An intimate Q+A with David Font

What inspires you?

A striking place, a beautiful material, a stimulating texture, an unexpected piece of furniture – anything that exhilarates the senses can be inspiring – even the abstract things that make life beautiful, like romance, or seeing a child laugh.  I know it sounds very abstract, but when I design, I ultimately want to create emotion, and to me, each emotion can inspire different colors, flow, textures, shapes and ultimately, beauty.

What are you working on right now?

I’m always designing, of course.  My firm always has a plethora of outdoor design projects of varying size and complexity – but we have also now moved in to the interior design arena, and we are busy creating some beautiful interior spaces as well. 

I am also involved in some renovations both as an investor, as well as a design partner.  It’s fun to put myself in the client’s shoes, in a way – while having to balance the challenges of remaining efficient and keeping the end goal of selling the property in mind.

What are you doing next?

I will continue to explore renovation and investment opportunities, but of course my heart and passion are always going to be in the design aspect.  Besides the private clients that I will continue to serve, I would like to bring my design vision to public places, where I can influence the way people gather and interact with one another.  Also, stay tuned . . . I have a couple of projects that are still under wraps, but you will definitely be seeing more of me.

Does that mean we will see you on TV again soon?

It’s possible! J    Either TV, or other media, as well as other vehicles for sharing my design vision, like products.   I enjoy reaching out and touching people.  My experiences at HGTV were amazing and life changing – and definitely left me craving for more.  Not because of the attention I got – I mean, that’s nice too.  But because so many people told me they could identify with me and my love for design.   Anytime you can touch the world and help people see the beauty in the world, it’s a good day.  The media or a product line just allows that to happen at a bigger scale – it’s pretty astounding.

What book are you reading right now?

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra.  I’ve been meaning to read it for a long time, and finally got to it.  Besides design books, I tend to read a lot of non-fiction that I feel I’m going to learn something from.  We should never stop growing and learning, and widening our view of the world.

What’s your private life like? 

I have been married to my college sweetheart, Rachel, for 13 years.  We’ve been together for 20 years this summer.  We have an amazing 7-year-old daughter who is a quintessential “old soul” with a remarkable love for art and animals.  She’s the princess that rules our happy kingdom.