2010 AD100: Jacques Saint Dizier

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When Jacques Saint Dizier was a student at Louisiana State University, interior design was part of the home economics department. Despite his interest in the field, he remembers, "I didn't want to have anything to do with it." He changed his mind when the subject was moved to the architecture department, and he credits his multidisciplinary course work for his holistic approach to design. After a 12-year stint in New York City, where he worked for Angelo Donghia ("From him I learned the importance of scale, texture and good lighting"), Saint Dizier settled in California's Sonoma County. "I realized I wanted to live closer to nature," says the designer, who splits his time between Healdsburg, where he owns a furniture shop, and San Francisco.

Jacques Saint Dizier

707-433-9900

www.saintdom

A project in Hawaii in 1991 introduced him to the charms of the islands, "and it was in my blood at that point," he recalls. The designer now spends about a week every month working there. With his 11-person firm, Saint Dizier creates furniture and lighting for almost every project, often fashioning a piece or a room around an architectural fragment or artifact, such as African ceremonial drums. His work frequently takes him to resort areas, in Hawaii and elsewhere, and he is invigorated by his search for a fresh approach to tropical design: "It's become so clichéd that it's really exciting to redefine," he says. "So much is a feeling rather than a style."