Working with clients — and celebrities — nationwide inspires Daine and keeps her one step ahead of the trends. She believes the world has "gotten small," because everything — from travel to exotic items — is more accessible, so designers must "get bigger" by expanding their vision of what is possible.
Based in Aspen, she helps homeowners create distinctive interiors with flair.
She takes an eclectic approach and mixes Old World pieces with contemporary styles. For example, she might incorporate a sacred Tibetan object into a modern living room, or faux finish a new chandelier to look as though it were plucked from an old chateau in France. Or, she might bridge the old and new by placing a modern top on an antique table base.
Energetically, the synthesis imbues a home with life, just as a grand, European stone home radiates warmth.
"To be able to replicate that is a challenge, but it can be done," Daine says. "If you want to have a soulful home, it's about collecting the pieces — or making it look like you've been all over the world. Your home should be your treasure chest."
Daine employs calm colors and soft metallic backgrounds to replicate the easy elegance of spas, castles and five-star resorts. When refurbishing historic homes, she's careful to honor the past by preserving elements like antique hearths and crown molding. She's known for updating homes through fusion — for instance, lining a stone and plaster fireplace with stainless steel so the piece becomes a reflective flame cased in Old World charm.
"Energetically, it works," she says. "By honoring [the old], it pumps up the energy of your design."
She advocates taking a fun attitudinal approach to interior design by folding in the unexpected.
"We need to lighten up in the world — have fun with it," she says. "... It's like dance; you have to channel it. If you think too much, it seems contrived. The best design shines in its simplicity."
