Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Get to Know Our Lead Designer... Sara Giedinghagen





1.  How would you describe your design style? In my own home and projects, I’m very eclectic,so I love it when clients want a truly personalized space.
2.  What is your favorite part about working with clients? Their space is a new puzzle to figure out! Especially when they come in with a certain vision. Spaces can be challenging to get what you want in them, so it doesn’t always work out exactly like you want, but we have fun trying.
3.  If someone wanted to DIY their kitchen remodel, what advice would you give them? If they don’t have any previous experience  installing the different materials in their project, I would almost recommend against it—or at least not doing all of it themselves. Living through a remodel is tough enough when someone else is doing it, let alone being in the middle of doing it yourself and realizing you’re over your head. I’m a big DIYer, so I’d probably attempt SOMETHING myself (Tile backsplash perhaps??) But you have to know when to bring in the pros.
4.  What is an average day for you like? Mostly it’s working on drawings and getting quotes put together, riddled with trouble-shooting random things with projects in progress—There’s always something to keep you on your toes!
5.  What are 3 words that describe you? Creative…  (mostly!) Organized… Collaborative
6.  Where do you look to for inspiration? Houzz, Pinterest, design magazines, my fellow designers
7.  If you could go back to your first year as a designer, what is one thing you wish you knew then that you know now? There are certainly things that would’ve been helpful in preventing several lumps on the head! But fortunately, my mentor set the expectation from the get-go that I would be forever learning. Ask me again in 5 years and I’ll have a whole new set of knots from stuff I wished I’d known!
8.  If you could have a celebrity as a client, who would it be and why? Betsey Johnson comes to mind—she’s colorful and eccentric and would probably make for an exciting custom job. I don’t know if it would be more difficult working with another designer! (Albeit fashion, but still) LOL!  Drew Barrymore would probably also make a good one. She seems funky but laid back, so I think we would have a great time planning a project.
9.  What is your favorite phase of a project (the pre-design work, the beginning/demo, middle, or end/completion)? The design work is of course fun. But it’s also really satisfying to see a job come together at the end
10. When you’re not busy designing at work, what do you spend your time doing? I usually have numerous craft projects going on at any given time at various stages of completion—because you know I NEVER get myself in over my head on these things! Ha! I also love reading and sketching and travelling.
11.  What does ‘NeedCo Cabinets’ mean to you? NeedCo is a unique company in that we offer a full range of cabinet solutions from basic factory to custom—so we don’t really peg ourselves in a specific hole. It’s been a great place to flex and grow my skills as a designer! Also, many of the people that work with and for NeedCo have known each other forever so it was like stepping into a cabinet family.
12. Tell me one fun fact about you that no one really knows. I can quote Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky” from memory…? 

 

      Stop By to meet with Sara at our Homewood Showroom or give her a call at 205-871-2066.

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