Meet Alison Reuter

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alison Reuter a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alison, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

Being the only girl on the job site has certainly been an experience in resilience & owning one’s worth in order to be heard, respected, & partnered with to bring construction projects to life as intended. To be effective as the only girl surrounded by craftsmen skilled in their specific trades, I’ve learned that being curious & thinking ahead are beneficial, as is taking the time to genuinely learn about construction & its methods, while always being as prepared as possible to answer questions before they even come up. Each of these details aids in building rapport with (and then respect from) the guys, so that we can work together.

Embracing the fact that successful construction doesn’t come together from just the General Contractor & the craftsmen, nor from just the designer, nor just from an architect or engineer, also fosters the team mentality that contributes to the necessary collaboration between all parties. Using curiosity to learn more about what everyone’s roles are throughout the construction process & being patient with some outdated stereotyping, I’ve been able to remain determined and stand strong in my work boots while ensuring our clients get their design built out as intended, even when surprises on site try to derail our initiatives.

It’s not always an easy process, yet when the crew realizes I’m on site to make their lives easier & answer their questions quickly, it generally becomes an easier sell to have me continue to be the only girl on the job site.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

As the founder, and principal designer, of an interior architectural design firm that focuses on residential & commercial design projects from concept through construction, I love seeing the look on our client’s faces as we guide them through each step of the design & renovation process. The expressions of sheer joy & excitement are contagious when we unveil the next development in their design! It’s also a fantastic feeling to know we are taking care of the thousands of details (micro to massive) that design & construction encompass. I always joke that I wouldn’t have a full-time job, if design was a simple & straightforward process that magically happens with pure ease! Due to the complexities (codes; calendars – clients, contractors, vendors, cities & counties, etc.; and so many other details), managing design & facilitating construction is anything but straightforward. It’s a consistent game of “shifty puzzle,” that’s often playing its own game with changing rules. As a result, we love making it so our clients are shielded from the stressors and they can relax & enjoy what they love to do – we create calm instead of chaos from concept through construction.

When our clients work with us, we focus on not only crafting a design that reflects their personalities, but one that delivers on effective & efficient living. We’re nature loving, action sports living, outdoor enthusiasts in heart, mind, body, & practice, which is why we our speciality is working with fellow outdoor enthusiasts. Who better to help clients remodel a mud room or laundry room, garage or basement to incorporate custom storage, lockers, &/or cabinetry to store all the specifically sized & shaped gear that our outdoor endeavors require, than a team who lives (and has solved) those same troubles! From the beautiful beaches of our client’s homes to the majestic mountains of our other client’s homes, we take the time to get to know them, their needs, & develop a design strategy to make their lives simpler & easier to maintain.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1) Business education & Fortune 500 practical experience
2) Industry mentors
3) Natural curiosity & mental flexibility

1…) Having an educational background in business, coupled with the practical experience of working for Fortune 500 companies, has been paramount to the organization & success of my firm. Without the intimate understanding of how money works; how business needs to be structured; and, why systems lead to streamlined, repeatable, processes, I would have been trying to create the wheel from scratch…which would have been much more tedious, trying, & terrifyingly exhausting at the end of the day.

2…) Finding an industry mentor to continue to shave years off the trial & error process from the get-go was also a game changer. Gleaming insider insight & having someone who’s “been there, done that” to guide me along the way & bounce ideas off of as I was developing my firm’s systems was a breath of fresh air & a calming force amongst all the layers of complexity one encounters while building & running a design firm.

3…) Keeping an open, inquisitive, mind has allowed me to be a team player in an industry filled with specialized craftsmen & industry partners. There’s always more than one way to accomplish something, and sometimes one has to get crafty & be open to ideas in order to find a resolution to a complex situation while maintaining the design integrity of what the client wants.

To anyone who wants to get into interior design, I highly recommend –
1) Get the education & exposure…it can be from college or a boot camp/master class or trade school program &/or working for an established firm
2) Find a mentor…someone who can be a guide, a cheerleader, an accountability butt kicker with the existing knowledge for the field you want to be established within
3) Stay curious & open minded…keep learning & taking courses, be willing to listen to other ways of doing things, play with puzzles & spend time outdoors – anything to keep your mind & body young at heart

Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?

Our ideal clients are outdoor enthusiasts with residences near their beach and/or mountain playgrounds that need some love to allow for more functional, happy, living.

We love working with people who are active – skiers, snowboarders, bikers, hikers, surfers, scuba divers, and travelers, etc. who care for their environments & thrive on enjoying their outdoor playgrounds with their active community of family & friends.

We’ll get along well if…you need an expert design team dedicated to understanding the details of your lifestyle & aesthetic preference; you’re obsessed with mountain and/or beach living and recreation; you have a “work hard, play hard” mentality; you thrive on set schedules and timelines; you’re ready & excited to delegate to trained professionals; you’re a direct and constructive communicator; and, you approach all interactions with kindness & respect. We want you to (Rec)reate, while we (Re)create. Contact us today to tell us about your desired project & receive a link to schedule your very own Meet & Greet session: https://pro.houzz.com/lead-form/a-revelation-designs?c=NzY5MDYy

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.A-Revelationdesigns.com
• Instagram: A_Revleationdesigns

Image Credits

Gary Anderson
Michelle Gardner