When I am asked “What do you do?” (for a living), I find myself slightly cringing while I wait for a response to my answer of “Interior Design”. Probably half the time, I hear something like, “Oh, that must be fun!” or….”My sister-in-law does decorating too!” Ugh. They don’t get it.
There are many people who have a flair for making a space look prettier or more well-organized. Sometimes it’s a god-given talent, and sometimes it’s a result of having been exposed in life to many beautiful places and things….or both. These individuals can walk into your home, rearrange a few things, bring in some accessories, maybe paint an accent wall, and… Voila! Almost instant gratification! I admire people with this flair and god knows, we can probably all use someone like that at one time or another in our homes and apartments. It’s like some people have a knack in fashion, for being able to put seemingly unrelated things together…a Vintage necklace, a classic Chanel sheath, a cocky beret hat……. and the end result is stunning and somehow cohesive.
But that’s not what I do. Being an interior designer is a learned skill. It’s working with a talented architect to create a structure that fits someone’s particular needs in the best way possible. It starts with spaces that don’t exist yet and builds, like a Lego set, upon itself one layer at a time, until the end result blossoms into something bigger than the sum of its parts. It often doesn’t feel very glamorous or “fun”, and the process can be tedious and frustrating. But when the structure and the finishes all start coming together and the endless hours of detail work finally start to produce a visible result, the satisfaction of being a part of such a creation is beyond words. It is something I am passionate about; it can get me up at four in the morning, grabbing a pencil and a piece of paper, burning with an idea that needs to be developed. It is a never-ending opportunity to learn and create and grow. And there is always an end result that can be viewed and touched and felt and appreciated..….a creation. There is always the satisfaction of a goal achieved. This is why I love what I do.