We recently connected with April Mondelli, NCIDQ and have shared our conversation below.
April , we are so happy that our community is going to have a chance to learn more about you, your story and hopefully even take in some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Let’s start with self-care – what do you do for self-care and has it had any impact on your effectiveness?
Being physically active is a very important act of self care that has always been a big part of my life. I love to work out first thing in the morning before I start my day. Whether it’s going for a run with friends before the sun comes up or attending group fitness classes, giving myself that hour to focus only on myself allows me the ability to focus on responsibilities with a clear and refreshed mind for the rest of the day. I give myself the gift of that time to guiltlessly socialize with my friends in a healthy way which helps to prevent me from getting that overworked or overstressed feeling from being the hard worker that I am. I don’t feel that I’m missing out and my life feels more in balance. I love to rollerblade outdoors, dance, and most recently started playing the super popular game of pickleball. Moving my body and staying in shape helps me to feel my best and I believe that when you feel your best you are going to carry over that positive energy into all areas of your life especially your work. Being an interior designer, I manage a lot of renovations, I carry around a lot of heavy samples, and I’m always on the go so being strong and fit definitely makes that easier.
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 am a Florida state licensed interior designer. The state license allows me to practice commercial interior design. I have designed many office spaces through the years but currently my main focus is on residential renovations with a minor focus on commercial interiors. I love to gut a house and put it back together in a way that is sometimes unexpected and always more functional for my clients. I care greatly about delivering the greatest outcome for those who put their trust in me. It’s super gratifying to take a wish list that someone gives me and turn it into their reality. Good design is not just a luxury for the wealthy, but a way of putting together a space in the best way possible that is important for everyone. Interior designers play an important role in affecting your mood. Your mood affects your behavior which impacts your life in many ways. Space planning, colors, texture and materials, lighting, and even organization all play a very important part in subconsciously helping or hindering your productivity and energy. I absolutely love when a client says things to me like “we never used this room before you designed it this way” or “my family spend so much time together in our kitchen now”. I love that this field brings happiness to people in a subtle way.
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?
Developing my career required dedication, patience, and tons of organizational skills. I took the time to develop my technical knowledge of the process of construction, architectural drawings, and space planning as well as the necessary computer programs to convey my designs by first earning my bachelor’s degree in interior design. I worked under the direction of a licensed architect and commercial interior designer to gain real world experience. I learned from as many other professionals as I could in as many different areas of design as I could. From commercial design to kitchen and bath design to renovating investment properties, I built my toolbox of skills. When I didn’t know something, I made sure to ask someone who did. I value the experience of others in my field and am constantly learning. It takes patience to not only build your skillset and your reputation, but to work with many different types of clients as well as many different tradesmen with different personalities. You may have clients who can be indecisive and need a lot of reassurance and you may work with contractors who have short memories or may not always be on time. A little patience goes a long way in developing relationships.
Lastly, to be as productive as you can be, organizational skills are a must. Scheduling meetings and site visits, placing orders, keeping job progress at a good pace with contractors while allocating enough time for designing means that you need to be extremely organized with your day.
My best advice to those starting out in this field is to take the time to develop your skills, find your niche by trying out different jobs, and learn from others as much as you can. It’s important to be confident but it’s also important to back up the confidence with your amazing work.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When I feel overwhelmed, if at all possible I take a day off. If I’m on a tight deadline, this may not always be possible, but sometimes you need a day to completely free your mind of work. I sit by the pool, head to the beach, have lunch with a friend, or even just bingewatch netflix for the day. I actually try really hard to not let myself get overwhelmed by focusing on one job at a time and one day at a time. I keep to do lists for each job and tackle these tasks in order of priority. I have a great network of people who I work with on my jobs so that makes a huge difference in setting a good pace. You must have an arsenal of great contractors who you can rely on to successfully produce any design.
Lastly, I rarely work on the weekends. I work very hard during the week to ensure that the weekend stays free. I disconnect from work completely. On Monday I am refreshed and ready to start again. I would rather work longer days during the week than also work on a Saturday,
Contact Info:
- Website: WWW.AprilElizabethDesigns.Com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/april_elizabeth_designs/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AprilElizabethDesigns/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/april-mondelli-ncidq-779b5326/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzZMPwS9n1MHOyOQhszHaIw
Image Credits
Photos by April Mondelli and Sarah Demauro
