From Opera to Interiors: How Lane McNab's Musical Background Inspires Her Design Aesthetic
Lane McNab, founder and principal of Lane McNab Interiors (LMI), has taken an unconventional path to become one of the Bay Area's most respected luxury home designers. A Southern transplant with roots in Florida and Tennessee, Lane's journey led her to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she honed her skills as an operatic soprano.
After a successful career in opera and extensive travels, Lane transitioned to her other artistic passion: interior design. She founded Lane McNab Interiors in 2012, bringing with her a unique perspective shaped by her musical background and apprenticeship in design and construction.
Known for her meticulous attention to detail and passion for beauty, Lane has built a firm of like-minded professionals, earning a devoted clientele and industry recognition. Her designs, featured in numerous publications, reflect her ability to blend artistry with functionality.
When not creating stunning interiors, Lane enjoys family life in her 115-year-old Berkeley home – a testament to her love for historical architecture and her skill in harmonizing past and present.
Let's explore how Lane's journey from opera singer to acclaimed interior designer shapes her approach to luxury home design. We recently sat down with our founder for a quick Q&A. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did!
Monument Side Table by GUILD by LMI
Harmonizing Music and Design
How does your experience with stage presence and performance translate into your interactions with clients and presentations of your design concepts?
As an introvert and formerly shy kid, my opera career was invaluable. I feel so confident in presentations and advocating for choices that I rarely actually prepare what I'm going to say or how I'm going to present. This is not because I have amazing presentation skills but because if you are prepared with the knowledge of your design and the “why” behind every decision, you don’t need to practice. I know this came from the discipline of the opera world. Design still lights me up so presenting something I created and believe in is rewarding.
Opera often involves different cultural and historical settings. How has this exposure influenced your approach to various design styles and periods?
Oh in every way! Much like opera was the artistic barometer for social and cultural change for hundreds of years, architecture and design have always been and continue to be the same. Opera and architecture/design are both grand arts incorporating the skills and talents of numerous other art forms within them. And they have both changed and morphed as our culture does. Opera obviously is less relevant culturally now than it was in its heyday, but throughout history, it reflected the changing social and political landscape. From Mozart rebelliously calling attention to the issues of class through characters like Figaro while simultaneously being bankrolled by the aristocracy to Puccini writing about the injustice of the treatment of unwed mothers through his opera Suor Angelica, etc. opera was more than just entertainment.
All we have to do is think of the national conversation around approaches to building and design during the pandemic or the focus and attention Home got during that time to see how influential design is on our lives and vice versa. Our decisions about our homes during the pandemic will be a living marker of that era.
Being a student of cultural history, I always approach my projects with a sense of place. What is this home's place in our larger cultural narrative, and if it's a historical home, what was happening when it was built? What are the traditions and hallmarks of the design of this era and of now? How can we show the evolution of the home and be its steward while making it functional, livable, and reflective of today? This approach has always led me to be able to create authentic homes that have that sense of place instead of trendy or overly thematic. Classic, timeless, and livable, even if modern or contemporary.
Can you draw any parallels between the way you used to prepare for a challenging aria and how you approach a particularly complex design challenge?
It's always going back to the basics and breaking the larger problem down into its smallest parts. With a seemingly insurmountable design problem, such as creating detailed drawings for a large-scale project with a lot of transformation, it is tackling each detail one by one and zooming in as much as you can before you zoom out and get the overall impact. It is all about the details in design! Learning a challenging aria was very much the same. Usually, there would be a complicated coloratura run or something like that, and instead of trying to just get every single note perfectly in one take, I would break it down day by day, adding a couple of notes every time until the muscle memory was there, and then voila! the phrase is learned, and you can move on to the next difficult passage until the whole aria comes together. Every note is important--nothing is a throwaway in opera just like every detail is important in good design. Sometimes, when I would feel like I would never be able to get the aria down, I would have to remember the principles and practices my excellent teachers and coaches had taught me and just stick with it. In design and construction, the same is true, but it comes back to good project management and process.
In opera, the costume often helps define the character. How do you use furnishings and decor to 'characterize' a space or reflect the personality of its inhabitants?
Opera is a grand art form, and being lucky enough to sing with the SF Opera Chorus for many years, I reaped the benefits on the stage of talented sewers and costume designers every time. Every costume in every production there was managed by a union member who was the best of their trade. The detail and fit of every costume were customized for every singer (chorus, too!). That level of authenticity was felt and translated to the audience even if they couldn’t see every detail from their seats. That is the quality and detail I strive to provide with every project. It isn’t always a conscious impact when the quality of a home is that “next level,” but it is sensed and felt by the people who live there or create memories there. This level of detail and quality is often the source of the warmth and comfort that my designs evoke in people even if they are more minimal or modern. I want the homes we design to exceed our clients’ expectations and be timeless. Quality also means longevity.
How has your experience with the emotional impact of music influenced your approach to creating emotionally resonant spaces?
I love connecting with people on a deeper or more spiritual and emotional level. I love in-person over Zoom or Zoom over the phone and text. The feeling of providing people with a cathartic experience through creating a beautiful experience was very much at the core of my approach to performing and I think of the same goals when designing. My team is used to hearing me make analogies to performing and singing when we are preparing for a presentation. For instance, when we are developing a model for a presentation, I always ask the team, “Where are the money notes?!” That just means where are the vignettes and views that grab you? When you’re singing, you get that feeling–sort of like being in the zone–where you can feel you’re creating something beautiful that will touch people, and you’re in the flow. I can be a little unrelenting with my team about pushing the design to create that same feeling. If I look at a design and it isn’t where I want it I can’t let it go. I want that feeling of “wow” because that’s how I want our clients to feel when they see it.
Are there any specific operatic works that you find particularly inspiring and why?
I love the emotional catharsis of tragedies. I sang many of the lyric roles that ended in my character’s death and I loved it! Tosca, Madame Butterfly, La Boheme, La Traviata– those were really fun and I could feel how moving they were for the audience. Tosca was a challenge for me because she is spirited, fiery and bold, and that was not me when I was younger. But it would be fun to revisit a character like that in my fifties. I’m more of a Tosca now than I was when I actually sang it!
Bedroom with Scenic Outdoor View - Tiburon Views Remodel Project
Bringing Harmony to Your Home
Just as different voices blend to create harmony in opera, Lane approaches interior design by carefully blending different elements to create a cohesive whole. It's about finding the right balance, allowing each piece to shine while contributing to the overall composition.
Are you ready to transform your space into a masterpiece that reflects your unique story and style?
