Design x Cándida Wohlgemuth
Interior Designer, Creative Director, & Photographer
Illustration by Bonnie Kate Wolf
Interview conducted by Meera Bhandare on August 28, 2020
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hi, my name is Cándida! When my husband and I got married in 2014, we moved to San Francisco and lived there for three years before moving to Venice, Los Angeles. We are celebrating our six-year wedding anniversary, and we have a baby on the way!
Tell us about your journey into the creative industry.
I’ve been able to be a photographer, creative director, and interior designer, and I’ve worked with amazing brands within those fields. I graduated pre-med in college, which is very different from the life I’m living now. After college, I started teaching eighth-grade science, which I absolutely loved, but there was always something else I wanted to do, outside of teaching, that was tugging at my creative side.
I’d been teaching for four years when I met my husband. Around a year later, we got married and moved to San Francisco, and I ended up getting a job at Airbnb. It was still a small company at that time, and it had an amazing startup environment. I started in recruiting for the Marketing and Creative Departments. My eyes were opened to what the whole world of creative careers looked like, and I met some amazing creatives who really inspired me to pursue a career in the creative field at Airbnb. After a lot of hustle, I started working on the global Airbnb social media team and simultaneously got more into photography.
After Airbnb, I began consulting in social media and art direction, which led to jobs in brand direction and creative direction. Most recently, I was the Creative Director at Kin Euphorics. All the while, interior design has always been a passion of mine, starting with my first major project: a desert cabin renovation into an Airbnb in Joshua Tree, CA. I currently work freelance as an Art and Creative Director and just launched WHLF studio, an interior design and creative studio, with my husband.
What parts of the creative industry are your favorite?
Some of the most inspiring interior designers are people who rethink an entire space and make it their own. My favorite part is meeting and being inspired by people who are just so outlandish and limitless in what they do, whether it’s photography, art direction, interiors, or film. I truly love all types of talents and fields, and I think that’s the beautiful thing about being such a multi-faceted creative.
“My favorite part is meeting and being inspired by people who are just so outlandish and limitless in what they do…”
What topics in the industry now are you interested in specifically?
I’m very focused on interiors at this point in time, and I’m really interested in materials. I’m interested in how to use different materials and textures that you probably wouldn’t think of. Even though most of us are at home right now, it’s making people either think outside of the box with the limited stuff that they have, or just become more aware of what can and can’t change within their own home.
What past projects did you enjoy the most?
When I think of past projects, I think of the teams I worked with. Honestly, I’ve had the chance to work with really amazing teams. Top of mind is my team at Airbnb because it was my first job outside of teaching. I was so inspired by the people who are just so brilliant and so creative, it’s insane. It really just felt like a family. It was super fun because we were working together to build something brand new. The projects were wild. We shot for the moon, worked tirelessly, and had some of the best times. I will always have a special place in my heart for them and that job.
Where do you get your inspiration for all your projects?
Both my parents are from Guatemala. When I was younger, my mom would take us there every summer to make sure we didn’t forget where we came from. It is such a different place with vibrant colors and architecture and textures that I love. As we got older, my mom began taking my family all over the world, from China to Egypt to Israel to Germany and so many other places. I would always take photos of buildings and home interiors. The exposure to so many different cultures and aesthetics is where the real passion and inspiration came from.
“The exposure to so many different cultures and aesthetics is where the real passion and inspiration came from.”
Tell us about WHLF studio.
We just recently launched our own interior design and creative studio called WHLF studio. It’s something that my husband and I had been dreaming and scheming about doing for so long. It’s amazing because it’s the perfect place to put all of our skills.
A few years ago my husband and I went to Joshua Tree for the weekend. We fell in love with this little cabin we stayed at, so we ended up buying our own cabin and fixing it up. We then realized that we have a desire to be around spaces and interiors even when traveling, so we’re always trying to find the coolest spot to stay in that is design-focused and inspiring. Through blood, sweat, and tears (and laughs), we launched our cabin as an Airbnb May of 2017, and it’s been one of our favorite projects to date. This project showed us we had the ability to work together, and it ignited a desire to continue my interior design pursuits. We’re now a full-service interior design studio working on projects from as small as redecorating a space to as large as renovating a 1923 Spanish from the studs.
What skills did you carry over from having a 9-to-5, to working freelance and owning your own business?
I think networking and connections are such an important thing. Even after my 9-to-5, a lot of my freelance jobs came from the people whom I had worked with previously that moved to different companies.
I’m not saying that when you’re working at a company you should only think about who can help you in the future. It’s more that these relationships are important outside of just that moment in time. Really value and cherish the community you build. You never know who you’re going to end up working with in the future.
“Really value and cherish the community you build. You never know who you’re going to end up working with in the future.”
What advice would you give to designers looking to take a path similar to yours?
Don’t ever limit yourself. I wanted to get paid to travel and take photos, so when we traveled, we would take photos and post them on my blog. People began to notice and reach out for photography work. Even with art direction, just begin doing it. Get some friends together and create a concept you have in mind. See who wants to model, who has some ideas for props, and just begin putting things together. Eventually someone will hire you to do it.
Do you have equipment recommendations for aspiring photographers?
I love Canon because I learned photography on their cameras. I also really love things that are just a bit softer and warmer, and Canon gives you that. There are amazing starter cameras for Canon, and I think getting started with a camera that you’re comfortable with is the best way to do it. Once you learn the basics and how to manually shoot, the sky’s the limit, because then you get to decide exactly how you want your shots to look like.
Rapid Fire Questions
What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?
Being anywhere outside, for sure. I think that with the pandemic I’ve really gotten to enjoy the simple blessing God gives, like going on a walk down to the beach and going on a hike. If I can be outside, relax, and look at something that’s not my screen, I’m happy.
What is your favorite book or podcast?
Domino Magazine’s Design Time podcast is really interesting and inspiring!
What Instagram accounts do you follow for design and lifestyle inspiration?
I love Leanne Ford because she thinks very out-of-the-box and is extremely inspiring. I love the aesthetic and use of textures by Athena Calderone. Another favorite is Apparatus Studio, with how they’ve been able to create such an amazing physical space to shop their products.
