Community Highlights: Meet Paige Williams of Paige Williams Interior Design

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paige Williams. 

Hi Paige, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am from Nashville and knew early in my high school career that I wanted to be an interior designer. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend O’more College of Design in Franklin so close to home right out of high school. I graduated design school in 2009 right after the crash of 2008 so finding a job was not easy at that time. I started working for a prestigious design firm, Anne Ford Designs. She had owned her business 30+ years in Nashville & I learned so much working with her. I was first hired to do the bookkeeping, ordering, & business administration side of her business & I was good at it! I worked with her on many design projects soon after that for 5 years until she retired & I decided to open my own business in 2014. I did so much networking & making good connections the first 4 years to build my business & meet new clients. After just 2 years in business, I knew I needed help & I needed to find a space for the 2 of us. I started my business in my dining room & I was running out of room fast! My first office was a huge move to grow & have my own space to meet with clients. A year and a half later, I hired one more designer & soon needed a larger office, so we moved one more time to our current office space. I currently have 3 designers on my team & a large conference room where we can showcase our work to our clients. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Obstacles: 

As a creative person sharing my design ideas & my design process with my clients has been a long road of learning & owning my style & personality to truly let myself & vision shine through. Once I learned that clients wanted to hire me because they first like, trust & want to get to know me before I have to prove my talent or experience, my perspective changed. With each new designer I hired, I had to learn how to be a boss & teach them my own design process. Learning the most efficient way to delegate tasks, stay organized & clear communication was the first obstacle. Now I am loving the team-building process, creative energy when we connect to discuss projects & lifting each other up for support. 

Challenges: 

Working too much in the business and not on the business to grow to what my full vision has been from the beginning. I want to help people & share my passion and talent for interior design. I truly believe by helping clients with the vision they have for their home; they can lead a better life to share with family & friends. It’s so easy to get caught up on the details and long everyday to-do list, I would lose sight of why I started my design business in the first place. I have had to learn how to delegate, delegate, delegate & give up the oh so many “hats” of a small business owner in order to fully accept my CEO role in my business. 

Clear is kind (taken from my business manager, Ellevated Outcomes!) For me, it has taken years to work on clear financial goals for my business. I have worked hard to set up my business for financial success by outsourcing (to me) the hardest part of the business to give up control. Now I enjoy talking about projections, taxes, W2 employees, retirement & savings! 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Paige Williams Interior Design?
ABOUT OUR DESIGN FIRM  

We choreograph lifestyle changes through design by building a bridge between beauty and functionality. We remain curious, creative, and aware of the need to better our environments. Our talent is both an art and a science and we succeed through respecting the process, our business, and our clients, because, really, our clients are the key to our success. We strive to touch hearts, change minds, and move with purpose. Connection and a positive outlook are the essence of what we do at Paige Williams Interior Design. 

VISION 

To help people connect to their spaces and find their own vision because we believe a good environment can elevate happiness and change our lives. We transform how our clients feel, function, and live in their spaces so they have the tools to thrive. 

SETS US APART 

We like to layer & mix color, pattern, and texture in each space to showcase our client’s personality. A lot of times we are mixing new with the old using existing pieces client’s own + adding a new perspective to a space and a fresh look. 

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Yes, stay true to our process and our brand! I struggled, like many designers, wrestling with the idea to offer online design services to serve new clients during the crisis. My main process is touching and feeling the fabrics, textures & colors that will make up their space + it’s very important for me to be in their actual space in order to better serve their needs! I decided to stand strong to our design process and not discount our services to an online platform. It would not fully fulfill our own creative process to serve and help our clients. I feel we have attracted better quality projects since the crisis by honing in on our design process & making it stronger. We were able to deliver presentations in a pretty package on their front porch & host zoom meetings so we could still see their smiling faces during that time to keep their excitement engaged with our vision. 

Contact Info:

• Email: paigew@cheerful.com
• Website: https://www.paigewinteriordesign.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paigewilliamsdesign/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paigewinteriordesign
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/paigewinteriordesign/_created/

Image Credits
Tausha Dickinson
Caroline Sharpnack