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Q: Designer's Origins

Edited by Annie Block, Mark McMenamin and Meghan Edwards -- Interior Design, 11/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

It has to start somewhere. We asked, "What first made you realize you wanted to be a designer?"

"I originally studied fashion, and they asked us, 'Who is the woman you'd like to design for?' I had no idea. It went beyond clothes—it was the whole package." —Kristen McGinnis of Kristen McGinnis Design

"When I was in high school, my mother allowed me to choose our living room's carpet color, pumpkin spice, and arrange the artwork and pillows." —Debra Hennings of Coast to Coast Interiors

"My professor asked what I was going to do to make a living after college, and I said, 'Paint.' He responded, 'I mean—what are you going to do to make a living?'" —Lori Weitzner of Lori Weitzner Design

"It started at around age 7, when a chair was in the way. I moved it, and the space worked better." —Nthiani Musila of Madline Concepts

"A college professor reviewing my work was curious what my major was—it was illustration. And he said, 'No, you're a designer.'" —Alicia D. Keshishian of Alicia D. Keshishian Carpets of Imagination

Next Q: With 2010 looming, tell us, "What do you consider the design highlight of the past decade—yours or someone else's?" E-mail us at q@interiordesign.net.