Greenbook: A Local Guide to Chesapeake Living - Issue 9 | Page 16

Ease, comfort and sophistication are
the theme of this beautiful interior.
The architecture has a combination of
organic elements and the beauty of
water as the view.
GB: HOW DID YOUR YEARS OF TRAVEL IMPACT
YOUR DESIGN AESTHETIC? AC: If you live and work
in Europe and see architecture that is thousands of years
old, compared to our country that is so new, it influences
you. There is much more to your eye compared to if you
were raised in one town in America, went to American design school and came out doing that classic All-American,
coastal, clean look. But if you are influenced by a world
of art and antiquities, then you see the world differently. I
decorate in every style imaginable, but a lot of my jobs are
still global. People who hire interior designers also travel.
My exposure and natural aesthetic is a real asset for my
business and my clients because I bring something to the
table that maybe isn’t ordinary. And not just me, I teach
this design methodology of being unique and sophisticated and global in perspective to my design associates. I
have a dozen people that have been here for over 20 years
and these ladies are influenced by our international work
as well.
GB: TELL US ABOUT YOUR COMPANY’S MISSION
AND GROWTH. AC: I always wanted to build a company that had many aspects of design. I started in builder/
developer work, both housing and commercial projects.
When the first recession of 1984 came about, I knew we
had to expand our residential side.
We started Interior Concepts with three employees.
Presently, Interior Concepts is home to 50 employees, who
have been with us for ten, twenty, even thirty + years.
I purposefully cultivate different talents and different
projects for my company. I have designers who work with
devel opers, private residences, office sites, and government buildings. I am working on three projects that will
take several years to complete, a family retreat in the
Bahamas, and two incredible residences in McLean, VA.
These homes are of great magnitude in the design field.
Even while I am asked to work on these homes literally
16

GREENBOOK | FALL/WINTER 2016

This two story round room still has
achieved warmth and function.