GENEVIEVE
TROUSDALE
Interior Designer
Palos Verdes Magazine recently sat down with Genevieve Trousdale, an interior designer and new resident of Palos Verdes. Originally from Louisiana and, though she’ll be a Californian for life (and wouldn’t mind a stint in Europe), she will always remember and pay homage to her Southern roots.
What prompted you to start your own business?
I’m one of those rare individuals who knew when I came into the world that I wanted to be an interior designer. Every step of the way was thoughtful about my career (design school, internships, travels) and propelled me to where I am today. A decade across the globe on assignment to design royal estates, ski chalets, a European pied-a-terre and plenty of stateside homes for people that aren’t in the limelight, the significant business skills I gained, strong working relationships with vendors I forged and the “masters” (in design conception, implementation and installation) I earned for a healthy recipe to open up my own studio.
How does your company serve the community (and beyond)?
Circa Genevieve ID is a full-service interior design firm, which means we can start the project from day one of conception all the way down to stocking your bar to provide a convenient, turn-key experience for moving into your new home. Our firm regularly designs and manages renovations, remodels and procures all types of fixtures and furnishings. We handle all the details you’d rather not handle, design elegant solutions to problems and deliver a level of service that you cannot otherwise find.
Rather than imposing my own personal style on a client’s home, I like to say that we are a “chameleon for our clients”, meaning we can cater to any style from contemporary, Spanish, coastal to historically significant, eclectic or exotic.
Anything extraordinary/unique that your company does?
Because of my worldly experiences, my firm is especially equipped to and thrives on conceiving truly custom architectural details, specialty spaces (think media/game rooms, wellness wings) and furnishings so that your home doesn’t look like a showroom or your neighbor’s home. The wide variety of resources also allow us to tastefully value engineer budget-prohibitive initial concepts. “Bringing Heritage Home” is my design philosophy that I incorporate into every project, no matter what the style is. From the first design concepts, the client’s traditions, lineage and cultural lifestyle are carefully considered and integrated into the schemes. In the end, it’s a harmonious story in which our clients feel stimulated, prideful and comfortable creating conversations around their home.
Given your business expertise and the nature of what you do, what advice can you offer to the residents of Palos Verdes?
Honor the view. Striking a balance between letting the scenery sing and framing it with a complementary interior setting can be challenging for someone that isn’t blessed with an eye for design. If you are reading this, you likely have great pride in living on our peninsula. I would encourage you to hire a professional early who best fits your personality so that you don’t waste your time trying to get it right yourself.
"The slower pace of this peninsula reminds me of home and that gives me comfort."
–Genevieve Trousdale
All photos by Amy Barnard Photography
