Today we’d like to introduce you to Alison Sheffield.
Alison, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Right after college, I started working in the fundraising and events department for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. At first it was really grassroots stuff like bowling tournaments and walk-a-thons; but I eventually moved into the stewardship area, and spent my time organizing high-end events to honor donors. After a few years, I decided to go back to school for interior design, which had always been a love of mine. While I was taking classes I started assisting the Regional Editor (at the time) of Traditional Home and other publications under the same umbrella. The experience was invaluable, and she taught me so much about design, from layering, to mixing different era and style pieces, to appreciating fine art and how it can change a space. She was an ideal mentor. Not long into my tenure with her, she sent a photographer to the apartment I lived in at the time with my husband to take some scouting shots for a story she wanted to pitch to Better Homes & Gardens. The story about how my husband and I mixed our different styles (he’s modern! she’s traditional!) to create our home was picked up and run nationally. This incredible opportunity allowed me to start doing small local design jobs while still working and going to school. The exposure helped me build a client base and “hang my shingle.” Two children followed while I was still doing residential work, and then a commercial opportunity I couldn’t pass up presented itself. My husband, an artist, and I were asked to pitch the design for a cocktail bar in Boston’s Kenmore Square. We pitched the idea of a bar that felt residential, with living room-like furniture, quirky accents, and a lot of original art. The end-result is a nationally acclaimed cocktail lounge called The Hawthorne, helmed by the incomparable Jackson Cannon. A few other commercial jobs followed before I returned to the residential work I love. I’ve been practicing on my own for 15 years.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being in school and trying to work enough to sustain a business with small children was certainly a challenge. More recently, having moved from the city to the south shore has posed the challenge of finding a new client base. My kids are still young and I try to be home when they are, so my travel time is a bit limited. Local jobs make the process a bit easier!
Sheffield Interiors – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a small firm – it’s just me – so the jobs I take on are ones I feel connected to. It’s an intimate experience designing someone’s home and space, so I always make sure there is a personal connection — it’s deeply important to the success of a project. Over the years most of my clients have turned into dear friends.
I work with a lot of families. I understand the importance of performance fabrics! I am a huge proponent of the idea that is absolutely possible to live beautifully with children – and frankly, I think it’s vital. Why let your house or style go when you have children? These days it is especially easy to have a beautiful home with children living in it!
My style is layered, meant to look collected, and always incorporates art and/or antiques (furniture or carpets). I’m a bit biased because I am married to an artist, but I truly believe art and antiques bring an essential soul to a space.
And humor is so important. I love injecting a space with a hint of irreverence. And, of course, lighting! A vital part of any interior.
I’m proud to have sustained a small business while parenting. And for illustrating to my children that creative jobs are viable and important, and that finding balance is an essential part of a happy and fulfilled life.
I love what I do. The process of creating beautiful and meaningful spaces for clients is something that never gets old to me. And while I have an aesthetic and a style, I love creating beautiful spaces for people that work for them, their lifestyle, and reflect their interests and needs.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I’m probably most proud of the success of The Hawthorne bar in Boston. It was my first commercial job, and definitely the one with the most hurdles — from convincing the investors that it was a worthy idea, to specifying appropriate textiles that would pass Boston’s stringent fire codes, to working with a bar staff to understand their needs and incorporate them into a space that would work for them while still being aesthetically pleasing. But, it was a success right out of the gate, and continues to be one 6 years later. I’m still deeply tied to the people we worked with, and proud of Sheffield Interior’s contribution to its success.
Contact Info:
- Address: 277 South Main Street
Cohasset, MA 02025 - Website: www.sheffieldinteriors.com
- Phone: 617.875.0013
- Email: info@sheffieldinteriors.com
- Instagram: sheffield_interiors
Image Credit:
Sam Grey
Better Homes & Gardens image
Alison Sheffield
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