Meet Stephanie Hunt

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stephanie Hunt. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stephanie below.

Hi Stephanie , appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
First: I wish I could answer all these questions! I have to say I get my resilience from a handful of life experiences – accomplishments and hardships both, and long-term relationships, etc., that come to mind, First and foremost is the notion of just keep moving forward. The longer I live (age 58) and with 33 years of marriage, 29 years of motherhood, 25 years of business ownership and NO shortage of occasional, unexpected setbacks coming from all. I really believe that the longer one can just keep moving forward, even if one inch or one hour at a time – it’s like exercising a muscle. It gets easier to do. I love the expression ‘Crash Through The Quitting Points.’

I also really, really rely on the memories of and example set by my mother who passed away prematurely at my age now, when I was 30. My parents were hit by a drunk driver and my mother lost her life. When you survive what you feel like is literally unsurvivable grief, well – that does something to you. And she was a survivor of WW2, living in Europe in a Nazi-occupied country during her childhood. Her stories, and what she survived including being held at gunpoint by Nazis at the age 0f 7 while her home was searched (her family would hid Jews and sneak them over the boarder to Sweden which was neutral), somehow it’s either in my DNA or serves as a reminder that we can overcome hardship. Just keep going.

 

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I have been an interior designer (and so much more, like everyone) for 25 years and have owned my own firm for aboaut the same amount of time. We have upleveled over the years to working nationally and internationally, with a staff of about 12 in multiple states. We are primarily a luxury residential design firm known for a colorful, eclectic, lively aesthetic (I say Life is serious, design should be fun! And Normal Is Boring is my life motto) but also work in the world of private aviation design, commercial design, private yacht design. I have launched a podcast The Cult Of Flair this past year, and a blog/substack/ newsletter called The Flairhunter Edit. I am launcing a capsule collection furniture design, clothing design and an e-commerce shop where i sell products i buy around the world. The biggest thing i am excited about is really embracing and encouraging my peers my age (58) to embrace Chapter next. I am really now just picking up speed and excited about SO much, personally and professionally. I believe my age is an advantage, due to my experience in life, work, all of it! I adore international travel and no matter how busy or committed I am, if my husband comes to me and says ‘Let’s go here!’ No matter how short of notice I will move and rearrange everything possible to hop on a plane.

 

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Qualities or skill that have been most impactful in my journey would be a deep belief and determination that this is what i want to do, to try, to keep inching forward. This does NOT mean i am not periodically faced with self doubt or overwhelm, and imposter syndrome when embarking on something now. At this stage of life I really try to focus instead on how great and empowered I feel, and capable, when i learn and achieve new things. i try to focus on the things i have figured out how to do in the past that i had previously thought there was no possible way. I also credit my parents, how they raised me and the exposure i was so fortunate to have had – to so many cultures, people, experiences. We lived abroad when I was little, my parents, three siblings and me, and my grandparents on both sides of the family lived abroad – in France and Norway. I really believe that experiencing different styles and cultures, architecture, art, styles of clothing, languages, etc is what formed my passion for color and pattern, art collecting, eclectisism and vintage finds.

My advice for folks early in their journey is to really try to listen to and lean into their OWN personal style, pay less attention to what’s In Style and instead to trust their own personal style – learn from others but try hard not to compare yourself. Boy that’s hard – especially with social media. Stay true to your dreams and your own unique style, and at the same time stay open to learning something from everyone you encounter. Every job, relationship, adventure shapes you every day of your life! Whether or not those past jobs or experiences seem to have anything to do with what they’re attempting to do or achieve now.

 

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
The number one challenge I have is the fact that time is a finite resource. There are only so many hours in a day, and to properly attend to deadlines already set, and accomplish what clients have retained us to do, and to also attend to all of the additional creative professional pursuits and opportunities I’m passionate about and trying to prioritize, while also balancing marriage, friendships, motherhood and self care – i’m working on it! And I’ve had to delegate, hire additional staff, move and increase office space – all which is accompanied by their own sets of challenges that take time to manage and solve.

I am trying to focus on inching forward, instead of being frustrated I pay attention to what I’ve done each day or week to get me closer to what needs to be done. I continue to learn how to properly manage and really, reallly want to inspire my staff – i’m learning about balancing giving up control of a task while still staying involved in a project as much as my clients expect me to be. I’ve promoted two of my team to leadership roles and working with a business consultant to learn how to better manage all of the business -related requirements that no one had ever really taught me, in terms of starting, growing and upleveling a small business with projects and staff members, clients around and out of the country.

 

 

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Stephanie Hunt Portrait – Blake Bellet Star Tile Image – Joshua Tug Ferguson Stair Image – Mellon Studio Kitchen with view over sink – Douglas Burke Living Room – Melissa Kelsey

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