91福利社

How did you become interested in interior design?
My interest in Interior Design began when I was about 13 years old. I loved watching HGTV鈥檚 鈥淭rading Spaces'' (Vern Yip was my favorite and I was fortunate to meet him in person after moving to Atlanta). I thought it was so neat how they could take one space and show it in different styles and layouts. We moved around a lot growing up with my Dad鈥檚 job and it gave me an opportunity to see how a new home and space change can be worked. I was constantly wanting to move things around or paint.

How did you decide on 91福利社?
I鈥檓 a Southern girl, so I wanted to stay in the Southeast. There are a good many options to select from when looking at Interior Design schools. Some are great but do not have the full Bachelor of Arts curriculum, and that was something I wanted to have as a backup. The dedication of Anne Martin to the Interior Design program exceeds what I saw in other schools and programs. The Designers coming out of AU were seeing success with reputable companies and designers and that is something I wanted to be a part of. You have to have a strong leader for a program to really excel; that鈥檚 what made me lean towards Anderson for interior design.

You have quite a skill set! What were some earlier experiences you鈥檝e had in your professional life?
One thing really leads to another. It has been quite an evolution for me that I cannot say I would have expected while I was in school. In 2017, I was part of a professional group called Pathbuilders, it was a yearlong program that focuses on mid-level women recognized as having senior-executive potential. It was a mentorship that also had guest lectures from Women Leaders鈥擵P鈥檚 and up at their respective companies. One woman, COO of her company, spoke, and her lecture has always stood out in my mind. She said that she had many different jobs throughout her career and each job was slightly different, but she took something out of each of those experiences and added it to her toolbox. The statement she made that day could not be more true or relatable to how my career has progressed.

Networking is so important and that was emphasized from the start in the Interior Design program. I served as president for our student chapter of ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) and the following year as the student liaison to the board for the North and South Carolina chapters. Ms. Martin did a great job teaching us the importance of networking. It became part of what I did in school and carried with me into my career. Having the opportunity to get involved with professionals early in the Interior Design program was pivotal in making those connections for internships and future jobs.

I had two internships through Anderson: One was with a former graduate, Kerry Howard; and then with Michael Habachy (both high end interior design firms out of Atlanta). I wanted to do two different styles of design during my internship summer, to help have a good read of where I wanted to land after graduation. Interestingly, the day I started my internship with Michael Habachy he mentioned that he would be competing on a HGTV show called 鈥淒esign Wars鈥� and that his challenger would be Kerry Howard (Pretty funny!). I was able to work on the show with both designers. Then after their competition was complete, the show offered me a position for the remainder of filming to help with set design.

After graduation through networking, I landed a job at a commercial/residential firm. My focus at the firm was designing model homes and curating interior/exterior spec lists for builders working in the million plus range. In addition to that role, I was helping with HGTV 鈥淧roperty Virgins鈥� and working freelance with two architects and a builder. I pretty much worked from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. every night but it was a great experience. One day I received a call from a recruiter who felt that my interior design experience and time with HGTV fit a role perfectly for a corporate retailer in the furniture industry (Havertys). I had to interview with nine people, complete a design challenge and pass a video test. Thankfully I passed the test and landed the job. I would end up being a face for Havertys in design inspirational videos. Creating designs that showed consumers how to fashion different looks with the same furniture.

I ended up transitioning into a role where I was directly responsible for a new 3D program that would service 126 interior designers. The program allowed consumers to take a picture of their space, upload it to the designer and then the designer could place 3D models into the space. At the same time, I was working as a buyer responsible for several categories; Occasional, Home Office, Entertainment and Accents. I stayed with Havertys for almost eight years. Great company to work for, but at the time when COVID hit I had a nine-month-old daughter. That became a transition period for me, and family became the focus. We didn鈥檛 know the risks with small children. I knew I needed to make a change. I decided to leave Havertys, and a company I had worked with for many years offered me a fully remote position to design furniture, not just for Havertys but many corporate retailers across the North America and International territories. It was a huge opportunity. I had experience with custom furniture design through Havertys, but to expand my reach to all of North America and beyond was a huge opportunity and I couldn鈥檛 pass it up.

That leads me to where I am today.

Tell us about what you鈥檙e doing now.
What I am doing now falls into two parts. I work for a wholesale manufacturer as a product design manager creating furniture for the top 100 corporate retailers covering North America and some international territories. Then on my own I started the residential interior design firm 85|19 Design Co.

The tricky part about working on the corporate side of furniture, compared to interior design, would be that, when you鈥檙e doing interior design projects, you鈥檙e generally working with a family or specific client that you can focus in on their needs and wants. When working at a corporate scale, you still have clients that you鈥檙e working with, but the goal is to design something that will fit in every home in America鈥攆it the masses. It鈥檚 two different ends of the spectrum, but I think having both allows me to bring good design to retail for those customers that may not be able to work with a professional interior designer.

Who are your typical customers?
85|19 Design Co. focuses on high end residential with a few opportunities in small business.
Currently the majority of my schedule is focused on furniture design and I do the interior design business on the side. This allows me to take on about two to three projects a year based on the scale of the project. In the future I would like to take both experiences and have a boutique furniture/interior design firm.

Is there a favorite kind of furniture you鈥檝e designed?
I don鈥檛 always get to design my style of furniture. I must have an open mind, staying in tune with what is trending but also what sells. I do an extensive amount of research before I get started鈥攍ooking at home trends, floorplans, upholstery color trends, wall colors, and wood floor finishes that are trending. I then pull together my best effort on a future forecast of what the retail landscape is going to look like in two years. The full process from designing, building samples, showing at markets, buyer commits, production and getting the product on the retail floor is easily a two-year timeline start to finish. I think to be a good designer, whether it be interiors or furniture, you must appreciate all designs. My favorite kind of furniture that I have designed is the one that becomes a best seller for the retailer. Then I know we accomplished the goal.

At the end of the day, what gives you a feeling of accomplishment?
Tying back to the last question, it feels great when you create a design and it becomes a home run. A lot of effort goes into creating a new design and when you see something take off you know that you made a connection that hit right on a large scale.

On the interior side, it is all about making the client happy. I finished up a project about a month ago for a lady who grew up in the foster system. She ended up joining the military and went on to become a doctor. This project would be her first true home and that meant something to me, I wanted every detail to be perfect and what she wanted. When we installed, she started tearing up and said, 鈥渨e nailed everything!鈥� Seeing and hearing her reaction is what it is all about.

Tell me about activities you were involved in as an AU student.
All four years, I was a member of ASID (American Society of Interior Designers, Student Chapter). I served as president for our student chapter and then my last year I was the student representative to the board for both North and South Carolina Chapters. I had a chance to meet professionals who were working in North and South Carolina, and interact with all students from each of the interior design schools in North and South Carolina. I have connections made during this time that I still have today.

Ms. Martin does a great job of keeping in contact with people鈥攏ot only graduates but people in the design industry. I think her relationships, the respect she has with those people and what they know about the Anderson interior design program and graduates is what continues to help the program flourish. The network just keeps growing.

What are some of your favorite memories of being an 91福利社 student?
I came to Anderson a little bit older. I completed a business and marketing degree first and then started interior design school. I was more focused and knew exactly what I wanted. I was there to take full advantage of everything that was provided.

Special memories that stand out to me are with my 鈥渄esign girls.鈥� We laughed, we cried, and we survived haha! I formed a sisterhood with my design girls.鈥� We graduated 10 years ago, and we still have almost a weekly group chat, (hear) what鈥檚 going on, how are you doing or (telling some) kind of silly joke. I think you have to have that to survive the program, because it鈥檚 rigorous. You must be dedicated to it. You鈥檙e not supposed to sleep in the studio, but we definitely did sometimes (laughs). You power nap when you have to. It felt like we basically lived together for four years so your peers become an extension to your family. Those relationships are something I will always cherish.

What do you feel is the most valuable thing you took away from 91福利社 as a graduate?
One thing Mrs. Martin had us work on at the start of each year was a goals list. She would have us do short term, the next two years and then five years. That鈥檚 something I still try to keep my mind focused on today. It鈥檚 funny when you look back, I was trying to find one of my old cards just the other day. I鈥檓 pretty sure I put something about getting a master鈥檚 in furniture design, and I really lost track of that as I got into my career鈥� I didn鈥檛 get my master鈥檚, but I ended up designing furniture. I think that鈥檚 something鈥� putting your thoughts out there, sometimes they may fade or turn out a little different but they鈥檙e in the back of your mind and if you just keep working hard and pushing towards your end goal, you鈥檒l get there. Ms. Martin also stressed the importance of professionalism鈥攈ow you present verbally/visually/written down to how you dress. It is a common comment that 91福利社 Interior Designers are more prepared and have a strong professional presence. The importance of professionalism, goals, networking and fully taking advantage of opportunities provided were great lessons from AU.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering interior design?
You鈥檒l have to work harder than you鈥檝e ever imagined. Let the passion of design and problem-solving drive you. You will put in long days and some sleepless nights, but if you鈥檙e passionate about what you do, the hours turn into minutes.

While in the program, take advantage of every networking opportunity. Information share with your peers. It helps you as a student grow but also helps your peers.

At the end of the day, looking back on it, that information share, especially at that time, is critical to growth. There are people I went to school with that I can look back on now and say she was great at CAD/Revit, she was great at Photoshop, or she was strong at finish selection. After graduation, if I had a question, I could go 鈥淥kay, I need to call this person. They鈥檒l be able to help me think through this.鈥� In design school it can be competitive but work with your classmates, know your strengths and weaknesses, and reach out to those that may be stronger than you in other areas and vice versa. It will benefit you in the long run.

I鈥檓 a firm believer in AU Interior Design. I love the program and Ms Martin.