Team Member Profile: Meet Stephanie
Being a business that originally operated as a furniture fabrication studio, we have been excited to add design + build services as an extension to the work we do. With this growth, we have expanded our team in order to create a more holistic design approach. Today we are happy to feature Stephanie Hayden, our in-house Interior Designer, to learn a little bit more about her personal translation of artful design, her thoughts on mental health in the industry, and the little details that all add up to who she is.
ON DESIGN //
Q: What is your personal design ethos and how do you carry that through your work?
A: Developing personal design philosophies that I can continuously reflect on throughout my work has been crucial in ensuring that what I put out into the world echoes my hopes for how the built-environment can improve the human experience.
Q: Which part of the design + build industry do you see having room for growth?
A: The lack of diversity and representation of BIPOC in the design industry.
Q: How do you remain curious and imaginative throughout each of your projects?
A: Practicing creativity and feeding my curiosity in other areas of my life greatly impacts my ability to stay imaginative throughout a design project. Painting, going to museums, watching movies, and being in nature are a few examples of how I do that.
Q: What part of the design process do you find most creative in practice?
A: I find that I am most creative when I am developing a concept or thinking about a project from 30,000ft. All the possibilities of what a project could be really excite me.
Q: How do you marry both concept and execution in your projects?
A: By establishing a strong concept that fits with the needs of our clients and then leaning on that concept during important decision making.
ON MENTAL HEALTH //
Q:COVID-19 really made us reevaluate how our work lives and personal lives intersect. How do you separate the two and what practices do you implement to keep your mental health at the forefront?
A:While working from home has its benefits, it can be quite challenging to disconnect. I have found that going on walks after work hours has helped ease the transition from work to personal life while giving me the time and space I need to reflect and decompress.
Q: Oftentimes in the construction industry, deadlines, scheduling, and coordination can feel very all-consuming and demanding of immediate attention. How do you allow yourself space to move throughout this process in a way that is honoring to your own mental health and also give yourself the permission to remain present to this overall life experience?
A: I think it’s all about setting and communicating realistic expectations, which I’m still learning to do. Thankfully, I am part of a wonderful team that encourages transparency and vulnerability and can provide guidance during this learning process.
Q:Why do you think the stigma behind mental health and work + life balance is just now being reexamined globally and in what ways do you hope to see our world shift in implementing new practices of self-care?
A: In a capitalistic society that values ambition and success above all else, it becomes easy for us to place our full identity in what we do rather than who we are. I think an inevitable shift occurs when this false sense of security is either removed or hanging in the balance due to a global crisis that causes us to reevaluate everything. This opportunity to reconsider who we are outside of our profession, on a global scale, has driven the conversation towards a more holistic picture, including the importance of mental health and balancing work with our overall life experience.
ON THE LITTLE DETAILS //
Q: What’s your enneagram and how does it resonate with you?
A: As an Enneagram 9, I deeply long for harmony in my environment. While this can sometimes manifest itself in conflict avoidance, it is also what drives me to connect with people in a meaningful way and create spaces that facilitate connection.
Q: Most frequented Nashville restaurant?
A: Nicoletto’s Take Out
Q: Favorite local music venue?
A: Marathon Music Works
Q: Most Binge-watched show?
A: Friends or anything narrated by David Attenborough
Q: Your go-to comfort nostalgia movie?
A: 10 Things I Hate About You
Q: Something surprising about you?
A: English is my third language.
Q: What could we find you doing on any given Saturday afternoon?
A: Going on walks, laying at the park, snuggling with my kitties, thrifting.
Q: And lastly, tell us something about yourself that you like, and why it’s an important part of who you are and how you exist in the world.
A: I like that I bring a calming presence to my environment that allows people to be themselves.