Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Deborah Gregory. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Deborah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with education – we’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career.

An educational program in Interior Design is only as good as the broad knowledge base of the educators – if Architects and Designers come directly from the Arch/Design educational system and only teach within the design program, the system becomes static. Students of course need to be brought into the fold of our design language however they also need to be shown the passion and the future of design through the lens of their elders.

Our world is so rapidly changing that I’m sure it’s very confusing for our young society. I still see students with optimism for a career in Design, however I feel that we have failed in properly bringing Americans, as a whole, up to speed with where we are heading globally. Many people are still living in the dark when it comes to the realities of the environment. If designers don’t graduate with and understanding of the tools they need for adapting to these rapid changes, we have failed them.

Sustainability, in all of its complexities, needs to be unraveled and discussed in the classroom – provided from a position of power to adapt and effect change, and sewn back up again. My class is a studio format focusing on sustainability in material use and application of those tools. It’s evolved over the many years of teaching it, especially after getting through covid online together. More compassion, more of a connection to the students…it’s really become a great class that I enjoy more than ever. As a president of a local Los Angeles environmental nonprofit, I integrate hands-on engagement in the world for better mental health and encourage better connection to the area surrounding them.

I now merge my design world with my environmental world and have become certified in Native California Plant landscaping. This is a very exciting change that I welcome into my daily work life! Deborah

Deborah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Maybe I graduated at a time when the design world was really hustling but I’ve smoothly transitioned from various jobs throughout my career – from Detroit to Santa Barbara, Sydney, Los Angeles,Tokyo and Hong Kong. As the daughter of a graphic designer, I was always engaged in art projects throughout my childhood. Making gives me meaning! Now, as the owner of my own firm, the focus has shifted to managing a business but luckily I still design and am very hands-on and intend to be throughout the remainder of my career.

I always say that our job as designers is problem-solving! It is everything we do; whether it’s a reconfiguring a bad room layout, fixing poor acoustics or lighting, working within a budgetary or timeline constraint. To that point I am proud of having many happy clients as testimony to my problem-solving abilities.

Running a full-service design-centered Architecture-Interior Design-Landscape Design firm allows us to fluidly move from the inside to the outside and offer a cohesive design solution.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The biggest pivot I made was after we had a child and I went from working on large Theme Park and Hotel projects to opening my own firm and working on smaller residential as well as commercial projects. It’s always been rewarding work, but a very different pattern of life!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Our residential client base is organic – we follow our interests and passions and often naturally meet people that we share interests with and can then help them with some of their design needs, or new home design.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dig-bar.com
• Instagram: digbar_design
• Facebook: DIGBAR interiors & architecture
• Linkedin: [email protected]

Image Credits
All. images: DIGBAR interiors&architecture; the stairwell image: Joshua White photography