captured for Modern Luxury Palm Beach. Interior by Betsy Wentz Interior Design, featuring our Madison Pendant and Pascale Sconces. Photo by Nickolas Sargent Photography.

Captured for *Modern Luxury Palm Beach*. Dining room by Betsy Wentz Interior Design, featuring our Maresol Chandelier. Photo by Nickolas Sargent Photography.

What is your favorite and least favorite aspects of being a designer? My favorite part of being a designer is the relationships you build. So many people start as clients or vendors and end up as friends. I also love the collaboration. When you work with a client and they trust you, the end result is so good. My least favorite is the business side of the job. Making claims, tracking orders and collecting payments. I’m very lucky to have an excellent office manager who loves balancing accounts!

Name a designer you admire and tell us why. I have a designer crush on Kelly Wearstler. I love her use of color and her funky, edgy, eclectic style.

Favorite travel destination? We took a family trip to Mustique in the West Indies last year and I would go back over and over again. From the views to the food to the sea turtles – the whole place is really special.

Name something that has inspired your work recently. Participating in the 2019 Traditional Home Hamptons Designer Showhouse and the 2020 Veranda Kips Bay-Palm Beach Designer Showhouses has been an inspiration for me. It’s a real chance to flex your design muscles and also meet and see some really amazing design work.

Most common mistake you see in interiors? Under-scaled lighting and rugs. It kills me to walk into a room and see a dinky chandelier and a 6×9 rug that should be 10×14.

Current favorite color to use in projects? I am a color lover, so I get excited to add any palette to a project. If a client likes yellow – I am all in!

Describe a favorite piece in your personal home. My favorite piece is a gift from my 93 year-old very eccentric and reclusive neighbor. I came home from work one day to find a beautiful electric blue lacquered mid-century modern coat rack at my front door. There was a hand scribbled note that said ” This is from the 1950’s World Fair and it belongs with a fun person who will appreciate it.” She was right – I love both the coat rack and the story behind it.

Why did you choose Ironware for the Ocean Block in Palm Beach project? Ironware was a perfect fit for our Mediterranean revival house. The first lights we chose for the project were the Maressa Sconces for the entry. The detailed millwork in those sconces complimented the front hall tile. We then added chandeliers and other pieces in several rooms.

Architecture by Kirchhoff & Associates Architects, Interior by Betsy Wentz Interior Design with Maressa Sconce. Photo by Nickolas Sargent Photography.

What do you especially appreciate about Ironware? I appreciate the quality, the range of styles and finish options available from Ironware. The service is also exceptional. We’ve done a few custom lights and had the chance to talk directly with the person who designed and built our item.

What is one piece of advice you have for an interior designer just starting their career? Meet as many people as you can, there are so many opportunities to learn.

If you could have dinner with anyone living or not, who would it be and why? I’d give anything to have dinner with my mom before she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. It is so hard to watch someone you love go through this terrible disease.

A few Betsy Wentz Interior Design projects:

Thanks to Betsy for spending your time with us! Check out more of Betsy Wentz Interior Design at her website here .

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT: Paula Daher

PAULA DAHER has been designing exceptional interior spaces since 1995. As the firm’s principal creative director at Daher Interior Design, Paula’s solid strategic foundation coupled with her frequent international travel provides boundless inspiration for the firm’s many projects.

“Our homes provide nurture and rejuvenation. In our busy lives, that moment you walk through your front door and say ahhhhh….happy to be home, that is what I want all of my clients to feel.” – P. Daher

Interior by Daher Interior Design with Ironware’s Cassiopeia Chandelier Photo by Michael J. Lee

Interior by Daher Interior Design with Ironware’s Ondine Chandelier Photo by Michael J. Lee

Entry way by Daher Interior Design with a customized Ironware Twinka Pendant
Photo by Michael J. Lee

What is your favorite travel destination?
My latest muse is Morocco. I have been 5 times in the past 18 months (planning my daughter’s wedding) and the country has become dear to my heart. Marrakech is a designer’s dream with color, texture, and handwork. All this in a warm and friendly atmosphere. The ceramics bring a level of craft to be appreciated by all and the tile, oh the tile…intricate designs to inspire and send me over the moon! And then the food, the perfect combination of Middle Eastern with a French influence. Trés bon.

Is there a special detail you always add to your projects?
Each project is unique and needs to appeal to the client. Art is the one element for me that, when added to a room, can make it sing and just feel complete.

Most common mistake you see in interiors…
Accessories that do not add to a room or shelves, they detract. Less is more. Elevate the simple without clutter and the simple becomes beautiful.

What are you reading?
Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

Tell us about a lesson you learned on the job?
Ha! When do we not learn from a job? Each project is unique with a different set of parameters unique to the home. Each project has an army of trades people to pull the entire project together from start to finish. There is always something new to resolve and work through and this becomes the basis of our decisions for each next project. In nearly 25 years of business, I have definitely learned a thing or two on the job. 😉

Name something that has inspired your work recently…
Morocco has left an indelible mark on my soul and bits and pieces have been finding ways into my work. Nothing is more magical than a piece of pottery made in a Berber village, brought home and placed on display in a contemporary space.

What has been the most outrageous request you’ve ever had from a client?
My latest request, and unbelievably, two clients simultaneously: three TV’s on the same wall! Yikes – a definite challenge.

What do you especially appreciate about Ironware?
Ironware has become a go-to for my firm. The true customization of the products in terms of size and finish allow us to work them into a variety of rooms of various scales. Many of our projects are in Boston’s brownstones, typically thin buildings with ceilings 12’ tall. Ironware is an easy resource in terms of customization with efficient fabrication and shipping.

Name something on your bucket list…
My never ending quest…..to be fluent in French and not just a fluent 4 year old. A solid few months in Paris or Marrakech could do the trick!

Why is interior design important?
Our homes provide nurture and rejuvenation. In our busy lives, that moment you walk through your front door and say ahhhhh…happy to be home, that is what I want all of my clients to feel.