We recently connected with Laura Micallef and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Laura, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I always remember wanting to be an interior designer. As a child, I thought about other career paths as a nurse, a teacher or a flight attendant but my love of homes drew me back to my true desire. My grandfather built the house he lived in with my grandmother. I thought that was so wonderful he built the home they lived in and raised their family. It was a red brick Cape Cod style house with white trim. There was a cellar, an attic and a large vegetable garden. My grandmother cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner from her small kitchen with the fresh grown vegetables from the garden. My sisters and I had so much fun running around the house as kids. We would explore the many treasures in the attic. I can still hear the sound of the oak stair treads in my head. The love which flowed in the house gave me my love for homes.
Laura, 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 graduated SDSU with a degree in Interior Design. My first job was a Hospitality Designer for bars and restaurants in the Gaslamp District of downtown San Diego. It was great fun to be part of the growing scene.
My life changed. I got married and had a family. Needing more reflexible hours, I started my own residential interior design business. I drew on the love of my grandparents home to inspire me. Clients come to me with a desire to beautify their homes. They
want their surroundings to bring them peace and comfort. I get great joy in offering them my design services. My speciality is to get to know my clients and to unique the design of their home to who they are as people. I remember exploring my grandparents
home as a child, so I explore my clients homes. I talk with them about who they are and what their needs are for their space. I love to look at their household treasures of art, family pictures, antiques and travel memorabilia
These treasures have meaning to them, I imagine, as I have fond memories of my grandparents home. My goal is to incorporate their treasures into their newly designed space, to a create a space that is unique for them.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative in your experience?
I am an Interior Designer because I love to bring beauty to the world. The beauty I share is making others happy with a remodeled kitchen or bathroom or freshly painted room or new furniture. Whatever my clients need, in the end, there is a beautiful space. A space which has been designed uniquely for them with their old and new treasures. This is my art which is designed for others happiness and gives me great joy.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Besides loving what I do as an Interior Designer, I keep the spirit of my grandparents with me along the way. I think of my grandfather’s determination in building his home for his family and how proud he was of his home. Times were tough for my grandparents. They lived through the depression and WWII. They saved money for the land and built their home. My grandparents raised a loving family there and shared a lifetime of memories. What a special place I have to hold in my heart. This carries me through the good times and the bad; all the love I shared in my grandparents home. Their love and determination make me a better person – a better designer.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.BluePoppyDesign.net
- Instagram: Blue Poppy Design
Image Credits
Photographers: Noah Gilman and Casey Lorz