LN Spotlight: Sophia Vincent Guy
How fitting that our latest LN Spotlight be our very own (insanely talented) Little Nomad mat designer, Sophia Vincent Guy?! Here's a little behind the scenes look at Sophia's life and her inspiration behind her beautiful LN designs.
Where do you live?
I live in a house in Herzliya, Israel.
What do you do professionally?
I am an Illustrator/Designer
How did you find inspiration when creating the LN designs?
Inspiration for the LN designs came from looking at a lot of carpets and various motifs like Moroccan screens. I am also obsessed with plants so they have a way of making their way into just about everything I do.
Do you have any children?
Aviv - 5 yrs
Adele - 17 months
How would you describe your style?
Modernist Scandinavian hippy hipster with a touch of old-timey flair. That’s a category…I swear.
Where is your Little Nomad play mat in your house?
When it first arrived it was in the centre of our living room. My daughter was about 8 months old at the time and started walking at 9 months so loved walking over it while my four year old jumped and played on it and rearranged the puzzle pieces. It now lives in the play zone of my son’s bedroom and a portion of the second one is on the floor of my closet.
What are three of your favorite nursery/playroom/decor pieces that share a room with your Little Nomad play mat?
-Three hanging hot air balloons
-Two gorgeous paintings my father made that were hung in my room the year I was born and stayed with me ever since.
-A simple Ikea bookshelf with a really nice finish packed with all the great children’s books we have collected.
Has there been a challenging aspect of decorating with little ones? What about the most fun?
My husband and I tend to collect ‘the perfect things’ slowly so it takes a long time to really pull things together. Aviv’s room was one of the first places to come together in the house and soon it will have to also accommodate his little sister so we will start to do the shuffle. The most fun is seeing it done and the kids enjoying it.
Where was the last place you traveled? Where do you want to go next?
We were recently in Crete for a gorgeous wedding. The rugged hills and clear blue waters were like a magic tonic - such a special place! I would love to go to Norway to see some close friends and take in the incredible landscape. There is a specific drive along the coast full of designed pavilions that has been my top travel destination for the past 7 years - one day I will get there!!
What’s your professional background?
I got my masters degree in architecture and worked in residential architecture for about seven years. Drawing and painting has always been a big part of my life and I constantly dreamed of dovetailing my career into the realm of visual arts. Although I have a great appreciation for architecture and enjoyed working in the field, when the time seemed ripe to transition into illustration, I went for it and haven’t looked back.
What did you enjoy most about designing for Little Nomad?
Designing the Roam Free Play Mat was not only about creating a pretty pattern, it was also a puzzle getting a single tile to combine in the right way to get a seamless carpet-like effect. It was challenging, and I whined about how it didn’t seem possible and then it was so rewarding to see it come together and work. Each new pattern poses this same kind of challenge and now that I know it can be done, working out the puzzle has become fun.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Inspiration comes from all kinds of things. I feel very close to plants - their elegance and beauty is always a wonderful source of inspiration. I love colour and am constantly looking out for interesting colour combinations in all kinds of places. There are also many incredibly talented artists out there to draw inspiration from - I have spent a lot of time looking at the work of others to help me connect with my own visual style.
What other kinds of projects do you work on?
In addition to the pattern and logo design for Little Nomad, I have worked on children’s books, product packaging illustrations, editorials, greeting cards and ad campaigns. I love having a wide range of creative work; I find one project tends to inspire aspects of another and the practice continues to feel exciting.