Carmen and Nane Blohm at Nidu in Depot Square in Peterborough. (STAFF PHOTO BY CAMERON CASHMAN)
The Monadnock region recently welcomed a new interior design studio, Nidu, into the Tribals storefront in Depot Square in Peterborough.
Through Nidu, proprietors and sisters Nane and Carmen Blohm are sharing their experience in designing living spaces, which comes from a lifetime of travel. Nane was born in Venezuela, and since then has lived in Costa Rica, Germany, the United Kingdom, Colombia and the United States. While Nane was traveling the world, Carmen moved to the United States, where she has lived for 30 years. During that time, she lived in many major cities, including New York City, Boston, Dallas and San Diego.
Despite their distance from each other, each time one of the sisters would move, the other would help design the new living space.
“Our interior design relationship started very informally. Every time we moved, we had to redesign our new homes, mostly using what we already had,” Carmen said. “We always did it together, even if we weren’t in the same city.”
“It’s something we enjoyed very much. We worked well together, and it sustained us through those transitions, when we were trying to build something new in a place we’ve just arrived,” Nane said. “It gave us some joy within the chaos.”
The Blohms realized that interior design was a marketable skill, and decided to go into business under the name Nidu. According to their website, Nidu is defined as “derived from the Latin word “nest,” meaning “a person’s snug or secluded retreat.” When applied to the Blohms’ work, Nidu is “the result of weaving together chosen threats into your own unique fabric – your space.”
What does that look like when applied to the Blohms’ design process? The sisters broke down their method.
“Our interior design process takes into account the person, the space and the context,” Nane explained. “We spend a lot of time in the interview stage, working with the brief that our clients give us.”
The Blohms said they spend a little more time in the planning stage than other interior designers, because this stage is the most important to them.
“That’s where the process of designing starts for us,” Nane said. “For us this stage is longer than other designers, but that’s what makes it successful.”
Part of the initial interview process is understanding where clients are in their lives, what their needs are, where they’re coming from and their aspirations. Additionally, the sisters learn what they bring with them or leave behind from their previous home – both physical items and less-tangible personality traits. From there, the begin drafting a floor plan, being careful to consider what they’ve learned about the clients and incorporating their specific needs and requests, as well as any material items they may want to see in their new space.
“We try to reuse and keep what works,” Nane said. She recounted a previous client who had a collection of wooden spoons from different countries they had visited, which ended up being used in an art piece that was mounted in the kitchen.
“It doesn’t have to be expensive, just meaningful,” she said. “People always think an interior designer is out of reach – like people who use interior designers don’t eat with their hands. But good design is for everybody. There’s no need to buy new furniture or settle for a design that someone else likes – it’s yours.”
Aside from their interior design services, Nidu offers sustainably sourced, handmade rugs, as well as rug cleaning and restoration. For information, go to nidustudio.com.
These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.
Current Issue - October 2024