The Whole Look

Bridget Beari Designs does nothing less

BY WAYNETTE GOODSON

Susan Jamieson is an acclaimed interior designer behind the Richmond, Virginia-based firm, Bridget Beari Designs. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because she has her own Bridget Beari wallpaper and paint collections. She’s also been a guest on the hit show, “Fix It and Finish It,” and her designs have appeared on HGTV, TLC and NBC, as well as within the pages of Southern Living, Coastal Living and Traditional Home. Lucky us: Susan took time out from our Designer ExperieNCe event (see p. 62) to tell us about her all-time favorite outdoor project.

You’ve been in the business now for 25 years, when did you start noticing more requests for exterior design?

We’ve always done outdoor. We’re based in Virginia, so we have gorgeous springs and gorgeous falls. People always have outdoor spaces, whether it’s a traditional patio or whether it’s a screened porch or outdoor pool area. This particular project (shown, right) is unique because it’s in Tulum, Mexico, and it’s all about the outside.

How did it come about?

It started with a husband and wife who have property in Richmond, and I did their house there. They vacationed in Tulum quite often. Then the Sian Ka’an, a biosphere reserve between the Caribbean ocean and the lagoon, became open for building eco-friendly properties. So they jumped at the chance to design a home that’s completely green in concept. (For more, go to exteriordesignonline.com.)

Do you have a design approach for the outdoors that’s different from your indoor philosophy?

I think it’s all the same. It’s just an extension of a living space. You want to watch TV and do everything you do inside . . . outside. In the South, we have to worry about the heat. So you’re more concerned about the finishes and the quality of the pieces. Nobody wants to buy something that’s going to fall apart, and things are so easily destroyed by the weather. It’s critical to have good quality pieces.

Are there specific elements for a luxurious outdoor space?

There’s always a fireplace, and there’s always an over-the-top seating area. It’s pretty much having those unique spaces. And I find, just like in Tulum, that it’s not just one big space—we’re creating smaller rooms within that space so that people can get away. For an Atlanta project, we had something covered, something that’s not covered, something that’s by the pool, something that’s by the fire. You’re having these small points of conversation where people can get together. It’s not just one big, massive patio anymore.

A Janus chair sits on the lower wrap-around mahogany deck.

How do you delineate those spaces?

Mostly through the architecture or through the way we design small walls or the way we set up the fireplaces. It’s about creating those spaces through the architecture first or through the landscaping design, and then the furniture should embrace that. The furniture shouldn’t overshadow the architecture or the landscaping. It should enhance it and be a part of it.

What is your advice for interior designers who are just now doing outdoor areas?

There are so many good reps; they really help a lot in the furniture business. Our Janus et Cie rep in D.C. was amazing in getting us instructions for care in Spanish and English. They will guide you if you don’t know how to do it. They can help with fabric choices for different climates, for different seasons, what to do about pollen, and they’re your resource.

If you’ve never done outdoor, I would approach it the way you do indoor. It’s a space that you know the people want to entertain or they want to cook—it’s just like a kitchen outside. You’ve got to have a dining area. It shouldn’t be something that’s passed by; it should be incorporated from the beginning of the project. We do a lot of new construction, so it’s always the landscaper, the designer and the architect all working hand in hand to create that whole look for the house. □