people who make things: sara lowery ng of noble house designs

sara lowery ng is the brains behind noble house designs, an amazing accessories line that is all about statement pieces. when i first met sara, she was wearing an indian-inspired necklace similar to this. 

when i found out she made it herself, i bombarded her with questions about her how she got started, balancing her day job and noble house designs (a topic we revisit in this talk) and so much more. not only does sara have killer lady style (picture lily pullitzter and kate spade at coachella), but she's funny, loves to travel and has a tremendous entrepreneurial spirit.

sara in india with a little elephant

where are you from and where do you live? And how does your environment relate to your work?

i am from columbus, ohio originally but have been living in houston, texas for over 6 years now. my work is all about color and allowing your accessories to match your personality. colorful, inspired by traveling the world/other cultures, not afraid to make a statement and yet still easy going. as an outsider looking in on the southern/texas lifestyle, women are well accessorized and love to dress up and are always put together at all times...  so its an inspiring city to see such fantastic muses for my jewelry.

what were your favorite creative outlets growing up?

i absolutely loved drawing and coloring when i was younger! when i was really little ( i think around 4 or 5) I would watch my favorite disney movies and color in my coloring books.  when i was in high school, i loved my art classes and loved to sketch and draw while listening to music.  around the same time, i started to appreciate vintage fashion and accessories.  so, my creativity took a long time to develop and understand how to use it.

tribal earrings - noble house designs

what are you favorite materials/medium to work with?
 

i really love any materials in vivid color.  i just crave colorful baubles and beads.  i like to mix up the high end gemstones with vintage plastic beads.  as long as the color story works, i will put anything together.  

what influences or inspires you?
 

fashion and Interior design magazines  - i subscribe to them all!  but i love how editors put together a color story and edit their picks.  it reminds me to go crazy but edit and then edit again.  i also enjoy how they inspire to show us beautiful things.  i also am influenced by vintage fashions and jewelry. i love anything from the 1970s.

nautical citrus - noble house designs

spring/summer 2012 - hazard necklace - noble house designs

how do you work through roadblocks on a project or piece?
 

i used to stop, walk away and come back to it after a day or two.  now, i work thru any roadblocks that might come up and make myself sit thru the frustration and do it.  i found if i walk away from a project with hopes to come back to it – i never would.  so i would waste a ton of momentum in the design process. i would have an idea and never see it to the end.  don’t get me wrong, sometimes the pieces that i work thru to finish are hideous!  but i usually learn something from the process.    

what has surprised you most about how your work has evolved, if at all?
  

that my style really has evolved. i have found my voice in my pieces that make me unique and i hope, tell my story. but that has been the most surprising!

black & gold vintage - noble house designs 

whats the hardest part of balancing your day job and noble house designs?
 

good question.  the hardest part is making yourself focus on issues that you don’t care and are not excited by. its been a struggle but if i didn’t dislike my full time job so much, i would of never ventured out and started NHD. things always happen for a reason :)


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there you have it! shop noble house designs to add some serious color to your wardrobe. and be sure to check out sara's blog, where she writes about color trends, home decor and her favorite things.

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