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

Nancy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

I dove headfirst into professional design in 2015, fresh out of my MFA in Interior Architecture & Design in San Francisco. I was as an entry-level Interior Designer at a design firm in the city, a level above an Intern, a level and several years below mid-level Interior Designer. I was green, dedicated, passionate and excited. I knew I was inexperienced and craved to glean every bit of wisdom from a mentor. My hope was that my superior would be that mentor. During the interview, the firm’s primary & leading Interior Designers seemed to really like me and were impressed by my MFA thesis project. They gave me positive and constructive feedback about my presentation of the MFA thesis.

My coworker was preparing for maternity leave and briefed me on her role before I was scheduled to take it over. To continue fulfilling her role in the project, I was paired with the leading & expert Interior Designers and instructed to begin working on completing the FF&E (furnishings, fixtures & equipment design, and specification) for our golf resort design project. I was wrapping up the project with my leading Interior Designer’s instructions to strive for completion over perfection as we were working toward a first draft only. Our collaboration and rapport with one another flowed smoothly and seemed ideal, until a mid-level Interior Designer with an axe to grind moved to our office from a different location in the same firm.

Though eager to learn and grow in this role and company, the respect I had earned came into question with her arrival. After submitting my finished work to her, she instructed me to go back and redo all of it with perfect standards, since the result would now reflect on her. When our lead Interior Designer addressed our late submittals, the mid-level Interior Designer accused me of lying about submitting completed work to her, then detailed pages of small edits she had made, which was in her job description. Somehow, I was being blamed for being imperfect and requiring my boss to do her job, which were my instructions in the first place. I never expected that my superior would strategically pose as my friend then bully and use me as a scapegoat regularly. To cover up her poor leadership, she put me and my work down. I was shocked and didn’t feel in a position to stand up for myself, so I passively took the fall repeatedly. The leading and expert Interior Designers were now questioning me, my work and time management, and treating me with anger and distrust. This attitude spread through the team, and with it, came harsh treatment and conflicting feedback. If I asked questions, I was being insufferable and should’ve known better. If I didn’t ask questions, I was irresponsible for not knowing my place.

To add insult to injury, the primary Interior Designer was making fun of my curly hair. In addition to being rude, because of her White privilege, she did not understand that what she was saying was racist. My curly roots represent my Coptic Egyptian roots, and my heritage is not up for criticism. My curls, skin color, and curves represent my ethnic diversity. I choose to wear my hair naturally in resistance against White privilege, which pressures BIPOC women to straighten their hair, whiten their skin and flatten their curves. The most senior person in the office confirmed systemic racism and unconscious bias- she decided to treat me differently due to my unique physical appearance.

I learned I was pregnant while I was regularly working 13-hour days, sometimes pulling all-nighters, skipping lunches, commuting 2.5 hours each day through foul overcrammed rapid transit, employing perfectionist standards per the new mid-level Interior Designer’s request, training two interns, and volunteering to represent the firm in a fashion design show during weekends. I began to get cramps and was implicitly pressured by the leading Interior Designer in the office that day that I should stay and finish my deliverable instead of going into urgent care (she did not know I was pregnant) so I did. Then I visited my OBGYN, who confirmed that I should take it easy, so I took several days off. When I received an email notifying my sick leave was ending, I decided to resign immediately via email, and as unprofessional as that was, I whole-heartedly stand by my decision. My baby, health and family took precedence over this cutthroat, abusive environment.

Finally, I took time to recover physically, and then interviewed for some new positions. When I did not land or love any, I began brainstorming how I would open my own Interior Design Studio. During this process, I had my daughter, then my son and decided to stay home full time to care for them both. I spent those years at home emotionally healing from my toxic professional experience and had seen others in both Architecture and Interior Design industries struggle similarly. So, I became determined to contribute to a positive solution in the industry. I believe holistically that mutual love and respect should be the foundation for every interaction, both personal and professional. That is the vision I continue to pursue today. My purpose is to create holistically healing homes which honor the whole family and help them thrive harmoniously. Because of this experience, I empowered myself to move forward and create a progressive atmosphere in my new Interior Design Studio, Holistic Home Designs.

My Lessons Learned:

1. Self-Care. Healing is paramount to your holistic health. Your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health are all energetic currencies. You need to preserve and restore your energy before you’re able to share it. Be sure to invest it wisely.
2. Firstly, you must respect and value yourself. Treating yourself with compassion enables you to treat others similarly.
3. Approve of yourself and count yourself worthy of your blessings, talents, and position. Walk in grateful assurance, be secure in your value, love yourself, trust your instinct and appreciate your hard work.
4. Your voice is a strong catalyst for progress, guiding others on how to treat you. Boundaries are the guidelines instructing them on what you will and will not accept. Honoring your inner voice is a much higher priority than pleasing others.
5. Ask yourself, “Is this space the right fit for me?” “Will I thrive or suffocate here?” “Do people here see my potential?” “Are they willing to invest in me?” “Will I be propelled forward or held back?”
6. You can go at it alone, but we are meant to advance together as a collective. There’s an abundance of success to go around and it is much sweeter when it is shared.
7. You can transform your pain into purpose when you’re willing and ready. As a creative, you must create to feel alive. Commit to your gift and overcome every obstacle so you can enjoy employing it and benefit from the outcome. Enjoy your talent and allow others to enjoy it too.
8. If you have a unique perspective, pursue it persistently. Move to change what you know can be improved. Follow your intuition, identify your platform, and create a pathway for yourself to manifest your visions.
9. Experience One way or another, you will gain it and grow in your field. If you step out in faith to forge your unique path, the failures along the way will help guide you, if you allow them. In the end, this experience is worthwhile and rewarding.
10. Leadership A leader, unlike a boss, is an inspirational individual seeking to evolve and be edified by elevating themself and those in their circle of influence.

Nancy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am Founder & Principal Interior Designer of Holistic Home Designs, HHD, an Interior Design Studio in San Ramon, California. I passionately pursue holistically healthy and harmonious homes for my client families in the East Bay Area, California, and the greater United States. I empower families to form healing homes that honor their children, enabling them to thrive in harmony together with others and nature.

I absolutely love molding blank canvases or outdated spaces into stunning, innovative, and inviting interiors. I founded HHD because I believe in offering clients with a unique design perspective, a holistically healthy & harmonious approach, and a respectful foundation for all designer-client relationships.

My passion for design is founded on the premise that space is a reflective extension of what is within us and has the power to inspire us to be and do our best. As an Interior Designer, I envision how a house can be renewed and evolved into a beautiful home and relish in the opportunity to support my clients take the steps to make those changes.

Studying Interior Architecture & Design including industry standards for sustainability, my Interior Design approach is architecturally and sustainably informed. Having an education in Society, Ethics, Human Behavior & Human Rights helps me understand and create healing spaces for my clients. Being organically connected to nature and mindful of how our environment effects our health, my vision is naturally formed with clean (toxin-free) products as much as possible.

Overall, I define this new approach of “Holistic” Interior Design as a whole-person perspective that serves the family’s needs in terms of Mind, Body, Soul & Spirit and to include every aspect and part of the home. I exclusively create Contemporary designs and strive to be mindful of the context of the existing architecture, location, history, modern design techniques, as well as industry innovators and legends. Interior Design is a delicate balance of a family’s diverse aesthetics, my personal artistic expression, the needs of the family who yearns to enjoy their home, and a symbiotic partnership built on mutual respect and trust.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

It is a supreme creative accomplishment for me to see my designs come to life, from a 2 and 3-dimensional digital and print representation to a physical manifestation is incredible. Since I crave to create beauty, I’m eager to see my visual ideation come to fruition tangibly.

The epitome of a successful and rewarding project for me, is when I walk through a home that has been transformed and I respond to it positively. It is amazing to get praise from a client, but the most gratifying result is experiencing that internal response myself in a walk-through. As a Creative, I respond to my environment intuitively and immediately and set high standards for myself, so it is so satisfying to believe I have served my client well and accomplished the goals we envisioned from the beginning.

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It is a supreme creative accomplishment for me to see my designs come to life, from a 2 and 3-dimensional digital and print representation to a physical manifestation is incredible. Since I crave to create beauty, I’m eager to see my visual ideation come to fruition tangibly.

The epitome of a successful and rewarding project for me, is when I walk through a home that has been transformed and I respond to it positively. It is amazing to get praise from a client, but the most gratifying result is experiencing that internal response myself in a walk-through. As a Creative, I respond to my environment intuitively and immediately and set high standards for myself, so it is so satisfying to believe I have served my client well and accomplished the goals we envisioned from the beginning.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.holistichomedesigns.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holistic_home_designs/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/holistichomedesigns/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyfarage/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/holistic-home-designs-san-ramon
• Other: Houzz: https://www.houzz.com/pro/holistichomedesigns/holistic-home-designs Moro: https://moro.com/nancyfarage_hhd Bark: https://www.bark.com/en/us/company/holistic-home-designs/2OYD9/

Image Credits
Birdseye Imaging LLC