Our Interior Design Specialties and Strengths
One of the questions I often get from prospective clients is, "what is your skillset- your area of specialty?" There are many different specialties that interior designers carry- niches.
- Kitchen and Bath
- Furnishings and decor
- Lighting
- Residential
- Hospitality
- Tenant Improvement
- Space planning
The list goes on and on.. so what are the strengths that Waldron Designs has?
Our biggest strength lies in working within an existing shell to envision spaces in a new way. Our best projects are the gut and remodel projects. We work with what exists in a way that is loose and understanding of the fact that we cannot see what is inside the walls, so some things may change during construction. We visit the site and keep in touch throughout the process to ensure consistency with our design vision and what needs to happen based on what we are given.
My background as a designer includes 3 years of working specifically on kitchen and bath projects and 3 years working in commercial on a variety of projects including hospitality, tenant improvement, and educational facilities. I like to approach residential and commercial design in a way that utilizes my background in both areas.
A stair rail I designed while working for the wonderful Portland firm, DOWA (now DOWA-IBI). My role included designing the custom rail, selected colors, and organized the pattern and finishes below the stair on the wall.
You may recognize this red, shiny kitchen from my portfolio- one of the many I designed while doing exclusively kitchen and bath design at what was then Kitchens by Contardo (now Berry Built and Design) in Spokane, WA.
So, I dabbled in both worlds. Was I better at one than another? I am not really sure. I received high praise from my superiors in both areas. But, one thing that was not included in either of these backgrounds was furniture and decor. That is absolutely my learning point. While i have the design training and resources to make these decisions, they are still learning areas for me. I tend to lean heavily on my resources for these types of projects, which illustrates the big picture skill. I envision the project as a whole and have the capability to envision a fully completed space. This allows me to work well with consultants and other specialists who may be needed to complete a project.
I would say that my skill is working with a clean slate, and creating a clean slate with what exists. I reuse existing spaces in new ways. The best way for me to do this is to get it drawn and look at it as an empty space or with what is to remain in place. I work particularly well in 2-dimensions, planning space and working the technical side of design.
Because this technical side is my strength, I received a formal training and have the technical background, my job description as an Interior Designer may not be the standard and what is expected in the residential design world. While I do furnishings and decor, it is sparing and I am still learning that piece. I offer procurement very rarely and work with specialists that I hire and oversee when working with existing pieces.
While we work with your contractors and specialty services (upholstery, woodworking, etc), it is up to our clients to manage them. I love architects and contractors (the ones who love interior designers), and love working with them. Waldron Designs, LLC has focused on residential design to-date, but is always open to commercial projects as well! I have interest in adaptive reuse and multi-family housing.
