Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chopp Stewart. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Chopp, 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?
Sipping on one of my little one’s juice boxes, surrounded by toys waiting to be picked up and a shortened workday shaped by school schedules, I draw my resilience from a simple truth—I have no choice but to shine. For my daughter. For my ancestors. For myself.
I’ve been a single mother since my child was just a few months old. After her birth, her father and I made the choice to co-parent as the friends we had always been. But just months later, before my baby’s first birthday, I received news that shattered my world—my beloved father, my best friend, had cancer. He had been by my side for my daughter’s birth, traveling from Florida to New Jersey, staying for three months to support me in those early days. And now, he was given two years to live.
Shortly after my little one turned two, my father passed away. Within the following year, I was laid off from my job of five years, my home was robbed, and I grieved the sudden passing of a childhood friend to cancer. Resilience was no longer just something I had—it became my way of life.
My Pops was the embodiment of optimism, resilience, and fortitude. Born in the Jim Crow South, he navigated the world as a Black man in pursuit of his dreams—a lifetime entrepreneur, a visionary, and my buddy. When he was dying, my daughter and I flew to Florida to be by his side. For two months, my entire family—my mom, my brother, and my sister-in-law—cared for him around the clock. When he passed, I knew the greatest way to honor his legacy was to embody the optimism he lived by and to keep pushing forward, no matter what came my way.
I am determined to navigate life as a Black single mother in America with grace, faith, and unwavering resilience. A few months ago, my mother passed away suddenly from cancer, deepening my understanding of resilience yet again. Every moment in life is a teacher, and I remain present and grateful for each lesson.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
In addition to being a full-time single mother and community organizer, I am deeply committed to ensuring my community’s basic needs are met. For the past three years, I’ve organized a free farmers market, providing fresh, accessible food to those around me. Alongside this work, I own Florida Water Interiors, an interior design firm inspired by the fragrant cleansing elixir, Florida Water, traditionally used to purify spaces energetically.
My design philosophy extends beyond interiors—I create environments that feel safe, vibrant, and deeply rooted in place, whether in private residences or public gathering spaces. Florida Water Interiors is an offering to the land, transforming space into place. As a woman of Indigenous descent, stewardship is at the heart of my practice. I ethically honor both the emotive visions of my clients and the cultural integrity of the global pieces I source. This work has been featured in The New York Times, Apartment Therapy, and Architectural Digest.
I have always been a lover of space—at my core, I am a spatial artist. When people enter a space I’ve designed, I want them to feel inspired, at ease, and present—to sense the frequency of the environment and be uplifted by it. Creating movement within space allows people to reconnect with their vision for themselves. Designing these spaces of remembrance brings me immense joy. Through intentional placement of color, texture, plants, light, and form, I shape environments that tell an intangible yet deeply felt story—one that evokes emotion and is reflected in the physical world.
Looking ahead, expect more community events and humanitarian initiatives as I continue using my brand to create the change I want to see. I am currently building Wild Earth (WE), a not-for-profit social good program embedded within my for-profit interior design business. Recently, WE partnered with a small Maasai village in Kenya, purchasing a water tank to ensure long-term access to clean, safe water. Florida Water Interiors is also collaborating with the village to create home goods adorned with traditional Maasai beadwork, celebrating their cultural heritage and craftsmanship.
Florida Water Interiors is not just about designing interiors—it’s about reshaping how we engage with space, community, and the world.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Imagination, remembrance, and gratitude have been my guides on this journey. We have the power to imagine the life we want for ourselves. My daughter reminds me of this every time I watch her play—it pulls me back to my own wildest dreams.
We all dream. And just like waking up and trying to hold onto the visions we saw while resting, we have to remember what we desire and deserve in the reality of each new day. My hope is that everyone recognizes the possibilities that each moment brings because to be present is to be grateful.
May every eye that reads these words take a moment to feel gratitude—for the simple, beautiful gift of witnessing and being witnessed. Perspective is everything; what you focus on is what you experience.
And we all need more joy. So, touch the corners of your mouth and push up. Move through whatever feels like it’s holding you back, and push up. There is no ceiling—just the open, infinite sky
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
I truly believe I can work with anyone. If I had to describe my ideal client, it would be someone who trusts the process and communicates their likes and dislikes with confidence.
A lot of people think interior design is only for those with big budgets and expendable income, but that’s not the case. I offer consultations and hourly services because I believe beautiful spaces should be accessible to everyone.
I can make any space feel stunning, and I love the challenge of doing so. So come find me—let’s play (aka work)!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.floridawaterinteriors.com/
- Instagram: @floridawaterinteriors
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherubchoppstewart
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