Meet Deborah DiMare: Conscious Interior Designer – Founder of DiMare Design and the Vegan Design Organization

We had the good fortune of connecting with Deborah DiMare and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Deborah, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
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Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
All it took was one video to prompt me to pivot my 20-year design career to solely vegan interiors. The video was about dog leather, which is legally made in China. After watching it and fighting the urge to vomit, I put my phone down and decided that I couldn’t sell or use animal-based products anymore. A lifelong animal lover, I vowed to stop using wool, leather, silk and down a few years ago, but it took time and dedication to educate herself on the full extent of going vegan in my work. With no guidelines or sourcebooks of animal-free interiors existing at the time, I found myself taking on the research on my own. Google became my best friend. I found that there were animal byproducts in places I had never considered, like shellac paint, which is made from resin created by tropical lac bugs. I also quickly learned not to take claims of vegan products at face value—even sofas that have vegan fabric on the exterior often have wool or down filling. There’s no oversight on any of this, and it can be very misleading. I basically had to start over with how I sourced product, but it was all worth it a million times over. Today I am the proud owner of the nation’s leading conscious interior design firm DiMare Design that solely focuses on creating humane, vegan, cruelty-free, sustainable and non-toxic spaces. With a focus on wellness, DiMare Design creates spaces that are clean, intentional and provide a sensory experience that instills a positive sense of wellbeing. I am also the proud founder of the Vegan Design Organization, that educates and certifies interior designers on non-animal-based design through its signature online course. VeganDesign.org also provides a membership, private community and trademarked logos for both designers and brands or companies. I am driven by helping both consumers and designers become aware of what is in their home, where it comes from and how they can opt for healthier and more compassionate solutions. Because we are always evolving and creating new ways to serve our community and the world, we are so excited to be launching a series of online courses all about conscious interior design. The first course will be all about creating “Safe and Cruelty-Free Nursery and Kids Rooms” which will make a perfect gift for new or expecting parents! In this course we will cover everything from the most toxic and common products, their healthy swaps, how to create a mood board, how to source product and more. We are so excited to bring this offering out into the world. Look out for it on www.dimaredesign.com. Following the nursery and kid’s room design course we will be launching wellness and meditation spaces, bedrooms, and design for special needs like Autism, autoimmune disorders, allergies or mobility issues. With everything that took place in 2020, the entire world is waking up and becoming more compassionate and conscious. They are beginning to question what they consume, wear, eat and advocate for. It is time that we think about not just what we ingest and put in our bodies (hence the rise of veganism and green beauty), but also what we rest our heads on at night and what it takes to produce our couch. This year has brought a lot of people to question and analyze what the “home” means to them and realizing the vast impact interior design has on their quality of lives and wellbeing.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh my goodness, I have so many! Dinner at Mandolin, fun in the sun at Haulover Dog Beach and South Pointe Park (cutest dog watching you’ve ever seen!), catch a movie in Brickell City Center Surf Club at the Four Seasons Bal Harbor, walk the bridge at Key Biscayne and Venetian Islands for stunning views, coffee and pastries at ZaK the Baker followed by walking around and exploring all that Wynwood has to offer, Little Havana for food, salsa dancing and the people, shopping in Coral Gables, the Fairchild Gardens and of course, the PAM Museum. All are must-do’s on a visit to the beautiful Magic City.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a huge shout out to Farm Sanctuary and Gene Baur. They are an incredible organization that since the 80’s has been passionately advocating for farm animals and spreading awareness about the cruel practices of animal agriculture. I was recently invited to join the board for Farm Sanctuary and I could not be more honored to be supporting the important cause of this organization. Everyone at Farm Sanctuary has the biggest hearts and is committed to a world where no animal has to endure unnecessary suffering. https://www.farmsanctuary.org

Website: www.dimaredesign.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deborahdimare/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-dimare/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DiMareDesign
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6j2Zjsn4KMOnmjJIoaMTw