This week’s designer spotlight is all about Ally Whalen. Ally is known for her fresh take on creating comfortable living spaces. She has also expanded to include clients spanning the nation and beyond. We hope you enjoy reading more about Ally and perhaps even glean some tips about the biz from her!
What is your favorite part about being a designer?
I would say my favorite part of being a designer is doing what I love everyday. There is something to be said about having a job that completely fulfills you and the added bonus is making people happy. We really change people’s lives by creating spaces that bring them joy!
Who or what would you cite as your most important influence?
This day and age, I would say social media is a major influencer. For designers and clients alike, it’s a place to gather inspiration and collaborate on style and design. Gone are the days when clients would bring you a few magazine clippings. Now they shoot you hundreds of screenshots or an ideabook full of inspiring pictures. The challenge now is narrowing down their style when they are on IG overload!
Can you tell us about your personal brand?
We are a full service interior design firm known for our fresh take on creating comfortable, livable interiors. From new construction and remodels to decorating and styling, we specialize in seamless design for busy people. Our clients want the turn-key solution we offer because it makes their lives easier. We understand the unique needs of our clients and ultimately bring their vision to life.
What would be one piece of advice you’d give someone starting their own interior design career?
My advice would be to go at it with realistic expectations. Roughly 85% of what we do is behind-the-scenes business and project management. Be ready to work hard and put in more hours than you would a typical corporate job, but know that ultimately, it is very rewarding!
What do you like most about DesignerInc?
I love that DesignerInc offers so many vendors we wouldn’t typically have access to or that we are not able to establish accounts with due to minimums. The product offering is so vast that no matter what our clients style is we can always find brands that fit their needs. In addition, the pricing and customer service is outstanding!
