South of Boston there is a tiny coastal town called Hingham, MA. In this town there is a little shop called Delicious Designs owned by Roberta Sobran. Her shop is filled with fabric, lighting, furniture and of course some Stray Dog Designs. Roberta is a talented designer who puts together tranquil, modern spaces with fun pops of color. She is also a photographer and you can see (and order) her beautiful photographs on her website. Check out the interview below to learn more about Roberta and find out why we are inspired by Delicious Designs.
Do you have a dog? What kind?
I do! Her name is Kiwi. She was a rescue and her brothers and sisters were all named after different types of fruit so we kept her name. We really don’t know what type of dog she is.
When we brought her to the vet, my son was looking at the poster of a chart of assorted dogs on the office wall and the vet told my son “You’re not going to find your dog on there.” (Which was pretty funny.)
We’ve been told she’s a dash of German Shorthaired Pointer, a sprinkle of Vizsla and a dollop of Labrador. We love her.
{Photo by Jann Tennenbaum}
What is your favorite room in the house/apartment/yurt where you grew up?
My bedroom. It was basically like having my own apartment. I felt very independent and grown up in my little oasis surrounded by everything that was special to me. My stereo was in one corner-which in the 80’s meant it took up much more than a corner! Music was constantly on “play" and on loud.
(“The Cure”, “The Smiths” and “New Order” were in heavy rotation.)
Another corner held my stacks of photo albums and journals. The walls were covered with pictures of my friends and all the fun things that teenagers do. Have always been obsessed with taking pictures as much as possible. I guess I never want to forget a moment!
{Photo by Alissa Cole}
What is your favorite room in your space now?
My bedroom! (Sort of a theme with me, isn’t it?) I just renovated it recently and it makes me really happy. It’s quiet in layers of white with just a pop of color here and there. The perfect spot to sink into at the end of the day.
The elements that make me happiest in my space are the photos of my family and books relating to people and places that are special to me.I’m also pretty obsessed with my duvet! Nothing better than tucking in at the end of the day under a big, feather filled puff-except maybe waking up to coffee in bed! I do love coffee in bed.
{Photo by Alissa Cole}
What is your favorite room/thing to design?
That’s a hard one since I really am obsessed with all aspects of design-bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens.If I had to pick one, I might say a living room because it’s where most of us spend a majority of our time-be it with family or friends.
I really get excited about making it a space that the homeowner looks forward to relaxing in at the end of their long day as well as entertaining in with family and friends.
{Photo by Alissa Cole}
Who is your favorite artist?
Today it’s “Hozier”, “George Ezra” and “Vance Joy”. Every single song on their CDs are SO good! Can’t get enough.
Visit me at my house, studio or store and you’ll learn the words to their songs by the time you leave. Music affects me every day.
Just last summer I went to L.A. completely inspired by the song “LA Calling” by the Crystal Fighters. You’ll probably want to go to LA after hearing this song too! That trip wouldn’t have happened without it (I’m 100% serious!) and I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be influenced by the amazing hotels and restaurants we visited in LA as well as the charming bungalows and beautiful shops we hit in Manhattan Beach.
And the people! Californians are some of the nicest, coolest people you’d ever want to meet. (Maybe because they don’t suffer through our cold winters like we do in Boston!)
{Photo by Roberta Sobran}
What was your first job?
My very first job was in retail. I spent a majority of my day folding socks and really wasn’t a huge fan so I’m going to pretend that didn’t happen and fast forward to my second job which I did like-receptionist at a busy hair salon.
Best after school job ever. More drama than an episode of Melrose Place! You can imagine the cast of characters. I swear the owner spent half his time to trying to corral his team. Somebody was always getting into trouble for one thing or another and as a 17 year old, I was a wallflower taking it all in. Definitely learned what “not to do” from that experience.
{Photo by Jann Tennenbaum}
What led you to this career?
It really was a wonderful accident. A good friend asked me to help her with her home and I said, “Sure! We’ll have fun!” When we were done she said “you really should do this for a living”. And I said, “You’re just being nice.“
The next thing I knew she was giving my name to two friends who gave my name to their two friends and that’s how the ball started to get rolling.
Then a few months later, on Valentine’s Day, my husband surprised me with a key to a tiny, little commercial space in the heart of our sweet little town in Hingham, MA.
He said, “Why not?” And I was launched.
{Photo by Jann Tennenbaum}
What decorative accessory do you love to work with the most?
Hands down. Pillows! They truly personalize a space. They can make a room feminine or masculine, exciting or calming, sweet or serious. And you can easily change them to suit your mood or season.
What are you reading right now?
Just finished “What Alice Forgot” by Liane Moriary and really enjoyed. Great beach read.
What is your favorite part of the job?
Knowing a client is tickled with a space that I helped to create. Nothing better.
{Photo by Alissa Cole. Design by Katie O’Brien. Item’s sourced through Delicious Designs.}
How does living in Hingham, MA influence your designs?
It definitely effects the colors and materials I use. I talk a lot about the fact that I love blue just as much as the next person but it’s not the best idea to paint the walls of your home blue unless your home is in Miami.We live in an area that is warm for just a short months and the color blue has the effect of making us feel cold so I try to encourage clients to use this hue sparingly in the form of furniture, pillows, lamps and art.That’s why you’ll find a lot of warm tones like tans, browns, grays in Vermont or Colorado. We want to feel warm indoors because it’s so cold outdoors.
Thanks so much Roberta! Follow her on Instagram and you might see some Stray Dog Designs! And if you are ever in Hingham, be sure to stop by and say HI! to Delicious Designs.
