Look Up From Your iPhone

Looking back at my younger years, I would like to think I was a good kid. I stayed out of trouble, was respectful to my elders, played sports, and only “sometimes” gave away my dinner veggies to my dog. I will admit my parents did have their hands full when it came to my views on how they should design their house. After voicing my opinion I decided to take it upon my self to “PLAY”. I would often rearrange the living room furniture while they were out shopping. Upon their return, it was unclear if those shocked expressions were due to the fact that their ten-year-old daughter moved the sofa, or because they realized that this could be the start of a young girl’s dream to becoming a designer. Fast-forward sixteen years—and many more sofa-moving surprises—my passion for design has blossomed into a career I love.

NeoCon East Philadelphia! October 28 and 29, 2015

Last week I attended my very first NeoCon East expo in Philadelphia! 

I felt like a kid in a candy store, and I didn’t know what to look at or touch first. Over all, it was a positive experience to see the different vendors and their creative solutions for workplace design. By designing a functional workplace, this not only improves a person’s attitude at work but can enhance their health and well-being, as well. 

“Design must seduce, shape and perhaps most importantly evoke an emotional response.”- Unknown

As a young designer, I am fascinated with environmental psychology and how it has an effect on an individual. Whether we are aware of it or not, every day we are affected in some way by the environments in which we live, work, and play. Inspiration is all around, and there is a TON of things in NYC that can be easily transformed into design.

If I can create a space that allows busy New Yorkers to pause, look up from their iPhones and iPads, and take in and admire an interior space I have had the privilege of designing, then I will know the career path I have chosen for myself is a perfect fit!

Darlene Miller, Designer