Design is Life

I raised five children in an extremely well designed house where no rooms or furniture were
"off limits". Whenever friends and their children would stop by they would always say "where do you want the kids to play?". I always said "this is their house, they play everywhere". I used to tell the kids that they had to respect the things in the house that we all cherished:
Our family
Our time together
Our life of giving and sharing
Our friends and family

I never remember telling them not to touch anything, or not to be in a certain room. We lived all through our 7200 square foot house. I always said that it was "bullet proof". And it really was.

I had a very large firm of over 22 designers. We did design work for some of the toughest clients that there were. Healthcare, government, schools, law firms, insurance companies, nursing homes, and the homes of all of the execs that trusted us with their lives at home and at work. These were not easy interiors to design. They had to have form follow function (Sullivan said it - and we believed it) and had to last until the next budget allowed for replacement, which could be a long long time. We understood life safety codes, fire codes, and wear data. We were experts in ergonomics and programming spaces to fit the person and the need. But most of all we were designers that listened to the needs of a diverse population and solved problems with limited dollars and lots of enthusiasm.

Christy Associates Inc. was a long standing community leader of driven professionals of the highest calibre. We always had fun, and we always worked hard. The results were vibrant and energetic interiors that really made a difference to a vast client base.

The most important thing was that it was really fun. My designers were empowered to interpret needs, deliver great design and to make the most of every budget dollar spent.

We were always dealing with a recession, State of Michigan budget cuts, cut backs in spending from one sector or another. Design in Michigan is no mecha. It is mostly survival of the fittest, and the rest is sheer grit and stamina. After leaving the state and taking my practice to Ohio,
I began to realize how much fun design was all of a sudden. I could not get over how nice it was to work with positive people, budgets that were not constantly cut, and people that seemed to really care about this business of interior design.

Design is life. It is light, tones, drama, neutrals, positive feedback, making a difference, sharing ideas, listening, and knowing when to speak. Design is what I choose to do because it makes so many people happy. Design is what I choose to do because it really feeds my soul.

There is no other business that does all of these things with an accent color and a splash of light.
I love this business because it is how I live. It is positive and it is real. You can touch it, and walk into it. You know it is there because it supports all that you do. Design is my life.