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An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Personal touches — sometimes people get too invested in design that they forget that their living space is a home. I expect to see family photos, knick knacks from your travels, and other items that tell me who you are and who lives in this space. I so frequently see spaces online and I cannot get a sense of the person who lives in that space. A home should represent you and also change with you.

As part of my series on the “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Alex Bass.

Salon 21 is a platform for young collectors to start investing in the next generation of artists, strategically and artfully. With a focus on democratization and discovery, founder Alex Bass leverages her work experience at art institutions and her education (BA in Art History from Columbia and MA in Art Business from the Sotheby’s Institute) to get to know emerging artists, build Salon 21’s artist roster, and provide a space and resources for young collectors. Delivering education to her community through Salon 21’s digital artist talks and curated events, everyone is welcome to participate in the art ecosystem before buying. Building on her knowledge and presence in the art realm, Bass takes on full design projects from home design to showroom buildouts, approaching each challenge to spark joy and celebrate art.

Thank you so much for joining us in this series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

My first design project was probably my 6th grade locker (I had wallpaper in it and a mini chandelier). Really any opportunity there was to express myself creatively I took it — and I took it seriously! Same with my dorm room–it’s very dated when I look at pictures now but represents who I was at 18 and clearly I was so proud of it.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?

One of the funny things is that my current client found me via TikTok–I am very analogue in a lot of ways and give credit to my intern there for introducing me to the platform. I need to get back to it!

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

Right now I’m working on designing both commercial and residential spaces. I want to help brands realize their business goals through designing the right space, both aesthetically and functionally. In terms of residential spaces, I want people to not be intimidated by art and make it approachable for them and something that everyone wants to have in their homes. I am also intently focused on placing works by emerging artists who I work with through Salon 21 in all spaces I work on.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Don’t spread yourself too thin. This is applicable to me because I tend to want to take on everything and help everyone, and I need to set limits for myself in order to maintain success and my mental health. I go above and beyond in all aspects of my life, both work and personal–because of this I need to pick and choose where I expend my energy.

Thank you for that. Here is the main question of our discussion. What are your “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

  1. Warm lighting — especially during COVID with many of us working from home, it’s important to shift your atmosphere physically in order to do so mentally. By switching off your overhead lights in the evening and replacing them with some smaller lamps, or in my case, my light-up mirror that exudes warm pinkish light, you can add an entirely different dimension to your space. Don’t make the mistake of buying “cool” lightbulbs at the hardware store — WARM!
  2. Personal touches — sometimes people get too invested in design that they forget that their living space is a home. I expect to see family photos, knick knacks from your travels, and other items that tell me who you are and who lives in this space. I so frequently see spaces online and I cannot get a sense of the person who lives in that space. A home should represent you and also change with you.
  3. Mirrors — especially for apartment living, mirrors are a game changer. They make your space feel exponentially larger. A unique frame can also make the mirror feel like an art piece.
  4. Intention — each space of my studio apartment (which is hard to imagine because it’s a square) has a function. This especially helps so that I don’t work in my sleep or lounging space for example. This is incredibly important for those of us living in small spaces.
  5. Artwork! Check out Salon 21 to support emerging artists and add another element to your space.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

@salon.21 @alexx_bass

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational!

Alex Bass of Salon 21: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.