Today we’d like to introduce you to Dréa Peters.
Hi Dréa, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Interior Design was a career change for me. When I went back to school in my late 20s, I attended Parsons New School in NYC (where I am from). By cocktail waitressing at night and interning for various professors during the day, I was able to complete Parson’s Certification Program without loans and with a full resume to boot! I hit the ground running those first few years working for well-established, high-end firms.
After moving to Austin in 2013, doors started opening naturally. I have never advertised to grow my business. What I did, and continue to do, is focus on building community organically. My clientele has naturally grown as an extension of how I live. I am focused on being connected to like-minded people that help each other grow + live really cool lives. My work + my relationships keep elevating each other. The way it has grown feels “very Austin” to be honest.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. There were a number of times I wanted to throw in the towel.
The single biggest struggle had been that no one teaches you how to run a business in these schools or programs. Years of experience in other firms does not do that teach you that either. You need to be both a creative, a visionary and a business person. In many ways, more so the latter.
Being a designer + and an entrepreneur may have come naturally and those are wonderful gifts for which I am truly grateful. However, learning to run a successful business has been a long + arduous process. There were no corners to cut, no secret stream of funding or blueprints to follow. It has been hard to do without a roadmap or someone to help me who knew the way. I did this on my own having no clue what I did not know or needed to know. The whole thing has been trial and error until I connected to the right people and asked for help.
Another beautiful part of my life in Austin has been connecting to other designers who have openly shared their process + their struggles. Without those relationships, I could not have kept going.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a deeply empathic + sensitive person. Sensory awareness is very important to my happiness + well-being. That strongly influences the style, color, lighting + textures I bring to a space. Whether my clients realize it or not, I create sensory experiences for them meeting needs they may not even know they have.
Everything has energy connected to it. Picking up on + paying attention to that energy is a gift that I take seriously.
Another priority of mine is to incorporate handmade, artisans goods into every project. They have a different feelings to them. Collaborating with artists + skilled craftspeople brings a level of alchemy to a project beyond what I can achieve on my own. I love the magic that happens when the right people connect to make something beautiful in a soulful way. Being open and humble allows for great things to happen. Connecting with others is a way to practice that.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
There is an inquiry form on my website. That is the best way to work with or connect with me.
I am always up for a great collaboration whether it is creating art, furniture, lighting, creating an event or building a community. I don’t typically like to follow rules so if someone has a great idea and thinks of me, even if it doesn’t seem like something I normally do, reach out. I am always open to the new and unexpected. I am always looking for the next adventure.
Contact Info:
- Email: drea@instaDesignGroup.com
- Website: https://www.dreapetersinteriors.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreapetersinteriors/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InstaDesignGroup/
- Other: www.instaDesignGroup.com
Image Credits
Madeline Harper Photography Avery Nicole Photography Meg Mulloy Photography
