Design

When the idea to write about the benefits of interior plants first came up, we were in the throes of winter, stuck inside. Outside my window I was staring at nothing but piles of icy snow with dead, bare branches poking out sadly from beneath. As the temperatures dropped, daylight dwindled, and the promise of spring seemed out of reach, the thought occurred to me that bringing some cheerful greenery into my home office would be a simple yet effective way to beat the winter blues.

One of the core values of Stibler Associates has always been giving back to our profession and to the communities where we live, work and play.  This part of our value statement isn’t just something we put on the website.  It is something we strive to practice every day. 

Learning interior design is like learning a new language. There’s much to absorb, and it seems impossible to retain all the information. It is a complex occupation that requires me to speak with this new vocabulary and, as much as I love it, it’s hard to truly understand without jumping straight into the design field.

As I write this article, I look at all the technology in our office that did not exist when I started my first job at a Boston architectural firm back in 1983. The drafting tables are gone. I now sit (and stand) at an adjustable desk with 2 monitors.

In 1984, I enjoyed 60 hours of flight training in a Cessna 156.  While I decided not to pursue a license, I took some valuable lessons with me to the position of CEO for a dynamic, growing design firm.

One of the challenges in Stibler Associates’ (SA) first five years, 1982-1987, was the lack of competition. There were some residential interior designers but no one appeared to practice in the commercial field with qualifications from our two national, interior design professional organizations. 

That quote was from a letter to me in 1979 when I wrote to several architects in NH, asking for an interior designer position.  Hmmm thought I, how can this be?  After a few years as a commercial designer in the Washington DC area, I was accompanying my then husband to NH as he joined the UNH faculty.  I could work in Boston but after experiencing the DC commute, that option was not high on my list.