There are so many things that I love about my job/career that I thought I would share some of my favorite things. As an interior designer I get to be a part of creating an environment for my client that is not only beautiful but functional. And my favorite part is when the job is complete and I see the huge smiles on their faces because it is more than they ever thought it would be.

There are many points that lead up to this magical moment and sometimes they can be challenging. However, that is what makes that finishing point so much more worth it. Those challenges can include set backs that we didn’t know would happen. Sometimes things look fantastic on paper and it seems as though they will just fall into place. But here is the difference, paper is 2D and life is 3D. So just because a material should work in one way doesn’t mean it actually will. The heat and humidity effect products such as wood, stucco, paint and fabric. This means that a large part of our job as interior designers is the ability to think on our feet and come up with ways to make things work when the environment doesn’t want it to.

One area that I am always warning clients about is ceiling lighting. This is one area that almost always gets drawn in one manner for the plans and then has to be changed on-site once the trusses are actually in place. I am asked all the time why this is and the simple answer is that plans give you the ideal situation. If everything goes as planned we can put the lighting in those designated places. Reality is that there will almost always be a girder truss, a support that we cannot cut, in the way of the ideal placement. So how do we handle this? We change configurations, we adjust floor plans, we think on our feet to come up with something better than we thought we could do. We challenge ourselves. This part is where we excel, we get to take all those ideas that run through our heads constantly and implement them. Did you think we only had one plan for your home or office? No way, we have probably 10 for every project we do. We think about how to twist, adapt and reconfigure everything.

We get to be creative for our everyday work. Does that mean that all day everyday is just roses. No there are times that we roll up our sleeves and get to work. Hard work. I am always leery of the designer that is always dressed in the best clothes and just seems to point and do a whole lot of talking. There are many days that I have to show up to work in jeans and comfortable shoes because I am going to be on a construction site, or have to pick up a hammer or paint brush. Our job is to make sure the project gets done and in the manner it is supposed to. This means that sometimes we have to do the work that the sub didn’t show up to do. Or maybe it is just because we have an idea in our head that the only way to accomplish it is to do it ourselves. There have been many times over the years that I have painted a mural for a special client, or upholstered a bench. Sometimes it has even been to build a piece of furniture that was absolutely essential to a space but could not be found in the furniture market. And those are some of the most rewarding times. That smile of the child’s face because they love their room. That client or contractor that realizes that there was no way the project would have worked if you had not been there. That appreciation makes it all worth it.

Everyday is a different day with different challenges to accomplish. And at the end of the day no matter how hard it was and how much it did not go according to plan there is always an answer and I will have found it. And my client will have a better space because of my constant pursuit of the right answer for their space.