I never knew I had an eye for design

I earned the unfortunate nickname Laura Ingalls due to the doilies I had in my first apartment out of college. Don’t blame me; blame the hand-me-down wooden furniture I got and the threats pending any stains, scratches or watermarks.

I consider myself a pretty good judge of style and fashion, but when it came to interior design, the only thing I was, was jealous. Jealous of the budget, insight and taste so many interior designers and their clientele had. Photos of color and texture-rich sitting rooms, dens, dinning rooms and bedrooms in the pages of Architectural Digest and Elle Décor among others made me hungry to learn more about the art that is interior design. However, I didn’t have any experience in the subject or any connections to help me get an “in.”

Fast forward to present-day in my role as a real estate publicist for multiple residential properties such as the Beatrice, Trump SoHo® Hotel Condominium and The Centurion®, and I’d consider myself at least a step above the novice interior design observer. Speak the names Holly Hunt, Celerie Kemble, James Huniford and Amy Lau to me and I’ll no longer have a questionable, inquisitive look on my face. Nay; I have now had the opportunity to work with and observe a number of designers and their work, continuously fascinated by their impeccable taste and talent as I try to absorb as much as possible.

This realization hit me when I was accompanying brilliant photographer, Ed Lederman and interior designer Alberto Villalabos of Etos, for a photo shoot at The Centurion. Alberto and his partner Mercedes Desio were tasked with showcasing a client’s collection of items from all over the world in a one-bedroom, two-bath apartment in the only ground-up residential condominium project in New York City designed by internationally renowned Design Architect/Pei Partnership Architects with I.M. Pei.

Creating an environment with this client’s affinity for clean lines yet maximalist tendencies, meant Desio and Villalabos had to contain the magnitude and multitude of his collection, while making the home livable and uncluttered; cocoon-like even. An incredible feat!

All that said the job wasn’t done on our end as the publicist. We now want the design community among many others to know about this apartment and the work that went into the interior design.

Accompanying the photo shoot for this residence and assisting Alberto and Ed in capturing the best angles that would grab the editor and eventually reader’s eye for a design feature, was an eye-opening experience that yes, I did have a knack for this interior design piece of my job! Will I be heading out to ABC kitchen tomorrow and start freelancing? Absolutely not. At least I know for a fact there will be no more doilies entering my apartment! However, this experience and realization go to show the multifaceted knowledge one gains in the public relations industry and how imperative hands-on experience is.

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This post can also be seen on Quinn & Co. PR’s Purple Lounge.