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Queen City Design: Charlotte’s Interior Design Royalty
Queen City Design:
CHARLOTTE’S INTERIOR DESIGN CHARLOTTE’S INTERIOR DESIGN ROYALTY
Jana Platina Phipps’ panel with local designers was one of the highlights of last year’s International Window Coverings Expo in Nashville. In 2020, Phipps will reprise the concept by sitting down with three top Charlotte designers: Cheryl Luckett, Melissa Lee and Brenna Morgan. To give you a sneak peek of this year’s discussion, we asked each designer to tell us a little about themselves and offer a few tips on the business of design and what to see in Charlotte.
Cheryl Luckett | Dwell by Cheryl Interiors
dwellbycheryl.com Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Houzz: DwellByCheryl
Photos courtesy of Cam Richards Photography
Cheryl Luckett launched Dwell by Cheryl Interiors in 2012 as a side hustle to her job as a registered dietitian at a Fortune 500 company. Four years later, those roles switched as demand for her design services continued to grow. Her colorful, cultured and cozy aesthetic has been lauded by a number of publications, including Traditional Home, Country Living, Charlotte Magazine, Southern Home and Designer’s Today. In addition to running her business, she is a design ambassador for Revolution Performance Fabrics. She launched her first licensed collection of upholstered furniture with NC-based Sylvester Alexander Fine Upholstery in 2018. She describes her Southern roots, natural design ability and corporate tenure as key to her success.
How do you make your business stand out in a crowded field?
Authenticity! In this age of digital marketing, standing out can be as simple as being yourself. I’ve found that by sharing my passion, my work and my journey, I’ve been able to attract a tribe of followers, brand partners and potential clients through sharing my authentic self.
What do designers in today’s marketplace need to do to become or stay successful?
Understanding and being able to communicate your value is key. As designers, we are responsible for educating our clients on the design process and the value we bring beyond the purchasing aspect. It’s also important to understand that not everyone will be a good fit for your services.
Charlotte has an amazing arts community. I love spending afternoons in our local museums. The Harvey B. Gantt Center and Levine Museum are two local favorites.
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Melissa Lee | New South Home
newsouthhome.com Instagram, Pinterest: NewSouthHome
Emilie Smith Photography Melissa Lee started New South Home in 2011 after spending 10 years in the fashion retail buying industry. After completing her interior design certification from the New York Institute of Art and Design, her first design project consisted of sewing pillows at her dining room table. She quickly moved from making her client’s window treatments and pillows to furnishing whole homes and renovations in Charlotte and the Southeastern United States. Her design work has been featured in multiple publications and her team has won Best of Houzz for client satisfaction six years running. New South Home’s team prides themselves on creating comfortably sophisticated spaces that focus on the real lives of their clients.
Photo by Laura Sumrak
What are one or two things designers can do to make their businesses stronger?
When I was beginning my business, I was trying to do everything myself because I was trying to save money. But if you do that, it takes longer to build the business. What I’ve learned along the way is, if there’s someone who’s really good at something, just hire them to do it. It’s going to free up your time to build your business and network. The other thing that’s important is there are so many designers out there that are talented and design beautiful rooms, but the execution of it is so key. Developing a process to get you from the design phase to the installation phase is so important. The last thing you want is to create a beautiful room but have the client mad because getting there was a disaster.
Do you have any advice for marketing?
We hired a professional photographer probably three or four years ago to take pictures of our shop, and I feel like that’s elevated our business and made us look more professional. A picture is worth a thousand words. Working with them to get the right shot and make sure the room has been accessorized and looks like something out of a magazine is really important.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame is pretty cool. There’s also the U.S. National Whitewater Center. They’ve basically built a fake rapid, so it’s good for beginners that don’t necessarily want to go on a daylong river-rafting trip. Charlotte has a lot of little pocket areas that are outside of uptown that are pretty cool. Plaza Midwood has some great restaurants. NoDa is very hip and eclectic. South End was more of a warehouse area that they’ve started building up with restaurants.
I’ve gone away from too many patterns on window treatments, but I love doing really pretty embroidered and beaded tapes on our draperies. They elevate the look of our window treatments and give you a chance to customize their look and colors. The other thing we’ve been using is acrylic, because we keep seeing that in homes. That includes acrylic ball finials, acrylic rods and acrylic pulls on the nightstands.
Brenna Morgan | New South Home
Emilie Smith Photography After almost 10 years in the Charlotte real estate business, Brenna Morgan decided to switch her focus to the world of design. In 2012, she launched her lifestyle website and design business, Domestic Charm, which allowed her to pursue her passions for interior design, cooking and entertaining. After obtaining her interior design certification from the New York Institute of Art and Design, she joined New South Home in 2017. Morgan has worked on projects large and small and has been featured in numerous online publications, including Apartment Therapy and Scoop Charlotte. Her favorite part of the design process is adding in a little bit of the unexpected.
What are the keys to staying profitable amid disruption in the design industry?
The biggest thing is client education. That might sound a little counterintuitive but explaining to people that there have been price increases because of the tariffs, for example, is important. Everyone knows about the tariffs, and if you explain your situation to them, they understand that you have to raise your prices in order to earn your designer fee. People want to understand why you’re charging the prices or making the decisions you do. Helping them understand that is what’s going to keep you profitable.
If you could give the “you” from seven years ago advice about how to succeed as an interior designer, what would that advice be?
I definitely think surrounding yourself with people who are smarter than you makes you up your game. Find people who can pick up the pieces you drop because that’s what they’re good at. There are a lot of people who think they need to do it all by themselves, and I disagree. You’ll be a more successful interior designer if you surround yourself with people who can help you.
Photo by Laura Sumrak
If they just want a nice, relaxing stroll, they can walk through Freedom Park. If they want to look at pretty houses, they should visit Myers Park. It’s a section of town that has gorgeous homes and big trees. The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is always gorgeous. The Mint Museum always has great exhibits.
Trim, hands down. That’s the easiest way to do it, to add a tape trim with some tassels or beadwork. But bling doesn’t necessarily have to be sparkly. It can just be a little extra detail that draws your attention—some buttons that add interest to your pleats, or color blocking or interesting fabric for the curtains.
Emilie Smith Photography
