FACE OF INTERIOR DESIGN THE HUNT DESIGN GROUP

TRACY L. HUNT

What is the most important thing you do for Arkansans?

I have been blessed to design spaces in all 50 states and to have worked on all but 3 continents – no projects in Africa, Australia or Antarctica yet, but someday! With every project I take on, I try to bring something back to Arkansas. Whether it is an artist whose work I can use in another state or a handcrafted chair I can place in a vacation home in Europe or the Caribbean, I try to showcase the talented artists, artisans and manufacturers we have in Arkansas and open them up to a larger market.

What sets you apart from your competitors?

We are a full-service design firm and have connections all around the world, so anything a client wants is within our reach. We have designed a realm of different projects, including resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean, projects in Europe and Japan, schools, churches, fire stations, dog food factories, government housing, assisted living facilities, malls, grocery stores and homes with square footage from 700 to 15,700 square feet. No job is ever too big or too small to make an impact, and budgets can be maximized to make the most of any design.

What’s an alternate path you might have taken if things had played out differently?

I wanted to be a surgeon from the time I was 9 years old. I took extra science classes in college, shadowed doctors and interned at clinics for “fun.” My senior year, I needed an extra class to fulfill my scholarship requirements, and I took an art class. By the end of the semester, I had changed my major and would end up staying an extra year to graduate. In the end, God had a plan from the beginning. I specialized in health care design; since I already knew the inside of health care, it made me a better designer for hospitals, clinics and offices.

What are your organization's goals for the next few years?

I plan to expand the Hunt Design Group in several areas soon. To have the photography and filming capability to let people see what we are doing all over the world is amazing and a very powerful tool. We are expanding into an area that I’m quite excited about, and I cannot wait to see where God leads and the doors He will open.