About · Elisa Vives
A curious mind. A trained eye. A personal approach to design.
My professional background brings together journalism, cultural communication, event production, digital marketing and interior design.
I studied Journalism and began my career working in radio and newspapers before becoming a press manager. I later worked on large-scale events as a stage manager and production coordinator, developing strong skills in communication, organisation, coordination and project management. I also completed a Master's in Digital Communication and Marketing, building on this experience before moving into design.
I subsequently studied Interior Design, which has been my profession and central creative practice for the past ten years.
Elisa Vives · The Hague
My previous experience continues to inform the way I work as a designer. Journalism taught me to listen carefully, ask meaningful questions and look beyond the obvious. Working in events taught me how to coordinate complex projects, manage different people and keep many details moving towards a shared result.
These skills are essential to my approach to interior design. I take the time to understand what my clients really want for their homes or offices, including the things they find hard to put into words, and turn that into spaces that feel personal and true to the people who live in them.
Because designing a home is not simply about choosing beautiful things. It is about understanding the people who will live there and translating their personality, lifestyle and aspirations into a space that feels genuinely theirs.
Interiors with a sense of identity
I am interested in interiors that feel personal rather than predictable.
My job is to look beyond the obvious answers and discover what makes a client, a property and the way they live unique. From there, I bring together architecture, materials, colour, furniture, lighting, art and objects to create something that feels coherent, original and deeply personal.
I don't believe there is one definition of good taste, or one style that works for everyone.
The most interesting spaces are often the ones that tell you something about the people who inhabit them.
A life lived in different places
I have lived in Spain, the United States, Italy, Bermuda and now the Netherlands.
Living in different countries, and travelling a great deal, has shaped the way I see interiors.
It has taught me to notice the things that can easily be overlooked: the way light falls across a material, the proportions of a room, an unexpected combination of colours, a particular craft technique, the character of an old building or the quiet beauty of something made by hand.
Over time, these experiences have trained my eye and given me a broad visual vocabulary drawn from different cultures, landscapes, architecture and ways of living.
Design doesn't exist in isolation
My background as a cultural journalist has also shaped the way I think about interiors.
I have always been deeply interested in art, music, theatre, photography, fashion and literature.
To me, these disciplines are not separate from interior design. They all explore atmosphere, composition, colour, rhythm, texture, scale and emotion.
They influence the way I look at a room and the way I build a story within it.
Perhaps that is why I am less interested in following a particular style than in creating spaces with character: rooms that feel collected rather than decorated.
Design, with everything that happens behind it.
Today, I combine my experience in design with the organisational and communication skills developed throughout my earlier career.
For my clients, this means I don't only develop the vision. I can also help make it happen, coordinating the people, decisions and details that turn an idea into a finished interior.
This is particularly valuable for international clients living in the Netherlands, who may want a trusted local person to understand their vision, guide the design and take care of the project on their behalf.
Flat White Living is based in The Hague and works with clients throughout the Netherlands and beyond.