We were lucky to catch up with Rachael Shea Interiors recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rachael Shea, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I had a non-traditional route to the field of interior design. I received my Master’s in Counseling and was feeling unfulfilled in the career. I took a leap of faith and pursued interior design and never looked back. One way I found my purpose in my career was recognizing what brought me joy and what I was doing in my free time. I remember listening to a podcast where they said to pay attention to what you do in your free time and what you were obsessed and always thinking about. Well, I would spend hours and hours after my job scrolling Pinterest and Instagram marveling at design. It became my creative outlet and I quickly realized I was meant to pursue design. With my people skills from counseling and my natural creativity, interior design has been the most dream career I could imagine.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’m Rachael, principal designer and proud owner of Rachael Shea Interiors. I am originally from Scottsdale, Arizona and have lived in Southern California for over 10 years. I have always had a passion for design as early as I can remember. However, my career path actually started in psychology. I earned my Master’s degree in Counseling at the University of San Diego, but I realized that my true passion is being a creative. I was fortunate to be brought on to a local interior design firm in San Diego where I immersed myself in everything design. I was promoted to lead interior designer and then to design manager in which I was running multiple renovation projects while also managing a team of 10 interior designers.
I then decided to take the leap into entrepreneurship and start my own interior design firm, Rachael Shea Interiors. Our projects range from full home remodels to furnishings. I absolutely love what I do!
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?
The three qualities that were impactful for my journey was eagerness, being personable, and adaptability. In the beginning, my eagerness to learn everything and my commitment to design helped me get to where I am now. It is also a very personable career when you are working with clients, contractors, tradespeople, etc. Knowing how to communicate and understand people is super important. Adaptability is also a skill that was impactful and still is because things are always changing and you need to be flexible especially when it comes to construction!
My advice for people early on in their journey or are unsure if they want to be in the design career or not is to shadow/intern for someone and learn everything you can on the job. If you are fresh out of college with your design degree, join a firm, take everything in, and be eager to show up and give it your all.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
My biggest area of growth is getting whole home remodels and larger scale projects. We do everything from furnishing a bedroom to full home renovations. I love starting from the beginning and remodeling an entire home or kitchen to impove functionality and design.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rachaelsheainteriors.com
- Instagram: rachaelsheainteriors
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rachael-shea-interiors-san-diego-2
Image Credits
James Furman Photography
Noir and Blanc Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
