Women of Design at CFD
Earlier this month we had a very a memorable occasion in the CFD studio- a Women of Design Event! We were thrilled to host the Women of Design group for an event to connect, learn, and celebrate this group of women Interior Designers in North Carolina. We’re going to take you behind-the-scenes for a look at this phenomenal group- and what happens when we get together! This event was a combination of all the best things- sharing experience, collaboration, and so much camaraderie. It was a great moment to look forward with excitement and spend some time with a group of lovely, talented, hard-working ladies who love design as much as we do.
First let us introduce you to the Women of Design group. This is a collective of interior designers located in central North Carolina. Originally conceptualized by triad-area Interior Designers Beth Sink and Gina Hicks, it was formed out of a mission to connect designers with each other and support women designers in our state. One of the things we love most about this is a group of strong female entrepreneurs is that they come from ALL stages of career- ranging from the very beginning all the way to decades of experience in design work. They are talented, savvy, creative, and most of all, they’re lovely humans who have a genuine desire to support others and themselves in a what is a very competitive industry.
We invited them here to our studio and were thrilled when they said yes! A huge thank you to Jenn Durham, who handled the logistics to make this happen. The requested topic of discussion for the day was business operations, so we set up Cat and Krista on a panel to take questions and share their experience on that part of our work. There was a lot to talk about, and many insightful, intelligent questions and comments from other designers in the group. As it coincides with our 10th year in business, it felt like a full-circle moment in a lot of ways.
Cat’s beloved gigantic rolling whiteboard (“Rolland”, for those of you who have not yet been acquainted) made a cameo at the event ;)
We also had our fave wallpaper expert Jim from Phillip Jeffries to show his latest beautiful luxury wall coverings. And, he provided a fabulous brunch spread and the GOOD coffee (Jim, we love you!). Did I mention he also brings giant homemade cookies? He is the greatest, and such a valuable and knowledgeable resource for us in helping us give our clients the quality and creativity they deserve in their home. We were so happy to have him there.
Jim brought allllll the newest goodies for us to peruse. Phillip Jeffries is an incredible product, and they are always creating something inventive and gorgeous. And although you can’t see his homemade cookies in this photo, they were there… Or were they all eaten?? (we’ll never tell)
We also had some time to chat, and it was wonderful to get to know these women better. There was so much creative energy, passion, and drive in this room! These women are a powerful combination of artistic talent, entrepreneurial spirit, and kindness. Many had travelled to be here for the event from other parts of North Carolina. It was a time to share experiences and find the many common threads that connect us through design.
Hosting a Women of Design event at the studio has been on our wish list for awhile. Owning a small business is challenging, and we know the difference connecting with other designers can make. After a decade of loving this work and giving it our all, it was exciting to have an opportunity to host this group and share, support, and learn from each other. We loved having each of these ladies here. They are so talented, and spending time with them was inspiring. We’re grateful to know them, and we can’t wait for the next event.
A huge thank you Women of Design leaders Beth Sink and Gina Hicks, and to our good friend and amazing Interior Designer Jenn Durham, who works closely with the WOD and did so much to make this event a success. You can check out some videos from the event on our insta page here, and learn more about the Women of Design here.
We’re so glad you came over to hang out with us on the CFD blog today. We love what we do, and we love sharing it with you. Curious about our process? Check out more about our full-home design here. Learn about our decades of design experience and how we make your home one-of-a-kind here.
Have questions about designing your own dream space? We’d love to help. Start here at our contact page. Or, feel free to just give us a holler anytime at hello@catfrenchdesign.com.
And, if you’d like to follow along for more in-the-moment happenings and goings-on of this bustling design team, you can also find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest!
