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Interview with Beverly Stadler designer extraordinaire
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I am so happy to be able to introduce you to products I believe in, ideas that you can use in your own home, and share with you
the talented designers I meet along the way. Today we are talking to Beverly Stadler, President of Design Focus.
Q.: Beverly, for Home and Living Readers who do not know you, would you tell us a little about your background?
A.: Surely, I've been a designer now for 26 years! However, my first 'life' was as a pediatric oncology nurse, and then a nurse educator in that field. Once back at school to work on an advanced degree I rekindled a long lost love of the arts and my life took an unanticipated 360 degree turn! Since there were long waits at the only two baccalaureate programs for interior design in Orange County, I opted to enter a well respected AA program here in Newport Beach, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Q.: Was interior design something you always wanted to do?
A.: I actually did a "color board" of sorts in the 6th grade with fabric scraps from my mother's collection, as she did some clothing design and tailoring. However, at the time I had no idea there was such a thing as interior design,and a long illness in junior high school led me toward nursing; so the love of the field was lost for many years, until that wonderful art course at Long Beach State led me back.
Q.: I noticed that on your website it talks about architecture; what does that mean?
A.: Architecture is the discipline dealing with the principles of design and construction of buildings, through creation of plans. At Design Focus, my firm, we do architectural specification and planning with homeowners and business owners, either as they are developing their plans, in conjunction with the architect, or there after, to plan the interior architectural specifications and details: the ornamentation of decorative mouldings, pilasters, crowns or other embellishments if called for by the architecture of the home, the fireplace designs, the cabinetry designs, interior door styles, tile and stone selections and designs, plumbing specifications and styles, lighting layout revisions and decorative lighting selections, interior hardware and cabinet hardware, paints, decorative finishes, and so forth.
Q.: Let's talk about the economics of hiring a decorator. Are your services mainly for well-to-do clients?
A.: Certainly hiring a designer is a bit of a luxury. However, a designer can also be an outstanding investment and can save a great deal of money by providing a plan and preventing costly mistakes. There are designers who have just started their careers who will obviously be less costly than those who have been in business for years, so just as one does with shopping for a car, one needs to shop within the price range he or she can afford to find the perfect match.
Q.: How has the present economy affected your business?
A.: There are probably a few designers at the very, very high end who may not be affected, however, everyone I know in the field has been touched by this particular recession.
Having been through two recessions previously, this is surely the worst. I would say that more of our clients have been affected this time, so our business is affected on all levels, whereas in prior recessions there were certain groups of clients who were unscathed. Unfortunately, with this recession, prices of goods have not dropped along with the cost of labor, so while we may be forced to drop prices, costs have not dropped accordingly, and keeping our full complement of staff is more difficult.
Previously, we turned down or gave away about a job a week to other designers with whom we are in contact. We'd love to have those jobs back right now! We're also also seeing clients 'shop' more.
Q.: You have all women on staff at Design Focus, how ís that working out?
A.: We all get along wonderfully. There are very diverse personalities, but that's part of the fun. I did have a male designer for two years a few years ago, and that was great, too. What matters is that the individuals in the positions fulfill their roles and play off each other well. We're productive, and we have some fun as well!
Q.: You have sent some sample boards for Readers to see, these are for what ongoing event?
A.: The ASID 2009 Design Tour, 'Defining Urban Living'. It is a tour of six inspired penthouses created by Orange County's (California) leading ASID Interior Designers. The Tour runs April 21st through May 17th. For Information go to: www.ocpac.org, or call 714-0556-2787.
The High Rise towers are all done in contemporary styling, and showcase fabulous current design ideas. They're open 10-5 every day but Monday, and Friday from 5-8 PM for 'meet the designer' night. There's a cafe', boutiques, and specialty lectures offered, as well.
Q.: Is there anything you'd like to add?
A.: Do visit our website if I've left anything unanswered, at http://www.designfocus.net We'd love to hear from any of your readers personally, and hope to meet some at the tour! My staff or I will be on site daily!
Also our part of the Design Tour showcases 20 pieces of furniture, including 10 original designs, all of which I designed specifically for the design tour space. I have always designed some custom furniture for our clients, however, we have chosen to take this opportunity to premiere our 'Beverly Collection' line, available as shown on the tour, or with custom modifications and additions, as always, for our clientele.
Please do come and see the collection, and chat with us about what special pieces we can create just for you and your home!
Thank you, Beverly. The following are some design boards that Beverly sent us in regards to her participation at Defining Urban Living. Also, enjoy the "slide show" from some of Design Focus' clients.
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