Conversations with Samantha Gilbert

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Gilbert

Hi Samantha, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
All through high school I thought for sure I was going to go to school for aeronautical engineering but once I graduated I was burnt out. I couldn’t face more school. I worked various jobs for a while but after an few years of what felt like aimlessness, I needed a direction. I was 25 and knew I had a knack for design but I wasn’t sure how that could pan out as a career. After some research, and learning a lot more about what comes with an interior design degree, I decided it was definitely for me and enrolled in college. Since I was a full-fledged adult already, school took me quite a while and I had to work while studying. I quickly found a job in the industry and worked for a commercial furniture rep group. The experience I gained there while learning all about design techniques in class was totally invaluable. I graduated with my design degree in 2010. The economy was in a very rough spot at that time so it was virtually impossible for me to find a design job. I did find a job at one of the local showrooms at the Denver Design Center and I was super grateful for it. Not long after starting at that job, the owner of the showroom took a liking to me. Luckily he was also the owner of a prominent design firm. He made me a project manager for their design teams and I was able to help put together design packages, manage the orders, help with project management and attend job sites for installations. After many years at that, I was ready to branch off on my own. And in 2018, I did just that. I’ve been on my own ever since, doing mostly residential design. I do projects of all sizes including full remodels, new construction, etc. It’s been a fabulous journey, challenging certainly, but fabulous.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Owning your own business is never a completely smooth road. While I learned from many mistakes during my years in the industry prior to opening my own business, there are always more situations to be learned from. It can be a challenge to be responsible for every aspect of the business, I’m quite busy, but it’s also very rewarding. There have been products that I’ve had to “eat” and invoices I’ve had to cover due to misunderstandings and such. For me, the bottom line is that the client should have their dream space when we’re finished working together and if that means I have to remedy a scenario that arose, to no fault of the client, that’s a no-brainer! I’m dedicated to my clients and their visions and will go to just about any lengths to make it happen. I’ve also gone outside of my “normal” designer duties by helping clients hire a storage pod, helping them sell old furniture and even installing weather-stripping around a door. Life isn’t always smooth and the design industry is no different, but between my experience and my positive attitude, I can handle just about anything life or the design industry throws at me!

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The most wonderful part of my job is the people. I love to meet people, hear their stories, get to know their kids and pets and of course, help to bring their visions to life. I have the gift of being able to picture things in my head. When I see a space I can very quickly visualize what it could look like and then I get to work bringing that to life. Lots of clients however don’t have that visualization ability. They know what they want, technically, but they have no idea how to get there. My job is to realize the vision that is inside their head, pull their ideas from them, and then bring it to life! My clients adore their spaces when the project is complete. I often get calls, texts, emails expressing how grateful they are for my ideas, my ability to listen to them and put together a design that speaks to their tastes and gives them a beautiful sense of home. I am able to design in any style, whatever the client loves best. My personal favorite is the very quintessential mid-century. I love the clean lines with pops of color and texture. I believe what really sets me apart is my ability to connect with the client coupled with my talent for thinking outside the box. I love to solve home problems like small spaces, dysfunctional areas, a mix of styles, bringing color to spaces that clients believe should be neutral and merging all these things into something that client knew they wanted and didn’t know was possible all at the same time.

What’s next?
Being a small business and currently a 1-man show, I am growing slowly. Which I actually appreciate because it gives me the opportunity to really hone in on my projects, be selective about how many I take at a time and be able to focus on my family as well. I want to continue to grow, but I believe I’ll always be a small business. I like the camaraderie with clients that comes from being small and I like quaint nature of a small business. I know clients appreciate that they can always get in touch with me and that I’m the person handling their communications, their orders, their installs, their design, their invoices, etc. That being said, I am currently collaborating with another designer on a project and we’re having a blast so I would love to do some more collaborations in the future. I’m always looking forward to each and every new project at any given turn and always looking forward to the new people I’ll meet with each new project.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.studiosgcolorado.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiosg.colorado/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/studiosg.colorado/

Image Credits
Photo credit: John Larchick of Green Room Studios