Today we’d like to introduce you to Shila Griffith

Hi Shila, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

I knew I wanted to be an interior designer since I was 13. I went to Philadelphia University (now Jefferson University) for my bachelor’s degree in interior design. Immediately after I pursued my master’s in sustainable design at the same university. While I was in college, I had internships that spanned corporate design, sustainable design and high-end architecture.

After graduate school I was offered a full-time position at the architecture firm. Being that my background was in interiors, I got a clearer insight into their expertise including structure and how it relates to back interior design decisions. Also, since the work was high-end virtually everything was custom, which honed my detailing skills. At the time the architecture firm focused solely on traditional architecture which increased my appreciation for older homes. This heavily contrasted my college experience as the curriculum mostly focused on modern architecture and design.

After about 3 years I really started to miss interior design. We practiced interior architecture at the architecture firm which was fantastic, but we didn’t make many fixture, furniture or interior finish selections. In addition, I’d already worked at enough different companies that I identified a lot of inefficiencies that I wanted to avoid. That’s when I started toying with the idea of starting my own firm.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

No, I don’t know that you can run a business without some struggles along the way. I think you just get more comfortable with seasons of being uncomfortable.

Since we work in the building and design industry there are always curveballs, especially during construction. We’re constantly needing to troubleshoot during renovations. The older the home, typically the more surprises we find.

Working with clients and contractors can be very challenging. Renovations can be VERY stressful. There is a lot of money involved, construction schedules unexpectedly change, and you need to manage multiple relationships at all times. One rough project can influence your entire workflow for months at a time.

This year in particular has been difficult because my father passed away. Grief is exhausting. When I went back to the office I wanted to hit the ground running, but I just couldn’t. I was so emotionally drained that easy tasks seemed difficult because I just didn’t have the energy. Thank goodness I have such a wonderful team that helped keep all of our projects on track.

That being said, when you have a team there’s a whole other layer of stress because you need to be able to support yourself and provide enough work so that your team can support themselves as well.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?

SG23 Design is a boutique interior design firm based in South Jersey. We work on both residential and commercial projects—we especially love renovations that involve space planning!

We’re a bit different in that our clients are just as interested in our project management services as the designs we create.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?

Our design studio is in a small town called Riverton. It’s a quiet river town with lovely old homes and history. This is definitely a suburban town, but we’re literally a 5 minute drive from the bridge leading into Philadelphia. As a result, about half of our projects tend to be in South Jersey, while the other half tend to be in Philly and the surrounding areas.

There isn’t much I dislike about Riverton, but I wish there was a general store and more restaurants!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sg23design.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sg23design/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sg23design

Image Credits

Rebecca McAlpin

Kristina Kroot

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