We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrea Karow a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Andrea, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I have always been a self-starter. I was raised in a home where being punctual, reliable and dedicated were basic tenants to live by. A positive work ethic for me has always been my organizational skills, which of course has proved very helpful in my design business when I’m balancing multiple projects at a time. I am open and honest with my clients which creates a positive work environment.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Being an interior designer is incredibly rewarding. My clients welcome me into their lives and houses to create beautiful and functional homes. I believe something unique that I bring to the table is the in-house construction crew. To be able to not only scheme up the designs but to then become project manager and execute the vision all under one umbrella is very helpful to my clients.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I believe the success of my business is attributed to keeping an open line of communication, strong organization and having regular meetings with my clients.
I am also bilingual which allows me to communicate with contractors and subcontractors and my knowledge of construction and remodeling provides a sense of security to my clients because I understand what’s happening on all levels.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
An ideal client would be one who comes to me for my ideas and my creativity and not with their own firmed up plan and just simply wants me to purchase and install.
Being allowed to make suggestions that may push a client out of their comfort zone but once they can see the finished design and they love it, it is really rewarding. I absolutely adore wallpaper and fabrics and love when clients let me use them and more bespoke pieces versus big box store items.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.designdavenport.com
- Instagram: davenport_design
Image Credits
Photos by Davenport Design
