Melissa Mathe is inspired by the large community of Richmond painters that she follows on Instagram, as well as other designers such as Corey Damon Jenkins, Barbara Barry and Thom Filicia (pictured with Mathe). “[Thom] is so fun to be around,” Mathe says. “They way he talks with a client is wonderful. He’s honest, yet funny.” Mathe also is creatively fueled by family vacation trips — soaking in an area’s natural beauty, its architecture and its hotel design. She’s looking forward to what she’ll see on an upcoming trip to Sun Valley.
Mathe, who has a degree in interior design and began her career in Atlanta, opened her own Richmond-based residential and hospitality design business in 2010. After a decade of working with clients, she shares these pieces of advice:
Find out what the client’s goal is. “Why did they call me? What is the problem that they need to solve? Is it finding a good use for the space, is it for the style of a space or is it to make a space multifunctional? What is the end goal?”
Discuss the elephant in the room. “I always like to emphasize that everyone has a budget, and it’s OK to have one." Clients need to share what they are comfortable spending on a project, and then Mathe will help them figure out the best use of those funds. “Sometimes it needs to be a phased project to meet the budget." Ultimately, Mathe says, three factors impact a project: deadline, quality of goods and overall budget. “When it comes to creating the design, one of the three has to be flexible. If budget and time are critical, then we might have to find something off the floor.” In general, 99 percent choose to have flexibility on timing — they are willing to wait for a good product for a good price; they are willing to wait and interview multiple contractors.
From start to finish with a designer. “Design takes time — to meet with the client, to discuss the project scope and the time for a designer and her staff to create a design and then order. For one room, estimate four to six months. If it’s a bathroom or kitchen renovation, that’s usually a longer timeline.”
Finding the client’s design style. “It’s our core philosophy: What do they love, what don’t they love, what colors are they drawn to, finding what common threads are in images or conversation. I want them to show me their living spaces, and I reinforce embracing what makes you happy — you are the one who will live in the space. Don’t be afraid of liking something that may not be the norm.”
