Gulla Jonsdottir has left her mark far and wide, with architectural and design projects everywhere from Lebanon to Reykjavik. Last year Esquire named her look for Red O Restaurant in Los Angeles “Best Design of the Year.” The eco-minded Jonsdottir and head of her firm G + Design—who worked with Richard Meier’s team on the Getty Center and finessed the design for New York’s hip Double Seven Lounge—put her blueprints aside to talk to TakePart.
My favorite place in the world is… Rome in the winter and Bali in the fall, but there’s nothing like swimming in the Mediterranean sea in the summer.
If I could change the world, I would start with… Changing how people think. We need to appreciate life and our Earth and be grateful and respectful to be here.
My last random act of kindness was… Sharing a smile with a stranger and giving compliments to people no matter where they are situated—feels like good food for thought for sharing positivity.
My favorite green product is… The very chic charcoal product from Japan which purifies your water from the faucet. It’s called Binchotan, and it’s a beautiful charcoal branch that is placed in a glass bottle to absorb unwanted particles like bacteria and instead releases natural minerals.
It would be easier to be green if only… Green design and products were more aesthetically pleasing and less expensive so all my clients would go for them.
Right now I’m addicted to… Chocolate. Always.
Right now I’m avoiding… I don’t pay attention to avoiding things. Life in balance is beautiful.
My superhero power would be… Having a magical wand to make all people happy.
Our next President should focus on… Education, eco-friendly living and solid and well-developed friendship with other countries.
My eco rule of thumb is… To always recycle and don’t acquire unnecessary things. Sometimes reusing the existing is more eco than anything else.
My last eco faux pas was... Buying that convertible car.
Next on my life to-do list is…To spend more time with family and friends, master languages such as Italian, French and Spanish. I want to open design studios in four more parts of the world, take longer vacations and get a piano for my New York apartment. Oh, and spend more time painting and traveling to adventurous places—and appreciating every moment of life every day.
Photo: Courtesy of Jonsdottir
