Meet The Designer series on RoomPlays brings to you an exclusive interview with interior design consultant Erin Davis.
RoomPlays is an online interior design firm that allows designers and clients from around the world to collaborate to create dream spaces. As an e-design platform, RoomPlays has a host of interior design consultants who work very hard to help people achieve their interior goals virtually. Meet The Designer series is an effort to bring interior designers closer to their clients and understand their design process.
E-design is a collaborative process where both the designer and the client come together to create warm, livable spaces where memories get created. Erin is a passionate interior design consultant who has been working virtually for years. She loves colors and textures and enjoys creating room styles for people who want an essence of their personality in their spaces.
Deb hosted the Meet The Designer session on Instagram to find more about Erin, her design styles, her interior design services, interior design inspiration, some tips, and tricks.
Below is the conversation that took place between the two interior design consultants.
Tell us about yourself.
I grew up in New Jersey and moved to Boston for school and never left. I was always into arts and wanted to pursue fine arts. So I went ahead and did my bachelor’s in interior design. I have been in and out of the interior design industry but about three years ago started my own interior design firm Erin Davis Design.
We are a small family of my husband, myself, our dog, and two cats. And, we have a baby on the way. My husband and I recently bought a house in the outskirts of Boston and are totally enjoying renovating it.
What motivated you into interior design?
I always loved art and anything related to art – paintings, charcoals, etc. Having said that I was a practical child and although fine art was super fun, I wanted a clear career path that was a bit more reliable. So interior design seemed like a great choice. In high school, I got an opportunity to work in a shop that sold high-end fabric, wallpapers, and did custom upholstery and window treatments. That experience, coupled with trading spaces obsession pushed me towards design. I loved the idea of creating spaces where people are going to live in and create memories.
Honestly, it is such an honor that people allow us into their homes and ask us to be a part of that.
Often people associate interior design with sassy homes, sourced out pieces, expensive stuff but it’s actually about meeting the client where they are. Tell us about your interior design style and process.
I love colors and textures. It is super important for me that space really backed the people who lived there. I take that very seriously. I believe, if you have things that are very important to you, you should be displaying them in your home rather than just hiding them in boxes (though many of us do that). If you find something special, you must look for a way to showcase it. I love layers of texture and mixing old and new.
I don’t really believe in style words because I think they can be confusing, but I would call myself eclectic I suppose.
How do you help your clients achieve their interior goals?
As an interior design consultant, I like to work with clients who truly love to live in their spaces. They should be optimizing every square footage they paid for and milking it for everything it is worth. And so, a lot of my clients tend to be new families, young professionals, new homeowners, people who are just starting out, people who are looking for that kind of perspective. Even people looking for interior design on a budget.
I focus on understanding their core needs and style so I can craft a space that they don’t have to worry about, and instead can focus on spending time with their loved ones.
There are two segments of clients – one who enjoys the American farmhouse style décor and the other who love colors. Tell us what is your learning process and how do you adapt to these unique requirements each time.
It depends a lot on the client. Some clients share tons of information, which is great. I always tell people the more the better. There is nothing like too much information. It only helps in creating the space that they like. I use a questionnaire that I send out to clients. People get a chance to answer these at peace, review with significant others, think their answers through. I also ask some weird questions like what is your favorite hotel to stay at or what do like to do on Friday nights? These are of course odd questions for an interior designer to be asking but these tell me a lot about their lifestyle. Knowing this further helps me to understand their décor style better.
The interior design quiz (style quiz) on RoomPlays is also great. It has helped me understand every client very well.
Tell us a bit about how are you renovating your home? What is your interior design inspiration?
As I mentioned earlier, it is important for me to surround myself with things that really matter. That has been my style. I like to incorporate things that are important, valuable, meaningful like family photos, things picked up on trips, etc. Since we live near the beach, I like to collect seashells and rocks. Basically, things that remind you of the wonderful times spent with your loved ones.
My personal design style is the collective look which means a collection of a bunch of different styles.
I find it very endearing when someone walks into your home and immediately gets a sense of who you and your family are by the pieces they see displayed in and around your home. This is what I really strive for that.
Also, I am sort of a proponent for the slow design movement and not necessarily doing it all at once. I like to build the room slowly, adding things that are meaningful and not rushing into it.
Tell us about e-design and what interior design services do you offer on RoomPlays.
The concept of e-design has been around for a while but it’s still new to a lot of people. I have been doing this for a long time and I think it’s a great approach. The real benefit of e-design is that it allows you to work with a professional designer at very affordable price points and that you are in the driver’s seat in terms of implementing that design.
If you are doing interior design on a budget, then opting for e-design platforms is the best bet. It allows you space and time to do things at your convenience. You can buy pieces on sale or as and when you have the money. Basically, you can slowly build the space in the way you want it to be.
The client that I just worked with on RoomPlays was on a budget. After our first discussion, she said let’s throw the budget out of the window and give me something that will look beautiful and I will buy things as and when I can. This, I think, is an awesome approach.
Being on an e-design platform also gives you the flexibility to suit your design style. If a client likes something that matches with what the designer suggested, then they are free to buy that. E-design gives you that liberty.
My design services on RoomPlays – I have a number of interior design services, but most of my package includes 8 pieces of specs for the room, an interior design mood board or a concept board (a collage of all the things I specify), and a shopping list.
Benefits of collaborating with an interior design consultant online
E-design platforms like RoomPlays offer huge value in terms of freedom to design and execute. Clients have the freedom to source/buy products as and when they want. As interior design consultant Erin mentioned in the Meet The Designer session, clients get the liberty to slowly build their space. There is no need to rush into things. Hence, meeting a designer online makes the process so much simpler.
Also, sourcing things for designing is an art and a lot of hard work. But the real talent is creating that vision and then sourcing accordingly. This is also why a lot of clients come to RoomPlays. The range of interior design services available is huge. Each interior design consultant is unique and brings enormous amount of talent to the table.
The reviews for RoomPlays interior design consultant Erin have been raving. Do check her Instagram page to see more of her work.