WHEN Paloma Sanchez found her Beijing home, she wasted no time in creating a cozy retreat to display items gathered in her travels seeking out exotic stones. Yang Di pays a visit.

Beijing-based jewelry designer Paloma Sanchez has no shortage of ideas when it comes to home decoration. She opted for timeless pieces that marry form and function and the result is an effortlessly chic, warm space with great natural light.

House hunting in Beijing was exhausting, recalls Sanchez. "Almost all the expats were choosing the Shunyi area, next to the airport, with big villas, but that was not what I was looking for,'' she said. "I needed a spacious apartment downtown, not far from my son's school and my office. Beijing is a huge city so I didn't want to spend most of my time inside a car stuck on the road.''

Location was key but plenty of sunlight was also one of the top priorities for Sanchez. "I come from Spain so I could never live in a place facing north or with no sunlight. A balcony was also a requirement, as nothing is more pleasant in summertime than having breakfast or dinner outside.''

Sanchez said she was surprised to discover a lovely two-level apartment inside a rather old, "office-like'' building. The interior was showing its age a little, so she renovated or replaced everything from kitchen appliances to floors.

It's the unexpected mixes that give the house character, and the whole vibe is welcoming. Warm colors and a combination of cultures create a cozy feel, relaxing visitors and helping get conversations flowing. "I've tried to reflect my personality and show everything I purchase from my extensive trips,'' Sanchez said.

Eclectic combinations help create a unique environment. "I've always loved to blend modern and antique, East and West, serious and fun, a masculine flavor with a feminine touch, through all the details and soft furnishing," explained Sanchez. "But overall, it had to be a comfortable place that I could call home.''

The Madrid native has traveled extensively around the world seeking out exotic stones to use in her jewelry - from Southeast Asian countries, such as Myanmar and Cambodia, all the way to Africa with trips to Morocco, Ethiopia, Madagascar and Namibia.

A designer with an eye for quirky glamor and cultural stories, the pieces that visitors admire in Sanchez's house are selected with passion and attention.

"I bring back furnishings or small items from different places and the decoration very much reflects my interest in different cultures,'' she said. Sanchez's creative instincts have informed a style that, among her eclectic combinations, mixes antique Eastern style with modern European chic.

"I love to match antique Asian furniture with modern European details. For example, the serious, austere Chinese opium bed in the living room and the Tintin books on it; Vietnamese old bird cages and a European brown sofa with light-green cushions; or antique carpets from Afghanistan and modern paintings from a British artist in Beijing.''

East and West is also reflected on the color theme: Asian red and French blue, said Sanchez.

As well as creating an inviting living and dining area, having a tranquil cooking environment was also one of Sanchez's top priorities.

The kitchen is a good size with a minimalist white aesthetic and clever storage ideas. It's a place where family and friends can share mealtimes together - from the prepping through to dining at a table close by.

The second level contains the bedrooms and a relaxed gallery space. Sanchez loves to spend most of her time in the gallery because "it is so bright, with the glass walls letting in so much natural light. The view of Beijing is beautiful and the big balcony is very cozy in springtime when the roses come out.''

It's also the spot where her son chose to play when they moved in, and still does - even though the playthings may have changed.

"I like to be surrounded by his toys and he still plays there, keeping me company, but now with his PSP,'' Sanchez said with a laugh.

Who is she?

Swiss interior designer Isabelle Graz. She has lived in Shanghai for 18 months.

Tell us about some of your work, and name the one you are most proud of?

Mainly, I worked for a big Swiss real estate company involved in the development of villas and apartments, as well as for its private VIP clients portfolio. It was very exciting and diverse; some projects had strict and limited budget, others had no limits. The most important rule to follow is to make delivering quality the top priority. I like to see happiness on my clients' faces, and feel I'm part of that joyful moment. It's a bit like giving birth - it can be tough but also a wonderful time!

One project I particularly enjoyed was an eco concept hotel in the Swiss mountains where I had to manufacture a lot of items with my own hands. This was doubly rewarding when finished.

Describe your design style.

I'm not too sure if I would talk about a "style," rather a concentration of emotions and feelings, including time shared with the client. I truly believe each human knows where and how he or she wants to live, but sometimes they just do not know the road to take to reach their destination. I do not like to create settings, but homes in which people actually feel at home.

Is there any designers you look up to?

Not really. I look rather at individual craftsmanship. Some craftsmen and women have received no education, but are extraordinary people with an extra sense in creating things. Unfortunately, they do not get recognition as they have no brand, and too often - here in China and elsewhere - are treated with little respect. They should be looked at as national living treasures. They should also be appropriately rewarded for their know-how, the quality they deliver and the time they spend achieving it. I like this saying: We are too poor to pay a cheap price. This means it's better to pay more for a quality item which will last longer, instead of spending, over time, six or 12 times the sum on cheap goods that keep breaking.

Do you collect?

Since I've been living in China, I've been tempted to collect items that are disappearing and being replaced by plastic, but space is limited. When I feel a special attraction to something, I buy it. For instance, I have quite a little collection of brooms and rattan from many countries.

What does your home means to you?

It means an island where the family returns every day after working hard to happiness and serenity and a place where friends enjoy to come and share thoughts and joy.

Where would you like to go most in Shanghai?

Just in the street, there's always something happening and surprising. With spring here, it's a true pleasure.

What will be the next big design trend?

Some 35 years ago, my father used to praise things "made by men's hands and soul," and I truly think the same way today. I believe people will appreciate the uniqueness and quality of hand-made goods, instead of everything being dominated by machines, which is suffocating the world.

Q: What's the best thing about living in Beijing?

A: The cosmopolitan atmosphere and the dynamism - the fact that everything changes very fast. It's a very challenging city, full of contrasts, in some ways very modern and yet has kept traditional buildings such as the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, its temples and hutong architecture. There are always so many things to see and to learn from!

Q: Describe your home in three words.

A: Spacious, comfortable and very Beijing.

Q: What's the first thing you do when you get home?

A: When I come back home from a long day at work, I like to sit down with a glass of red wine and some cheese and crackers. It's my biggest pleasure and I never skip that moment.

Q: How do you unwind?

A: I usually unwind when I am designing or testing my most recently purchased gemstones. But I do that at my studio. At home, as I said, I like to relax with a nice glass of wine, good snacks, reading a book in the gallery or chatting with my neighbor and best friend, Isabelle.

Q: Where do you spend most of the time at home?

A: In the gallery upstairs.

Q: What's the best view from your window?

A: Facing east, from my kitchen and from the gallery, I have a very nice view of one side of the city, of the Chaoyang District with all the skyscrapers stretching, one after another, into the horizon. But then, down in the street, there are little vegetable street markets, and all these little shops selling everything from food to clothes, so much a feature of old Beijing.

Q: How do you scent your home?

A: I particularly like a vanilla and cinnamon scent that I always stock up on when I go on a trip to Madagascar.

Q: What's your favorite object at home?

A: The wooden statues (two little monks on the long Chinese table in the living room), the sculptures and the Vietnamese horse.

Q: Where do you source furniture in Beijing?

A: Many of the places where I used to buy furniture from are gone, but there's still Gaobedian for antique furniture and also Panjiayuan. For new furniture, I love QM and Crossover.