I Work Here. I Have Questions.
By Gina Dreher
I began working with Greyten over a year and a half ago, and while you’d think having some knowledge about our industry would be a prerequisite to call myself a Greytonian™, you’d be gravely mistaken.
You see, I know nothing about design.
Show me a styled or staged living room, and I’ll most likely say, “Oooooh!! Pretty!” And then that’s it. That’s about the extent of my expertise.
When I first started working at Greyten, I had a pretty complete misconception of what interior design actually was. To me, it was choosing luxurious furniture, high-end finishes, picking paint colors, and arranging furniture + decor in a way that the average person couldn’t quite figure out.
I used to think interior design was basically choosing pretty things.
I now understand that “pretty” is almost the least interesting part.
Things I’ve Learned About Architecture + Interior Design
1 – The correct term is PLANS, not blueprints.
2 – Do NOT call any of our interior designers “decorators,” unless you want to lose a limb.
3 – There is an almost incomprehensible amount of expertise that goes into deciding where a wall or light fixture should go, what materials should be used and why, how people will move through a space, and ultimately – how a space should feel.
That last part has probably surprised me the most.
Greyt (see what I did there?) design isn’t just about how a space looks. It’s about how it functions. How it feels. How people experience it. How everything works together.
The more I learn, the more I realize that some of the best design is actually in the things you don’t notice.
You don’t notice that a light is at exactly the right height. You don’t notice that a room flows naturally from one space to another. You don’t notice why a certain material works perfectly with another material. You just walk into the space and it feels right.
And apparently, making something feel effortless…requires a truly ridiculous amount of effort.
Things I’ve Learned About Architects & Designers
Here’s the other piece that I have found even more interesting.
This is the first time in my adult life that I have had co-workers. Yes, really.
I ran a photography business out of my home for almost 20 years, and my dog Riddick (shoutout!) was my only sounding board during the day. He’s a super cute sounding board, just…the conversation feels a little lacking.
So after nearly two decades of working alone, I suddenly found myself surrounded by people who can actually talk back to me.
Here are some things I’ve learned:
Architects and interior designers go through a mind-blowing amount of caffeine each day. Coffee. Energy drinks. A different brand of energy drinks. More coffee. So much coffee.
Some designers prefer dark and moody. Some prefer light and airy. And surprisingly…they can not only co-exist, but be friends.
Architects and designers are weirdly obsessed with details, some of which had never even crossed my mind:
Light temperature
Hardware
Paint colors (ok, I suppose I can also actually obsess over this one)
Rugs
Cabinet details.
Countertop edges.
Furniture proportions.
Bad lighting.
Someone moving a chair six inches.
The eternal “warm white vs. cool white” debate.
Whether something is actually black.
The phrase, “That blue is fighting with the green.”
And then there’s the language.
I have sat in meetings where I understand every individual word being spoken and absolutely none of what it means.
Elevations
Schematic design
Specifications
Programming
Reflected ceiling plans
Millwork
RFP
Construction documents
I’m pretty sure there are entire conversations happening around me that I will never be qualified to participate in.
Which is fine. I’m greyt at smiling and nodding.
Because one of the things I have learned over the past year and a half is how much I appreciate being surrounded by people who are exceptionally good at things I am not good at.
I’ve Started Seeing Things Differently
Working at Greyten has changed the way I look at spaces.
I notice lighting now.
I notice proportions.
I notice materials.
I notice why a room feels good, even if I still couldn’t tell you exactly how to recreate it.
And probably most importantly, I’ve learned that beautiful spaces don’t just happen.
There are architects thinking about structure and site and code. Interior designers thinking about function and materials and experience. Engineers solving problems I didn’t even know existed. Vendors helping bring ideas to life. Contractors figuring out how to actually build the things everyone dreamed up on paper.
There are measurements. So. Many. Measurements.
There are drawings, revisions, specifications, meetings, budgets, details and approximately 7,000 decisions that have to be made before anyone gets to walk into the finished space and say, “Oooooh!! Pretty!”
I may not understand all of it, but I have developed a much deeper appreciation for the people who do.
And Then There’s the People
The biggest surprise of working at Greyten, though, has had little to do with architecture or interior design.
I have been blessed to have the opportunity to work with some of the coolest people around.
After spending almost 20 years working by myself, I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy being part of a team. There is something special about being surrounded by people who are talented, creative, passionate about what they do and willing to share what they know.
They’re also funny. It’s a good time.
The experience of community here at Greyten has been an unexpected blessing.
It is a joy to work with people who take so much care in creating spaces for their clients – not just because they want those spaces to be beautiful, but because they want their clients to be successful, comfortable, happy, and able to enjoy the places they spend their lives in.
So, yes.
I still don’t know what they’re talking about half the time.
I still don’t know the difference between approximately 14 different types of plans.
I will probably never have a passionate opinion about countertop edges.
But I have learned that there is so much more behind a beautiful space than the things you see when you walk through the door.
There is expertise. There is intention. There is creativity. There is an astonishing amount of detail.
And there are really, really good people behind it all.
So, here’s to another week of learning, laughing, drinking probably too much coffee, and enjoying the work we do…and the people we get to do it with!
