Milwaukee Magazine | Expert of the Month | Heather Scott

Expert of the Month Heather SCOTT

INTERIOR DESIGNER AND PROJECT COORDINATOR, BARTELT. THE REMODELING RESOURCE

HEATHER SCOTT HAS BEEN in the interior design industry for over 30 years, the last 10 of which she’s spent at Bartelt, where she oversees the design and selection process with clients. We asked her to share her expertise here.

What advice do you often share with homeowners?

Find images of designs you love and looks you’d like for your home. You may not know what exactly you love about them, but when I see the photos clients are drawn to, often I can see design elements that tie them together – maybe white-painted woodwork, a darker floor, lighter countertops. We start with that inspiration to fine-tune a path to the final design. At Bartelt, we’re with the client from that first brainstorming session through all the selections to the end of the project.

What looks are you loving right now?

One of the benefits of working on so many projects over the years is that I’ve done almost every look at some point. Right now, I lean toward a classic, timeless approach. I recommend keeping the permanent fixtures in your home true to the architecture of it. You can’t go wrong with natural stone, real wood flooring and organic materials. I like to pull clients’ personality into their space with artwork, decorative lighting, furnishings, soft finishes that you can change as styles change without breaking the bank. I think my favorite experience as a designer is coming back to a client after a project is complete and asking them, “What would you change?” And they say, “Nothing.” ◆