We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Julia Chasman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Julia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

This is my second career, so it goes without saying that I wish I had started it sooner. I was a creative in my past career — a film producer, and did that work for many years. When I decided to make the switch into home design and decor, I had no choice but to show my work in a home that I owned. I bought a fixer in Highland Park, at that time an “up and coming” neighborhood on Los Angeles’s east side. I invested my own money, and designed and supervised a gut renovation, refiguring the floor plan and adding a second bathroom. I also designed and planted a large back garden and added a parking area. When I was done I staged it with my own furnishings and paid for professional photography, before I sold it. I told myself it was profitable, but I’m not really sure, but I came out of it whole. Then I did it again with another house in nearby Eagle Rock. I was more confident this time, and changed from a licensed contractor who told me all the things I was doing wrong, to an unlicensed but talented builder who was game to execute my vision. This one came out even better, and sold with 11 offers. I sent it to the editor of Cottages & Bungalows magazine cold without an introduction, and she wanted to publish. They did their own photo shoot, adding to my styling, and I learned a lot about what makes a house shine from an editorial lens. The story is still on their website. After it was sold I reached out to the 10 people who had made offers (most over asking price) but didn’t get the house. I told them I could find them a similar house, and if they bought it and hired me, I could create the same magic. From that original group of buyers I did projects for 3 of them, and this launched my business working for clients.

This had been my goal but I didn’t realize how much changes when you are working in a service capacity, as opposed to just following your own instincts and taste, making your own gambles. But continuing to invest my own money wasn’t feasible as an ongoing business model. I wish I had known to charge what I really needed to be profitable right from the beginning, instead of pricing myself as a bargain, which I thought I had to do. 6 or 7 years later I do things differently, and am constantly learning from my mistakes on each job. A big milestone was getting a professional contract and insisting that it be signed. Before that I had done things based on a rough agreement in texts and emails, I’m embarrassed to admit. Another milestone was switching from a flat fee billing model — almost always a money-loser — to an hourly rate for most work.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’ve already talked about how I got started, so I’ll continue with what my business is like now!

Julia Chasman Design is a small luxury design firm, concentrating on residential design with a strong focus on renovations NS remodeling, and a keen interest in older homes from different historical periods. We create the remodeling plans and take you through the build, helping you hire the necessary building team, and going all the way to full decoration when possible — what the design world calls F, F and E. We also sometimes work on a decor-only job, although it’s a rare job that doesn’t involve some construction work. I have learned that we are the experts you need to help you live in your home more functionally, making sure that you are living in each room in the way that works the best for you and your family — including pets! — and streamlining the process as much as we can to help you on what can be a confusing and stressful journey.

Once we agree on a design plan, I like to work out a general building plan that takes into account the lives of my clients. Where will they live during the build? How long will it take? (Always longer than they think). While the ideal situation is always an empty house to work in, this is rarely the reality. During Covid-times, we renovated a kitchen and main floor bathroom with a family of 5 living and working (and home schooling) upstairs during the entire job. There was one usable bathroom for all of them, and cooking was moved to an outdoor patio with a laundry sink hooked up to do dishes. It was difficult to say the least! But there was no other option for them, and the results were worth it, for all of us.

We can also help you plan our your dream home in stages if you can’t afford to do it all at once. We favor making the master plan first, so you don’t waste money on placekeeper choices that will later need to be replaced.

We aim to create warm and livable environments that reflect our clients’ taste and history as well as incorporating our own preferences and style. Often the best jobs start when the clients have a strong connection to the work of ours that they’ve seen on our website or social media. Since it’s a very intimate job — part psychologist, part cheerleader, part marriage counselor — the better we get to know our clients, the better job we can do, and the better the results. The name of the game is trust, and that has to be built, so time spent asking questions, learning about their travels and schooling, likes and dislikes, levels of neatness or lack thereof is just as important as asking them their favorite colors or preference for pattern or design styles.

I think I was most proud of a recent job where the beginning was rocky; they weren’t vibing with many of our ideas, and couldn’t seem to picture many of the schemes I was pitching. At a certain point, they just started to trust us — maybe after seeing their old sofa reupholstered in a luscious new fabric, and looking brand new. Faced with another decision on a selection they weren’t sure about, my client said — “We’re on the journey now! We trust you. Go for it.”

I want my followers and potential clients to know that I am flexible, that I have a sense of humor, that I am listening when they talk — but I may not give up on an idea when I hear a “no.” I will probably circle back to it a few more times, hoping that I have created that trust to turn a “no” into a “maybe’ and a maybe into a “yes.”

Another key company concern is the role of design in our embattled environment. We don’t like things going into landfills, and will always start out aiming to reuse what you have — give it new life, or to donate or sell what we need to get rid of. I’m willing to work harder to do these things, and I’m learning new skills all the time when it comes to recycling and to using less toxic ingredients. The furniture, textile and paint and paper industries are heavy polluters in general — but some much more than others. The choices we make with our wallets influence the future of our planet, and we want to be on the right side of that equation. I’ve learned how to recycle old carpet; you have to cut it up into a certain size, and truck it to a carpet recycling center — but we’re lucky to have a program in Los Angeles that does this; many areas don’t have that option yet. We can advise about Grey water systems, which allow you to reuse your water after washing and cleaning, and irrigate your garden with it. Not everyone will be interested in these ideas, but we are here for you if you want to learn about it, and we’re keen to learn more of these fixes.

At the end of the day we are proud of our style and use of color — lots of color! — and interesting fabrics, tile, natural stone, and all the materials that go into bringing your home to life. We love antiques and vintage pieces, which are by definition environmentally friendly, as they are being reused. We favor a relaxed but sometimes bold layered aesthetic, that looks like it was assembled over years, not installed in one day. We want your favorite rooms to look like inviting cozy havens -= not like pages out of a magazine or catalogue.

We love art, sculpture and accessories and think no home is complete without them; we’ll help you find what you like if you’re not sure. We love plants! They are good for you — for the air you breathe and the atmosphere in your living space.

Lighting is key to a successful interior, and we favor lamps and simple wall or ceiling fixtures, not recessed cans, which are unflattering and can look very dated. I’m always amazed by how many people think they have to have them. But I’m also used to often hearing that people have them, and rarely use them.

We want to know what your dream home looks like and help you achieve it.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

One of the challenging relationships in my job is working with a general contractor, and sometimes this can be fraught. All the contractors I’ve worked with have been men, and while they vary in age, ethnicity, levels of experience and more, they almost all start out thinking they know more than I do. Sometimes I am the one hiring them — but sometimes they are hired by a client, and a power struggle can ensue. On a big job a few years ago I found myself working with a builder who was an acquaintance of the client’s — someone they had met at their church. I thought he seemed like a nice guy, and approved the choice, since he also had the best bid.

He soon started talking down to me, and criticizing my drawings and designs, which I took in stride; it wasn’t the first time I’d had to deal with that. But I also noticed he was a yeller — bossing his crew around, and generally being unpleasant. I witnessed this several times, but my client was usually not at home during the day. And soon he turned his anger in my direction, turning from unpleasant to downright hostile. He made a big construction error too, as he had not consulted the engineering specs closely enough, and a huge steel beam in the kitchen had to be disguised by a design fix after it was 6″ out of whack with where it was meant to be. He blamed me and my engineer. My client had become aware of some of the problems, but was clearly afraid to confront him or call him out. I considered quitting, as I don’t like to put myself in situations where I know I’m being disrespected, and that this would soon turn to abuse. But … I’m not a quitter! And it was MY project — I created the design, which was a big reworking of the floor plan — hence the long structural beam to replace the missing wall. I decided to wait him out, and ignore him as best I could. He made more mistakes and went over-budget. I said nothing to my client, but I saw that she knew!

One day he started screaming at me in front of my client, and she came back at him. She fired him! She was so angry. He cleared out that same afternoon, and I actually didn’t know where I stood in the whole debacle; my client was so upset she couldn’t talk to me about it. Was I fired too? But the next day she called me and apologized for how he had treated me, and asked me to help her find a new builder. We lost a few weeks, but I found someone who could finish the job, and was nice while doing it! I wasn’t gloating or relishing the experience, but I knew I had survived something, and I got tosee the job through. It came out great. There’s a story coming out next month in Country Living magazine on this very kitchen!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

There are so many design books in my home that they are stacked everywhere, and I consult them constantly. I’m a big consumer of all the quality shelter magazines too, but I find that books, with their beautiful collections of photographs of one designer’s style, or of a certain era in architecture, are the best source of inspiration to me when working on a new project.

But during Covid I discovered design podcasts! This has changed my life in a more profound way in terms of what I have learned about the design BUSINESS. Because I started without much formal training — only a few semesters of classes at UCLA School of Architecture and Design — I concentrated on learning what I needed to know to start drawing floor plans, and that was it. I’ve always read about design and art, and am an avid museum-goer and consumer of all the arts, but I knew nothing about business really! I had been a film producer for many years, but mostly I worked for bigger companies, and I’d never run a small business, as I learned a design firm is.

I must have been naive, but I thought an eponymous design firm — say, Michael S. Smith — was basically a one=man band, with maybe some personal assistants! I had no idea!!

Through many wonderful episodes of design podcasts — Business of Home being the very best — but many others too, I got to listen to dozens of home designers talk about how they stared their businesses. I learned how many designers are actually unschooled in design — like me! I learned who their first hires were — and, more importantly, what the different positions are within a design firm. I didn’t know about Project Managers, or what “Procurement” was, or that a small firm might have several other interior designers, both junior and senior on their staffs. I loved hearing about the various journeys, how many people started in another field, and of course about their biggest disasters or worst clients-ever.

By listening to the personalities of these various guests I got a sense of whom I most related to, whom I was most like or wanted to pattern myself after. And I found that I have fashioned many of my current business goals along the lines of advice from those people. I know now that I don’t want a big firm — but need a few more people. And I have a plan for how to scale my business. And now I know what “scaling” a business means; I didn’t before!

The hosts on these podcasts are also a font of wisdom and some of my favorites have been Dennis Scully, of course, Anastasia Casey of IDCO Collective, and Ariel Okin and Paloma Contreras — themselves designers. I also have bought business products from IDCO Collective — like the template for my Design Services Contract, since they are a company that caters exclusively to the design world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://juliachasmandesign.com
• Instagram: @juliachasmandesign
• Facebook: RubberTreePlant/Julia Chasman Design
• Other: https://www.houzz.com/pro/juliachasmandesign/julia-chasman-design

Image Credits
1) Tramp Studio 2) Bret Gum 3) Jenna Peffley 4) Jenna Peffley 5) Bret Gum 6) Jenna Peffley 7) Julia Chasman 8) Bret Gum