We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Allie Bar-or. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Allie below.
Hi Allie , thanks for joining us today. Looking back on your career, have you ever worked with a great leader or boss? We’d love to hear about the experience and what you think made them such a great leader.
I am a true believer that life is about the journey and that every experience is valuable even if the path you take zig zags or in my case, completely changes tracks. I was very fortunate early on to have two inspiring female bosses/mentors. Interestingly, they were both at internships in wildly different fields, television production and law. What stands out when I reflect on the time I spent with each of these mentors isn’t what they instructed me on, but rather what they didn’t. I was so accustomed to always being told what to do and to always ask copious questions but these women didn’t tell me what to do and they had no time for questions-they needed me to just get it done even if I had to pretend that I knew what I was doing.
I will never forget one day my boss, (then the Assistant General Counsel at a luxury boutique hotel chain) telling me that any contract under a certain dollar amount didn’t require her once over, and that I should avoid asking her questions because she was too busy. I was a second year law student at the time and absolutely terrified of making a mistake—it was this fear I came to realize that kept me from growing, from taking chances and from learning to trust my own instincts and judgment. I came away from that internship a far more confident lawyer and woman. Since then, whenever I have doubted myself, or thought I didn’t have enough experience to tackle a project, I have reflected on that lesson and reminded myself to trust my instincts and to never fear a new challenge, even if its outside my comfort zone.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a lawyer by training and an interior designer, project manager and developer by experience. I came to this industry by accident never having considered myself a creative. I was someone who had always followed a very straight line—college—law school—job at a good law firm. I had a singular mind and never thought to question whether or not I would actually enjoy the practice of law. When I fell pregnant with my first child at 27 the partners at my law firm were shocked and angry—they didn’t want a pregnant associate or a mom with other demands on her time. While they put me through hell, I maintain they did me a favor because they forced me to walk away from the straight path I was on and give myself the space not only to enjoy my babies, but to figure out what actually made me tick.
My mom had been a house flipper in the suburbs of Connecticut and Palm Beach Florida before the term existed and I had grown up going to open houses, seeing her reimagine spaces and following her around to antique stores and shows. My mom had been asked several times by friends to decorate their homes and she always said no—it was not meant to be her career but as it turns out she inspired mine.
I offer clients a variety of services from project managing full scale renovations to single room or whole house interior design. I have done everything from gut renovate and decorate homes to transform a would-be tear-down into a rental income property to decorate a rental so it felt more like home. I would describe my personal style as eclectic and love to mix vintage pieces, thrift store finds and splurge items. While my clients may not always share my affinity for pre-loved things, they do value my point of view and perhaps most importantly my decisiveness. I make decisions, I stick to deadlines and budgets and I listen. I am also not afraid to say I don’t like something, even if the truth hurts. I am honest to a fault and it is certainly one of my best and worst qualities.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Friends and word of mouth. I find that interior design is a highly personal business and people want to know you or at least have friends that know you. You will get to know on occasion information about your clients personal finances and all kinds of intimate details about their lives and they want to know you are trustworthy, honest and understanding.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me the most rewarding work is when I am able to take something, whether it’s a whole house or even a piece of furniture that has been neglected and restore it or give it a new life. I am not a fan of everything being shiny and new and when it comes to furniture I truly believe they don’t make it like they used to! One of the most rewarding moments for me was when an elderly couple knocked on the door of a 1950’s home I was restoring and the wife told me she had grown up in the house. Being able to walk her through the project and show her how I had maintained its best features and breathed new life into its old bones was truly gratifying.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @seagrapeproperties
Image Credits
Tory Benoit