Beth Claybourn: A living legend: A master in the art of creating exceptional interiors
In the words of Winston Churchill, “We shape our homes and then our homes shape us.” With so many things available on the market and on the internet, it may be difficult to decide what cohesive style you want to create for your home’s interior. It would be wonderful to simply close one’s eyes, make a wish, and unlock the door to a beautiful, cohesively decorated home that reflects our unique taste, interests, and lifestyle. It could be an inviting place where the family traditions that bind us can grow and where memories last forever, or an intriguing home that accentuates our creative, individual desires.
“Many of my clients have several homes,” reveals sought after interior designer Beth Claybourn, founder of the renowned Beth Claybourn Interiors in Baton Rouge. With a career spanning 40 years, she was recently presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at Louisiana Homes and Gardens’ Design Awards ceremony held at Houmas House in October. “They want the same warmth as they had for that first home that we did. When the client opens that door and stands there, there is a warmth, a lived in feeling. It represents them, their family, and their lifestyle.”
Claybourn has been creating such havens of serenity and beauty that capture the style of the owners for the past several decades. More than an interior designer, she is an acclaimed, knowledgeable educator who teaches her clients about the value and meaning of the beautiful things they are purchasing, from antique furniture to accessories and art.
Designer Albert Hadley echoes Claybourn’s philosophy in The Story of America’s Preeminent Designer: “I have always believed that the more educated the clients are, the easier they are to work with. The essence of interior design will always be about people and how they live. It is about the realities of what makes for an attractive, meaningful environment, not about fashion, or what’s in or what’s not.”
“It’s really about the family that lives there. If you cannot educate the family to enjoy and appreciate the fine things they are purchasing, then you haven’t done a good job,” Claybourn says. “All my life, I have loved beautiful things. I have studied and read. My clients will tell you that I am very knowledgeable about what I do. I often tell them, ‘Today I am going to leave you with one little bit of trivia.’ It’s not about us as designers. It is about the clients. We are just fortunate enough to be the tools to guide them to have the wonderful things that they want.”
Although Beth Claybourn Interiors is located in Baton Rouge, her exceptional, multigenerational client base is much broader. “We do jobs all over the United States,” Claybourn reveals. “When I come aboard, I teach my clients. I help them to learn several things, including how to spend their money well. It is important to help them understand why they like that style. They need to understand the true direction they are going in. I want them to learn about what they have. I also teach the people who work with me. They go to Europe and do itineraries. When someone comes to me, they have to have two years training under me before they go out onto the floor.”
Claybourn works within each individual budget, encouraging the personal taste and participation of every client in the interior design process. Her design services include the custom design of furniture, draperies, and accessories; space planning and utilization; safety and accessibility considerations; selection of appliances, plumbing fixtures, and flooring materials; acoustic and sound transmission; audiovisual and communication technology; and long-term project and lifestyle planning. Her opulent shop is filled with gorgeous furnishings, art, window treatments, and accessories.
“When I come aboard with a client, it is a learning process. For example, an item such as an expensive oil painting; I want them to understand what it is all about. So that when they spend their money, they will not be dissatisfied.”
As professor Mario Praz, author of An Illustrated History of Interior Decoration wrote, “The love of a house cannot be satisfied by the furnishings of others. The most sumptuous of surroundings does not satisfy that need, for one who feels it, if he knows that the things about him are not his, that he is no more than a passing guest.”
Claybourn always makes certain that each client has a major input. “It’s really about the people who live there, and their lifestyle. I think everything we do is a lifestyle choice,” Claybourn explains. Designer John Saladino, author of Style by Saladino concludes, “A house is more than a mere shelter. It should lift us spiritually and emotionally.” Beth Claybourn’s mastery of interior design will let you come home to a shelter that soothes your soul and revives your spirit. She creates soulful sanctuaries that encourage you to relax and enjoy the beauty that surrounds you in a space that embraces your unique personality and authentic self. ✦
Beth Claybourn Interiors
17731 Highland Road
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70810
(225) 751-3466
fax: (225) 752-3400
www.bethclaybourninteriors.com
