What led you to start Cincinnati Prep in 2010?
I had been wanting for some time to share my personal style and was really inspired by bloggers like Hopsy at Monograms and Manicures (KappaPrep.com). I met her at the High Style of Dorothy Draper Weekend at The Greenbrier last spring during spring break and thought it was so neat! I have so many different interests, which I feel all tie together into just one fun party! People have always turned to me for style and taste advice and so I feel like this is a way that I can really share my opinions! I kind of wanted to be like Martha Stewart, giving tidbits and advice of all different kinds to all different kinds of people.
Who or what are your biggest influences on your personal design style?
I would say that both Mrs. Dorothy Draper and Mr. Carleton Varney are the two that have most influenced my interior design style. (DorothyDraper.com) I have grown up summering at Grand Hotel, Mr. Varney’s masterpiece so it seems so natural. It is just beautiful and so much fun which is what I am all about. I love great antiques mixed with bright, cheery colors and of course through in one of Mrs. Draper’s beautiful fabrics! I also am really influenced by a local pair of designers, Anne Shanahan and Tenesia Wildermuth of Shanahan Wildermuth Interiors. (ShanahanWildermuthInteriors.com) Mrs. Shanahan has been a dear family friend since before I was born and so I have grown up with her beautiful style. I have tried to describe my style that is influenced by these four to others and I think it is hard to say. I love classically beautiful things with a fun twist.
How do you define preppy? How has this definition influenced your own aesthetic?
I actually answered a similar question to this for last year’s yearbook at my school for a spread on school style. I think that preppy is much more than just a style, but a lifestyle. Anyone can pop the color of his or her polo, but it is the person behind the collar that really defines preppy. Getting boating legs at a young age doesn’t hurt either! I love to make new outfits out of different pieces I have, it is always fun to be creative. The one special thing I do that I don’t know if anyone else in the world does is I like to match the fragrance I am wearing with the brand I am wearing!
What are you most looking forward to about studying interior design?
I am so excited that I will be studying interior design next year at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP). I think I am really excited to finally focus on learning what I want to learn. Throughout high school I have taken a rigorous schedule with hardly any art classes. I am excited to learn more about my passion!
In 10 years, what do you see yourself having accomplished?
I have a lot of goals in the future, I don’t know when they will happen time wise, but I plan to make them happen! My top goal is to featured in Architectural Digest’s AD100. I have grown up reading the profiles and see what they have done and it has always been a dream of mine. This of course is assuming that I make it into the pages of the Digest. I dream of just being in it, hopefully I will become big enough to be in the AD100! I also would love to write a coffee table book. I absolutely love huge books with beautiful pictures. Finally, I would love to work with Mr. Carleton Varney at Dorothy Draper & Co., Inc. Oh and I also think that doing a bit of modeling would be so great! I know it sounds far-fetched, but I at least have one foot in the door by being in the Spring Vineyard Vines catalog, right?
What suggestions would you have for other people interested in interior design to establish their own look?
At risk of sounding cliché, I would definitely recommend just looking through publications like Architectural Digest. AD features so many different styles that it would be hard not to find something you like. Another great option is to go to local furniture stores, antique markets, etc. so that you can find different things that you can add to your home. Also, just looking at other people’s homes. I probably look like a criminal casing people’s homes when I come in, but I am always interested in seeing every detail. Being in someone else’s house helps you to realize what you like and what you don’t like and then you can apply that knowledge to your own personal space.
Out of all your Fabric of the Week posts, which fabric has been your favorite?
At risk of sound noncommittal, I have to say all of them! I really have picked all of my favorites so far and of course have more favorites to come! I think what is so intriguing about interior design to me is that I am able to just keep doing other spaces!