We were lucky to catch up with Maryline Damour recently and have shared our conversation below.

Maryline, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I’m an interiors and garden designer and the founder of an annual design showhouse. After 15 years in corporate America, I returned to school to study design at Parsons. I didn’t get a job the first two years after finishing school. I took that time to create the annual Kingston Design Showhouse to better connect the design-build industry in Upstate NY. Through that process (and being a participant in my own showhouse), I gained a good amount of press and then design work.

Maryline, 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?

I studied design at Parsons in NYC after a career in marketing and crisis management working with Fortune 500 companies. Though I studied interior design, I’m also a garden designer after my home was published during the pandemic. That also led to my becoming a contributing editor at House Beautiful writing about garden design.

I’m principal designer at Damour Drake (www.damourdrake.com). We build houses from the ground up; renovations; additions; and interiors and gardens for our clients. Our full-service firm means that our clients don’t have to manage or schedule multiple contractors as we have the competency in house. This saves both time and money. Our work has been published regionally in the Hudson Valley where we live; nationally in Elle Decor, Architectural Digest and The NY Times to name a few publications and even internationally! It’s amazing to be recognized but even better to have clients that we have long-term relationships with!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I love to mentor people in design as their second career. We launch new talent each year in our design showhouse and, having had that experience personally, I always take the time to share any insights I have about reinventing oneself when folks reach out

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The idea that what you do is all you do. I can’t tell you how many times my previous skills in client management and communication have helped in
my current work. I believe that skill sets are fungible; it’s a question of how creative you are in applying them to new situations.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.damourdrake.com
• Instagram: @maryline_damour
• Facebook: Kingston Design Connection

Image Credits

Children’s room: Sargent Photo
Breakfast Room: Phil Mansfield
Kitchen: Chris Mottalini
Garden: Emily Frances Olson
Photo of me: Aube Giroux