We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Demetrios Christopoulos. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Demetrios below.

Demetrios, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?
Since I have experienced design in many areas; furniture, motor vehicles, sculpture, product design and interiors, I can see the common threads they share; we have finally arrived at the place where slimline linear ac supply diffusers are so sleek, they have replaced those ugly metal rectangular grilles. Being able to spread 400 cubic feet per minute of cool air through a 1″ wall slot the whole length of a room, it can become the equivalent of a reveal, part of a design, and no longer a blight.. People are learning to select the hidden flush fire sprinkler heads and making those go away as well. We are using linear drains in the shower, the expected round hole you were stepping on is vanishing………..modernism is coming back, the flat roofs are primary starters of this new era. History repeats itself, last time we did homes with flat roofs we later found out it was better to get the rainwater off faster that holding it like a swimming pool and hoping the drain holes dont get clogged and our roof collapses.. We will again recognize that critical function must come before a style statement. I see how green tinted glass can make an exterior more beautiful, and that seemingly frosted glass around the conference room can be made totally translucent by running an electrical charge through it, I see South Floridians who dont want to give up living in paradise because of sea level rise warnings. They have researchers and creatives offering ideas for building their first level ready for flooding and choosing their living spaces on the second level, we all love South Florida and are willing to adapt !!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Ok here goes, I have always been top of my class whether in high school or university…………but what sets me apart from others is my ability to envision “more than” and further ahead than others. I was born to innovate. With maturity I am able to accept the tried and true methods and seek innovation only in areas that could stand improvement. I am not interested in producing any wacky statements. Form, function and beauty must co-exist and drive the design. I was born in Athens, Greece in 1962 and emigrated to the USA at 4-1/2 with legal papers signed by Gerald Ford before he became president. I believe my Greek DNA to be an advantage in architecture. I am also a Gemini, who are known to bring two opposite traits together. For me it would be a love of structural elements that I sculpt to create beauty. the end result is honest artistic expression derived from form follows function with embellishment in areas where it does not diminish its structure or function but enhances it. This is the Greek way, the column serves it structural purpose, yet is adorned with fluting and its embellished capital. Though I mention a classical element, it was incredibly modern for its time, I too am not a copier but an original. I look to the future more than the past.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
To the point……….we all fall into 3 primary categories………….1) the giver 2) the taker 3) the balanced, fair trader…………………..for the last 7 plus years I have given more than I received……….you get more bees with honey than you do vinegar……….since I love my career………….I think I give people the sense that it is not all about the money for us, we like to make the customer feel they are getting a solid value. And that is certainly helping us grow…………

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
OK, here comes the shocking backstory……………..I lived in a 9′ x 9′ room in grad school with almost everything I owned up to the ceiling, I basically had a gopher hole leading to my bed and and a small flat surface for my laptop. In order to compete with younger grad students, I had to fill entire lengths of walls with my presentations, even though I felt my designs were superior, if you dont communicate that through your drawings and graphics, how does anyone know? With one year of grad school left, the unthinkable happened, I was attacked by someone very close to me physically, spiritually and mentally. They literally told me to quit my quest to become an architect. This led to a horrific bicycle crash right after my attack I was so freaked out, I went to the police later, none of the neighbors helped me, I could not walk well for 1-1/2 years, I had to fund multiple trips to Chicago to help heal my injuries to left foot, shoulder and knee. I lived the nightmare, I barely survived from years of immense pain, and it was almost the depression that did me in…………but then I slowly began to rise and kept climbing,……….. today I am back bicycling, lifting weights and Argentine tango dancing. I fought my way back, its all you can ask from anyone.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.demetriosdesign.net
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