Ann Wingate is an interior designer who specializes in offices and financial institutions.
WHAT ELSE DOES SHE DO?
She also does interior designing for homes. “Most of my career has been commercial which was primarily offices and financial institutions.” But since she opened her own company in 1989, she does both commercial and residential.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT DESIGNING FOR COMMERCIAL SPACES?
“They are usually larger spaces and typically the space planning is more challenging. I enjoy learning how other businesses operate and helping them make their businesses run better as a result of the space planning. Even the aesthetics can make it better.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT DESIGNING FOR RESIDENTIAL SPACES?
“I like human contact. The projects are usually a little quicker and you can see results much faster.”
CREATIVE OUTLET?
“It offers a chance to be creative and an opportunity to play with color, beautiful materials and manipulate space. It’s kind of fun.”
WHO WERE HER MOST RECENT CLIENTS?
The Varn Companies, Archibald J. Thomas III law office, Dawn Dion Salon and Day Spa, Community State Bank of Starke and Draughon Professional Association.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT INTERIOR DESIGN?
“Every day is something different. The activities are varied between space planning, meetings and working with materials. Usually when you get called it’s because there is a difficulty and I enjoy resolving the problems.”
HOW DID SHE GET INTO INTERIOR DESIGN?
“I think I was born to be an interior designer because I started doing floor plans when I was 12 years old. I just enjoyed it. It was about the time my parents were looking for a house to buy so we went to look at a lot of different houses. It got to the point where I would look forward to the house of the week in the Sunday newspaper. I’d sit and analyze the plans and then I would draw other plans and my mother would analyze them.”
WHY DIDN’T SHE BECOME AN ARCHITECT?
“Because I’m a girl. It was not very common [for women to be architects] at all when I was in school. If I was born today, I probably would have moved in that direction, but I still would probably be very interested in interiors because I really like textiles and color. I really have a very good eye for color, which I think is more useful to me in interiors than it would be in architecture.”
BIRTHPLACE
Ithaca, N.Y.
COLLEGE
She has a bachelor’s degree in interior design from University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
AFTER COLLEGE.
She moved to Jacksonville and worked for several designers. “They had a mix of commercial and residential projects.” She then moved on to facilities design five years before moving to California where she worked for a firm who did all of the interior design work for E. F. Hutton Group Inc. She then moved back to Jacksonville and worked for Intraspace Design Inc. until she opened her own firm in 1989.
WHERE DOES SHE GET BUSINESS From ?
Referrals from past clients. “I have a comfortable work load right now.”
OFFICE LOCATION?
She has office space at 334 E. Duval St., where her husband Earl Barker is a partner in the Slott & Barker law practice.
PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS
She has earned the American Society of Interior Designers designation and is an immediate past president of the ASID’s North Florida chapter.
AWARDS
She won a first place design award for her Dawn Dion Salon and Day Spa design from ASID.
HOBBIES
She sings in the chancel choir at Christ Episcopal Church and enjoys yoga, snow skiing and riding her bike on the beach.
FAVORITES
A recent movie she saw and would recommend was “Lord of the Rings.” A good book she recommends is “The Red Tent” by Anita Diamant. When traveling she enjoys Italy, San Francisco or Santa Fe, N. Mex. While relaxing at home, she enjoys tuning into “Frasier” and when dining out, she enjoys Bistro Aix.