Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tamela Greene. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tamela, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about how you got your first non-friend, non-family client. Paint the picture for us so we can feel the same excitement you felt on that day.

I did a major gut renovation to an apartment in NYC for myself. I had a party and a few people saw my house and were like Whoa…who knew you could do this? I did not even know I could do it but I am so pleased with how my business has come together. One particular couple I knew only a little through mutual friends were in the process of buying a house in the Hamptons and asked me if I would design the interiors. This is a person who did not know me very well, but knew of my taste level, and had just seen my own home. I firmly believe this couple took a calculated risk on me and I am happy to say they became very good friends. I was very nervous as the house was quite large and needed everything down to the silverware. I worked exclusively for them for 6 months as we were also on a tight time frame and I remember being nervous to send out the first invoice. But they could see how much I had done in the first 30 days and the decisions they could make quickly based on my extensive research. I have always had vision and am able to see the final results clearly in my mind. But sometimes that is quite hard to reveal to other people. When I photographed that home and saw the results behind a lense it might have been one of my most proud moments. There is something to seeing your work in a way that you can share it with other people that brings a lot of pride.

Tamela, 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 worked in fashion for a long time in NYC and I decided to segue into home interiors after doing three renovations for myself. There are so many similarities in these two industries. Designing a collection is very similar to designing a room. I think this sets me apart from other designers because I have a strong sense of how to use color, texture and scale which is similar to say creating a sweater or a coat that must fit well and be comfortable. Spatial issues are one of the most important in design because you get this wrong and the whole project is off. If you look at my portfolio you will see how I use color in ways that feels fresh and right for the room. Sometimes in chairs, in lighting, and art especially. It is just as important to know when to come in big or to come in like a whisper. I am also ½ New Yorker and ½ Texan so there is a lot going on inside my head at all times. 

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

It takes a while to find your people, your vendors, your suppliers, your freelancers. It is really trial and error. I used one reupholster on a job that I thought was going to be great because he came from a reliable referral. He was good enough but not great. Some of his work started to show signs of wear really quickly. I felt terrible of course and had to seek out new people which is time consuming. Sometimes people do not want to share their resources with you and I do get that. Eventually I found my floor person who did a great job for me, the upholsterer, the window treatment person etc. I could have been up and running quicker if I had started with the great team I have now. It just took a while longer that I had hoped to put the team in place.

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

My business is 100% referrals so my goal with every customer is they are happy enough to refer me to their friends. I will work very hard with all the small details to make sure the end result is close to perfection, Every trim on a pillow, every lighting fixture, the height of outlets, rug sizes etc. are just right. This means I am overthinking everything and sometimes I have a hard time sleeping at night but my focus is getting a happy client every single day.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.greathousenyc.com
• Instagram: @greathousenyc
• Facebook: Greathousenyc
• Linkedin: Tamela Greathouse Greene

Image Credits
marco ricca costa christ media karrie king photography