Having never had any children, I’ve never really felt like much of a mentor. I’m sure my niece and nephews look up to me in some way, but being family, they are obligated to do that, I suppose. But, that all changed when a month ago I received a phone call from a parent asking my permission for her twelve year old daughter Emily to job shadow me and be her mentor for the day.
I was completely flattered, of course. There are other more established area designers and decorators, and I was thrilled that I was chosen over the others.
“Your website is awesome,” Emily’s mom said, “And, Emily loves your blogs.”
Wow. What a compliment that was, and I couldn’t wait for my special day with Emily.
This past Friday job shadow day had finally arrived. Before Emily showed up on my doorstop, I had decided that I would start the day by showing her design boards and photos of my completed design projects and also some that are work-in-progress. After that, I would walk her through the process of re-decorating one of the rooms in her home. No money to spend, it was going to be a simulated project, but I figured that would be the best way for her to experience the design process. I also decided that I’d stay away from the business and accounting part of being in the interior design field—accounting is often overwhelming enough for a college student let alone a twelve year old.
When Emily arrived, she let me know that for our project, she’d chosen her family’s music and craft room—a very cluttered 6’x6’ space where her drum set, cupcake supplies, and her mom’s sewing machine and other craft items were stored. Oh boy, was I in for a challenge.
We started off by me asking her my typical client questions (colors she loved, colors she hated, what she liked about the space, what she hated about the space, etc.) Next, we did a floor layout and quickly decided that floor to ceiling cabinets would hide the clutter and provide more area for items to be stored. Immediately, Emily had great instincts. She was the one that suggested that we design the cabinets with a fold-down desk, to allow for more space when she was practicing the drums. Next, she chose her wall color, a very bright teal blue which would inspire her when she was working.
I told Emily that I typically get inspired by fabric, so we pulled out all of my fabric swatches that I had on hand and started to sort them into groups. Again, Emily had impressive instincts. After I explained a little about color theory and pattern, she quickly put coordinating fabrics in the correct pile. Eventually, we whittled down her selection to her top choice—a black and white zebra print for the upholstered craft room chair which would pop and go perfectly with her wall color.
The last thing that I wanted Emily to pick out online before we headed into town for a corporate lunch and some research was a marquis piece of art, or focal point for the room. I directed her to my newfound and favorite art website and quickly, she found something that she loved—a coordinating abstract piece of art that felt artistic, inspirational, and tied all of the room colors together. Way to go, Emily!
We headed into town, grabbed a quick lunch, and started to make our rounds for final selection of additional materials and furniture to finish the room. Four stops later: we decided on a black/white wallpaper backsplash between the desk and the upper cabinets since it would be more cost effective than tile. We decided on simple, white flat-front cabinets with unique hardware to give the room a more contemporary and modern feel. A black countertop, quickly chosen by Emily (again, her instincts were awesome) would hide any dirt, and provide a perfect complement to the white cabinetry. We decided on a counter height stool covered in her beloved zebra fabric. A coordinating black frieze rug, lime-green accessories, and flowers would complete the room.
Every store that Emily and I visited, she didn’t hesitate on what would work best for her simulated design—I was impressed to say the least.
Eventually, we ended job shadow day and I dropped Emily off at her home, and we said our goodbyes. Immediately, I popped on the phone to catch up with some missed calls from my corporate job.
“How was it?” my co-worker asked. “Did you teach her anything?”
“Gosh, I hope so,” I replied then paused. “Truth is, I think I learned more from her. That Emily has incredible instincts.”
“Wow! That’s awesome.”
“I know. I think she probably made more of an impact on me than me on her.”
Emily and Me
Thank you, Emily. It was truly a treasure being your mentor for the day.
