I don't believe there was ever a point in my life when I didn't have hopes and dreams of doing something creative. Growing up in a home of creative parents, I was fortunate enough to learn so many skills that really focused my creative energy. My mother, who has many talents, focuses her passion on creating intricate handmade folk art ornaments, for which she has built a loyal group of followers. My father on the other hand, uses his talents in building, whether a sign, a piece of furniture, or an enormous house. Being able to learn from both of them really helped me narrow my focus to the world of interior design, a balance between creative arts and building arts. It wouldn't be till later in life that I realized my desire to promote green living was their fault too :)
I earned my design degree from Drexel University in 2007 after 4 long and tough years of little sleep and great education. During that time, I was given 6 months of coop experience, where I worked for an interior design group in S. Jersey that specialized in model homes for developments. After college, I continued a current position that I had held through college as a sales designer for Fortunoff. Here I was able to explore my customer service abilities as well as tap into my sales and leadership skills, as an assistant manager. At the end of 2008, I was chosen to lead a small team as we prepared to overturn roughly 10 stores for the holiday season, taking care of everything from display placement to fully decorating multiple display trees in each store. We learned from some of the best in the business and that opportunity taught me much of what I know today about the power of merchandising.
In early 2009, hit by a tough retail market, Fortunoff closed its doors after almost 100 years in business. I chose to bounce back fast and a few months later, took on a position with a local home staging and interior design business, where I was thrust into every aspect of a small business. Here I was again able to tap into my staging skills that I had learned from my coop experience and put real world experiences with my design education. The hands on experience working directly with our clients gave me the knowledge of who I am as a designer and how I want to help clients create a home or business of their dreams.
I am passionate about everything I do, and designing with the future of our planet in mind is something dear to my heart. I'm never fully happy until the client says "this is exactly what I wanted and more!"
