Elizabeth Assaf is a designer along with her husband Nabil Assaf, designing expertly made solid front doors, from their company Urban Front, based in Buckinghamshire. Elizabeth is originally from Australia but came to study in the UK back in 1995, after which she worked within the media on a number of design shows, such as Property Ladder and Changing Rooms. She adores contemporary door design, which she expertly offers and installs for her clients. So we are proud to bring you the Designer Insights of Elizabeth Assaf.
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1) In your own words describe your unique style and creative aesthetic?
Every single door I design has to be simple, elegant and beautiful. I concentrate on simplicity because therein lies the beauty of the product..I believe keeping to its most natural state makes it beautiful.
2) When starting a new project, what is your creative process?
Because we deal with frontages, I tend to start looking at what materials will best work for the building and the internal spaces and what design of door best suits the aesthetic of the building.
3) Out of the creative people you have worked with, who is it that you respect and admire the most?
In my case this would be my husband who I started our company with. We have worked together on all of the doors we make and we really complete each other with ideas and creations. We start sketching together and this starts a creative process that delivers the best from both of us. I’ve never known a more passionately dedicated person who understands his subject matter and appreciates its power.
4) When looking for inspiration is there a particular thing you do to get inspired?
My inspiration comes from fashion (a flowing dress may inspire certain lines on a door), a trip abroad (a piece of old wood gets me thinking about colors) or a drive through villages inspires me to think of shapes.
5) What has brought you to this point in your career? And what is your advice for people looking to follow in your footsteps?
I started out in my career making television programmes – this progressed to a design course and developing houses for profit moving on a realisation that there was a gap in the market for high end hardwood doors. Don’t let anything daunt you, as long as you are passionate anything is possible.
