Leigh Tunnell has been an interior designer with Gresham Smith and Partners for three and a half years.
WHAT DOES SHE DO?
She works in the corporate interior design department. “We do mostly corporate and tenant buildouts while working with our in-house architects, and architects outside of our office. We do a lot of space planning and interior architectural detail like designing reception desks and bars. We also do furniture and color selection.”
SPACE PLANNING?
“A lot of time we will just get the shell space, which is just an outline of the building or the room that a client wants to move into. We meet with the customer and find out what their needs are, how many employees there are and how they interact. Our office calls that work place consulting. What it basically means is that we try to plan the space to make it more efficient and that things function better than they did in their last space. After that we do the color selection, wall coverings, paint and carpet.”
COLORS?
Tunnell said some companies like to base their color scheme on their logo while others want their office space to reflect the energy in the company. “In your interviews with the company, you get to know their personalities so you try to match the color scheme to them and how they work. You take all those elements and find what works best.”
CLIENTS?
YMCA, Foley & Lardner and PGA Tour Properties. “We do a lot of clubhouse design and currently are working on the clubhouse at Palencia.”
HOW DID SHE GET INTO INTERIOR DESIGN?
“I was always interested in architecture, interior design and space planning. So, when I went to college, I looked into their programs and interior design seemed to be the best one that suited what I was interested in.”
COLLEGE
She has a bachelor’s degree in interior design from Auburn University.
WHAT DOES SHE LIKE ABOUT HER JOB?
“Every day is something different which is one reasons I really like what I do. Each project you have to come up with a new idea and something that is completely different than the last project you worked on.”
BEFORE GRESHAM SMITH AND PARTNERS?
She worked for Cox, Kliewer & Company, an architectural firm in Virginia Beach for five years.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT INTERIOR DESIGN?
“My favorite part is that it is always something different and you have to be creative and think of a way to help a company brand who they are with what their space feels like. When you walk in the door of an office, you get a general feel, whether it’s you feel like you are at home or a certain type of energy. I like being able to produce those effects for people.”
LESSONS LEARNED
“Never go in with preconceived ideas of what a project is going to be. Some of the projects that you think are going to be the most mundane have been some of the more interesting ones.”
ADVICE FOR NEW INTERIOR DESIGNERS?
“To be willing to learn from people in your industry whether it be the senior interior designers or architects. Some people come in thinking they learned everything they needed to know in school, and there is so much more that you can learn by listening and watching others. Sometimes the little tasks that you have to do that you don’t think you will learn anything from are the things that teach you the most.”
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
She is the vice president of student affairs for the International Interior Design Association, on the membership committee for Commercial Real Estate Women of Jacksonville and is on the Discovery Board of the Ronald McDonald House.
INVOLVEMENT IN CREW?
“I got involved in CREW to meet real estate agents and brokers because a lot of the work we do is tenant space planning, so brokers have the upfront knowledge of who is moving into what buildings. We really feel like in the corporate side of interior design the earlier we can get involved in a project, the better. Ideally, we would like to get involved with a tenant when they are trying to select their space because we can help the see if it works with the needs of their company. For example, if they are very technology driven and need a lot of Internet hook ups, we can evaluate the building and see if it matches their needs. We would like to work with Realtors to help their clients pick out spaces.”
BIRTHPLACE
Mobile, Ala.
MOVED TO JACKSONVILLE?
January 2000.
RESIDES
She lives on the Southside with her dog, Kaiser.
WHAT DOES SHE DO WHEN SHE’S NOT WORKING?
She enjoys going to the beach, exercising, gardening and doing anything outdoors. She also teaches an interior design course at Florida Community College of Jacksonville.
CHURCH
First Baptist Church.
FAVORITES
Her favorite movie is “When Harry Met Sally” and a book she read recently and would recommend was “Ahab’s Wife” by Sena Jeter Naslund. When dining out, she enjoys Biscotti’s. When traveling she likes to go to Chicago and when relaxing at home, she enjoys tuning into “Friends.”
— by Michele Newbern Gillis