Marsha Tucker

I attribute my success to dedication and always trying to provide a better product for the client. I really focus on listening to what their needs are in the interviews and maintaining strong communication. It's about being honest with your client and letting them know what we can provide within their budget. There's always a budget challenge, but I believe there are different ways of obtaining a great design, even though funds may be minimal. By truly understanding the client's needs and working collaboratively, we can create solutions that work for everyone.

The best career advice I've received is that there's not just one solution to a problem - you have to see which fits the client the best. This has really shaped how I approach my work, because it reminds me to stay flexible and creative in finding the right solution for each unique situation and client need.

My advice to young women entering interior design is to make sure you go to an accredited university to get your degree in interior design. Throughout your career, there will always be learning experiences where you can obtain information, whether it's about compliance or using sustainable products - the field is constantly evolving. So it's important to commit to ongoing education and stay current with industry developments.

There's always a challenge in this field. Just recently, like in the last 10 years, people are seeing the importance of interior designers and not just architects, because we do interior architecture and we have to coordinate with everybody. We need to follow ADA compliance because there's a greater need for that industry-wide. I always try to specify sustainable materials to help the Earth, so that's a constant challenge with things going on. But these challenges also represent opportunities - as the recognition of interior design grows and the demand for accessible, sustainable spaces increases, we have more opportunities to make a meaningful impact.

The values most important to me are honesty and transparency with my clients. I believe in being honest with your client and letting them know within their budget what we can provide for them to create a great project together. There's always a budget challenge, but I value finding different ways of obtaining a great design, even though funds may be minimal. I also value collaboration - it's nice if somebody reaches out, or if you can reach out to somebody else and find information from what they've learned on a project. We're all working to better the community, so it's not one firm against the other.