The Agency Leadership Series: Sharon Sager

Sharon Sager is an icon in the Interior Architecture Industry. With over 30 years of experience, and 200 award-winning projects under her company's belt, she is renowned for her groundbreaking design work, both locally and abroad. Hard to believe then, that she got her start in advertising, before quickly pivoting back into the interior design game, eventually going on to establish Sager and Associates in 1989.

We spoke to Sharon about how she got started in the industry, her personal design preferences and why she chose Cape Town to set up their offices.

How did you get started in the industry?

After 'hitchhiking' around the world after leaving school, I eventually went to London to study interior architecture. I ended up in advertising for three years, before deciding to get back into the interior architecture.

I realized that there was a big market for turn-key developments. Now, we only work within the envelope, we don't do new builds. Our passion is for renovating old, tired houses or apartment and we work with existing structures and change the space, to make it more efficient and more effective. Ultimately, we design around the client's lifestyle. Our attitude has always been: you don't need to move house, you just need to redesign your space.

Tell us a little bit about how you work?

Our business model is a 10-week model, which is very different to others in the industry. When I started out, my industry colleagues thought I was mad, and said it couldn't be done. Thankfully we proved them wrong!

Generally, our clients will buy an apartment, or house, and we take a brief on what they want. We don't have a specific style, but rather interpret on behalf of the client and what they are looking for in a home. We design around the lifestyle of the client and believe that people do not live in showrooms, but in homes.

Why Cape Town?

[Laughs] I wasn't originally that keen to settle in Cape Town. I have five siblings, who were all living in Johannesburg, and I just love being around my family, so I wasn't really that keen to relocate , but having said that I absolutely, passionately, love Cape Town. I spend a lot of time hiking on the mountain, I am very outdoorsy, and love the whole lifestyle. I love the outdoor coffee shops, that you can sit at pavement cafes. I love everything about the city.

Then, design for Cape Town is very specific, and for me, some of the best designers and architects in the world are in Cape Town.  Their designs are solid and unpretentious. They aren't dependant on gold taps and glitz in order to make their project magnificent, beautiful, or usable. It's just good design. I think they are incredibly creative, and I am very proud of my colleagues.

What inspires you?

We are inspired by our clients. Each client has different needs.  We can't wait to finish the project, so they can see our ideas transformed.

What is important to you in a home?

I love space. Space and light for me are paramount. Little box rooms are not sympathetic to the Cape Town lifestyle. Cape Town lifestyle is open. Windows to let the air and light in. There is always something beautiful to look at - a garden, the sea... As such, we will always gravitate our design towards what is beautiful and aesthetic outside.

The indoor, outdoor flow is very important and as a result, I never use curtains with colours or patterns. I use curtains to soften the rooms, and to insulate in winter, but they must never interfere with what is going on outside. So, they should never stop your eye... I would rather use those pattern designs in a scatter cushion or on a chair, but definitely not on the windows.

Can you give us an idea of some of the trends of 2021?

People are looking to keep their lines as clean as possible and have less furniture as opposed to more. When it comes to second homes, and even primary homes, the focus is on very low-maintenance. Things that require cleaning - nooks and crannies with funny ornaments - have completely gone out the window. There is an emphasis on larger things now. So it could, for example, be a beautiful big tree stump, a lovely sculpture or a beautiful pot with a plant in it as opposed to six plants dotted all over the place. People are looking for minimal maintenance so lots of glass vases or ornaments that need to be cleaned are on the way out.

The majority of our clients are also creating office space at home. Again, less is more and keeping it low maintenance is pivotal. Working at the dining room table is not happening anymore. Special spaces are being created for office work, without having to make any extensions to the home.  People are using the space they already have to elegantly and efficiently incorporate their work needs. 

Then, people are spending more time out in the garden. South Africans find it very difficult to be indoors for too long and the outside area has certainly become a place of refuge. Outdoor furniture has become important. Beautiful, big, comfortable oversized chairs and couches, placed in the garden under trees or on patios have become very important in terms of design and space.

Finally, any big projects on the horizon? What does the future look like?

All my projects are relevant, but what is really encouraging is that clients are confident to do the kinds of projects that they are doing. We are extremely busy at the moment and I am very encouraged as people believe they have a future here, whatever that future may be. Some people appear to be feeling down at the moment, however I am feeling encouraged by what I am seeing, because if people are confident enough to renovate, it means they are positive about what the future holds in South Africa. I don't think we will necessarily live the way we did before, but South Africa is still a fantastic country to live in, and Cape Town has to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world.