Photo by Nicole Martyn
Since 1992, Kirk Designs has been a full-service interior design firm that handles every aspect of space planning and construction consulting.
Whether it’s creating a simple lighting plan or designing a living space from scratch, Kirk Designs brings its eye for detail and passion for creativity to bear on each and every project.What got you started in Interior Design? In 1976, I was a junior in high school in Iowa and had the opportunity to travel to northern Italy as a foreign exchange student. It was a phenomenal experience that changed my perspective on life and exposed me to things I had never seen.
What do you love most about your job? I love the end result and seeing the client occupy and enjoy the space. I like to see my clients making the space their own so that it feels like an expression of who they are. We want to take what people want and put it in real terms.
If you could change one thing about your industry what would it be? The perception that anyone can do it. There are lots of people who think that because they have a sense of what they like, that it makes them qualified to be an interior designer. But in reality, it is more about being organized and knowing how to start a project at “A” and get to “Z” while creating the right aesthetic for the client.
What accomplishment of yours makes you the most proud? I am proud of the fact that I have been a good member of the community for 27 years. I have taken great pride in the neighborhoods and the charitable organizations in which I have participated. I am also proud of building a business from nothing to something that now supports ten families.
Who in your life was most instrumental in helping you get started with your career? In 1992, I was helping out in a soup kitchen in Baltimore during Thanksgiving, and I walked outside and saw a man in a suit. I thought he must work at the kitchen so I approached him for direction and he said, “no, this is where I live.” At that moment I thought I could be that person, and it changed my life. There hasn’t been a day that goes by that I don’t think of that man: it reminds me to always strive for the best and work hard for my clients.
What was the biggest challenge you had to face to get to where you are today? How have you managed to overcome it? My biggest challenge is that I am not a born manager. It is something I have to work on every day. Put it this way, I am a great planter but I am not great at managing the weeds.
What did you want to be when you were five? I wanted to be Mr. French from the television show “Family Affair.” He seemed so sophisticated, he lived in New York City and really seemed to have this great life. I never even knew he was the butler.
If you could do anything other than what you are doing,what would it be? A florist or party/event planner. Flowers are therapy for me, and I’ve never seen anyone unhappy around flowers. I think events are wonderfully theatrical and take the talents I have and put them to use in a short-term way.
What advice can you offer someone wanting to get started in your field? Don’t underestimate experience. I was teaching a class and I told my students when I am interviewing a potential candidate for hire, I look at their life experience. If the candidate told me they spent the last summer selling encyclopedias, I would consider hiring them on the spot. Through that experience I can tell their drive, work ethic, and their ability to be self contained, organized, motivated, and face adversity all for an end goal. It’s very easy to sit at a desk and create from things that are handed to you. I want to work with people who can take nothing and create something.
Contact:
Kirk Designs: kirk-designs.com or 410-468-0798
