The Secret Sauce to Becoming an Award-Winning Full-Service Interior Designer with Ellen Walker

Is it possible to learn and grow as an interior designer, even if you’ve been in the field for a while? Absolutely! Ellen Walker, today’s special guest, is a testament to this.

She has been an inspiration to watch as she shares her expertise and journey to becoming an award-winning interior designer. It’s helpful to hear how everybody achieves success since everyone’s story is different.

It’s been a long and challenging journey for her. From having her interior design dream dismissed as a legitimate career to starting her own company as a side hustle, she’s now a principal interior designer getting awards for her contributions.

So here’s Ellen’s story of struggle and success to inspire you and help you decide if interior design is the right career path for you.

Why you’ve got to check out today’s episode
  • Find out her practical advice for up-and-coming interior designers
  • Discover the 6 reasons why she struggled in the confidence area as an interior designer and the one thing that helped her fix it
  • Learn what up-and-coming interior designers need to know about having a career as an interior designer
    About the Guest:

    Ellen Walker from Red Deer County in Alberta Canada is the Principal Interior Designer of Ellen Walker Design Group. She loves to travel and draws inspiration from nature, art, architecture, beautiful fabrics, and furniture wherever she happens to be. Interior design, however, encompasses more than a visual aesthetic. Great design is characterized by functionality, timeless style, and a positive emotional connection with those who use the space.

    She is an industry leader in incorporating the psychology of design into her projects and solves people’s design problems. She has access to design, psychology, and environment experts, allowing her to deeply understand what people need in their spaces to live better.

    Throughout the years, she’s worked on renovations ranging from one room to a full house. In addition, she’s worked on new builds that vary from small to large projects in residential and commercial spaces. She’s obsessed with creating and remodeling spaces of all stories.

    Connect with Ellen Walker:

      Check out these episode highlights

      3:06 – From taking an organic (and challenging) approach to creating her own company and becoming an interior designer to becoming an award-winning interior designer

      8:54 – 6 Reasons why she struggled in the confidence area as an interior designer and the one thing that helped her fix it

      1. She lacked the full degree
      2. She doesn’t know everything about interior design. She outsources tasks she refuses to learn instead
      3. She’s worked with nasty clients 
      4. Her fees weren’t high enough
      5. She didn’t have a system
      6. She wasn’t tracking all her hours or charging for all her hours

      Once she became a Business of Design member, it helped her gain more confidence and have a system to work better as an interior designer. 

      11:09 – The secret sauce to becoming a successful interior designer

      • Perseverance
      • Surrounding yourself with like-minded people who are successful so you can learn from them
      • Coaching
      • Knowing the type of clients you want to work with

      12:58 – What up-and-coming interior designers need to know about having a career as an interior designer

      • It’s not a glorified, easy job.
      • There’s a business side to it you must learn
      • Systems, procedures, and processes will help you run your business better
      • There’s an advantage in getting coaching right away
      • You are not alone. There are many interior design groups in your area that you can connect with

      15:37 – Her practical advice for up-and-coming interior designers

      • Work for an established firm first to learn how they do things, what’s required, and gain some experience. Why? Because it’s easier than taking an entrepreneurial route.

      16:21 – Why some interior designers don’t want to be an entrepreneur

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