Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Farkas.
Nicole, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I remember fondly, rolling over on my mat in the middle of the dimly lit kindergarten classroom to find the silhouette of my grandmother standing in the doorway. Instantly I knew, we were about to have an adventure day! Sneaking quietly out of the classroom, we jumped in her car and drove the 45 mins. from Nashua, NH down to Boston. The mere sight of the Boston skyline from route 93 South made me giddy with anticipation. The buildings, the parks, the shopping and, of course, the immaculate public restrooms at the Boston Harbor Hotel (which I was sure was what every restroom in Boston looked like), solidified my plan. “When I grow up, I am going to live in Boston”.
Some years later, after taking every art class offered at Nashua High South including pottery, photography, and AP studio art, I was ready to start applying to college. As a “most of the time” honor roll student, I always felt mediocre at best within the public school system. Athletes at academics were praised for their talents while I fell under the category of “artistic”, this never seemed to carry the same weight as the star quarterback or valedictorian. I started asking myself, how am I going to make a living, what type of lifestyle do I want, and where do I want to live. Some of these questions were more easily answered than others as I’m sure you can imagine, so I started with the easy question.
Where do I want to live? Boston is home to more than 60 colleges and universities serving more than 250,000 students each year and I thought to myself, “surely one of these schools must be the right fit for me”. Now onto some of the more difficult questions. How am I going to make a living? With a little thought, I was able to narrow down my options to Photographer, Event Planner or Interior Designer. All of these professions allowed me to express my creativity within some set perimeters and structure. But how would these three professions work into my day to day lifestyle both now and in the future? Looking at average salaries along with works schedules, I realized that both photography and event planning would require more nights and weekends than interior design, that made the decision was easy. I wanted to become an Interior Designer.
Seven years and many all-nighters later, I received a Bachelor of Interior Design degree from Boston Architectural College and was gainfully employed as a full-time Project Manager at PEG Properties & Design. This is where my career started and my passion for Interior Design expanded from residential interiors to real estate development. Working hand in hand with talented architects, manufacturers, vendors, engineers, electricians, plumbers, and more, I was able to fully understand the magnitude of involvement that is required to bring a project from conception to completion successfully regardless of scale, timeline or budget. The combination of education, on-the-job training, and experience gained during my 6 years at PEG Properties was truly the foundation on which I continue to build on today.
That being said, all good things must come to an end or do they just get better? A little over a year ago, I was presented with an offer to pivot from working as a project manager to a position as Interior Designer at Embarc Studio. I had worked with Embarc on many projects during my career and was always impressed with the level of professionalism, talent, work ethic, and fun that they brought to each project. The firm itself had grown from a team of 3 to a team of 37 in just 7 years and I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the organization. Although change has always been hard for me, I can truly say that the risk definitely worth the reward in this case.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I believe the saying is that “nothing in life worth having comes easy”, and man is that true. Some of my highest highs have come after some of my lowest lows. Having been through some of my lowest lows, I now can say that the struggles along the way are what has built my character and made me more resilient. Even though balancing work, school, family, finances, and relationships can be overwhelming, make sure you take time for yourself. When you are unhappy, stressed or overwhelmed your reactions to an unfavorable situation may be what perpetuated the negativity. Change is inevitable and things may not go as you plan but rolling with the punches and not taking yourself so seriously will make the journey a lot more enjoyable. Give yourself time to see the big picture because it might be even more beautiful than you ever could have imagined. Last but not least, don’t be so hard on yourself. We often times are our hardest critics and giving ourselves a break can make a world of difference in our lives and the lives of those around us.
Please tell us about your business.
I create opportunities for my clients to bring their projects to life through the design process. No idea is silly or goes unexplored and I try and create experiences where the design process can be as exciting as the final installation. Whether we are working on a restaurant, office space or private residence, I want the client to feel included and as involved as possible. Their input should always matter and they should feel comfortable expressing their desires or concerns at any phase of the design process. As much as we are hired for our professional opinion and ability to produce construction documents, we are hired as a liaison between a world they want and a world they don’t know how to communicate with. We are the translator who can connect all the dots and provide the client with a cohesive design that can be implemented and meet all constraints including timeline, budget, and design intent. As a firm, we invest in the relationships with our clients which is why we are a 100% referral based business. We live in the neighborhoods we work in and we are lucky to call our clients our friends.
There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
I have been lucky to have been exposed to a variety of professionals and trades in which I learn from on a daily basis. Whether that be in meetings, site visits, showroom openings or fundraisers, I am always equipped with a business card for a new connection. Most of the people who I consider mentors or role models within my professional network have been a connection with other coworkers, friends or family. A social media presence is important but I feel is supplementary to personal interaction and connection. Putting a name with a face and engaging will create more lasting impressions so get out there and get involved. Charity events, birthday parties, restaurant launches, etc… take an interest in others and you will be surprised how much you will learn.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: nfarkas_designer
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nfarkasdesigner
Image Credit:
Nicole Farkas
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