Carlotta Dailey

I would give the advice of paying attention while in school and getting all you can, absorbing all you can while there. Definitely have a strong internship, because out here in the industry is very different from the classroom. It's very important that a strong internship be available. And networking - those two things are essential for young designers to go forward and stay relevant in their field. Networking does help, and you get great advice from senior interior designers. Once you're in the field and you get to know other up-and-coming designers or established designers, it's usually a great connection for a new person coming into the field.

The biggest challenge in my field is that it's still very closed and biased, especially for women of color. We don't get the recognition we deserve, and we have to be extremely perfect just to get in there. It was like that even in school - even though I was one of the best students, it wasn't reflected in recognition. I've experienced toxic work environments where I felt isolated, neglected, and overlooked. I've had to jump through several more hoops than my counterparts, and it gets exhausting after a while. The kitchen and bath industry can be kind of toxic towards women because men dominate that industry. As for opportunities, I'm in an area where kitchen and bath is probably oversaturated - there's a kitchen and bath studio on every corner in some regions like Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. I feel like I'm on a hamster wheel sometimes, just going round and round, when I want to go forward instead of staying in the same place.

Authenticity is one of the values that is very important to me in this field. Being open, being authentic, and being patient - those things are essential. In my experience, I've come across clients that are extremely easy to work with and some that have been difficult to work with, but I have a lot of tolerance, which is a gift and strength of mine. I'm able to continue to work with someone that might not know what they want or might give me a lot of different things. Being able to pick out the most important things that a client wants and deliver that, execute that in your design - I think those are some of the best qualities. I'm also a people person, and having a whole lot of retail experience growing up has shaped my ideas of this profession. Being able to connect with my clients in a way that they will trust me and allow me to show them what I know, while incorporating their own ideas - I think that is a great part of who I am as an interior designer and an individual.