Owner and Lead Designer
Amy Berry is known for her beautiful interiors. She is a tastemaker with a huge following on Instagram where her images exude her light and airy, yet classic and stunning style. Amy enjoys her work - especially understanding all of the personal details of her clients so that they feel completely comfortable in the spaces she designs for them. She is constantly researching fabrics and materials and selecting combinations of both for her clients, so she tries to keep her own life simple with the reduced need for daily decisions. She has a very full social life with close family and friends, but also she and her husband are new parents of a precious daughter who has really given Amy new perspective about managing her work and life so that she can enjoy every moment possible.
Dress code:
Amy has an established work look. She rotates various favorite jeans paired with cute tops and easy dresses that are perfect for the Texas heat. Her main wardrobe decisions are centered around her shoes chosen to elevate her daily outfits. Her efforts of having fewer decisions carries into her personal styling of having her hair straightened for ease and an affinity for natural beauty.
Favorite shops/brands/designer:
Big fan of:
Luxury on Lovers Lip Treatment
On her wish list:
Looking forward to fall fashion with a new pair of Stubbs & Wootton or Belgian Slippers
Daily Commute:
Amy begins her days working at home, and then arrives at her design office by 9am. She spends her brief travel time handling business calls.
Morning beverage:
Coffee
Vehicle:
GMC Yukon in gray.
Business travel essentials:
Large straw tote, computer, headphones,
and phone.
Workday:
Typical work routine:
Every day is a little bit different, but most days begin with Amy going through emails, then a couple of client meetings, working on design concepts with her team and ending with managing emails in an effort to enjoy some time with her family.
Client meeting essentials:
Tape measure
Job stress management:
Spending time with baby girl and family
Taking evening baths
Office pet peeve:
Laziness
Happiest career moment:
Being selected as a House Beautiful's Next Wave Designer in 2016
Desk drawer:
Amy's workspace is designed to store all of the material samples in an tidy manner. She utilizes baskets to store fabrics by vendor and drawers to organize materials for each client. Also, the use of white as the staple color for the office was intentional, giving a restful moment from the constant patterns and colors the team is using in their designs.
On her workspace wishlist:
Another work table (which was custom-made for her office)
Lighting
Provides workspace comfort:
4510 Diptyque candles around the office
Favorite office supply:
Software/app must have:
Agenda:
Achieving daily goals:
Amy's team uses the app Wunderlist to keep track of everything that needs to happen. They assign tasks to each other, and track them through the app. They keep track of client notes with Evernote.
Largest influence on career:
Living and being educated in London
Mentor:
LA Designer Mark D. Sikes
Favorite publications/sites:
Cabana [UK magazine]
Amy follows on Instagram:
Best design advice:
"Buy the best and you only cry once."
- Miles Redd
Non-profit organization:
Follow Amy on Instagram.
"To me, it's so personal. It's getting to know the client,
and getting to know all the things that they like."
click here to read Amy's full interview & workspace design thoughts
Amy, standing in her office space - which she designed to be intentionally light and airy because of all of the colors in the materials, and fabrics that she and her team works with for her clients.
Amy's talent in selecting beautiful fabrics and materials is reflected in her gorgeously chic summer style. Dress with seashells by Tory Burch, woven raffia flats by J.Crew.
"I feel like just being out and being in the
showrooms, you pick up on a lot of what's
going on. Traveling for me is important in that
regard, because I feel like it's always good to
get out and go see everything."
Amy's vintage straw tote includes (click on links below for more info):
Ellis Hill monogrammed linen cosmetic pouch
The Daily Edited pouch (for receipts)
Luxury On Lovers Lip Treatment
Muji recycled paper A5 notebook
Amy's workspace - which is in the center of her office for easy accessibility - is kept clutter free so that she can focus on her current tasks. She plans for work papers to be placed in her desk tray, but otherwise prefers a tidy desk.
A peek inside Amy's Muji notebook shows her note-taking style and the fact that she sometimes sketches out rooms with dimensions as she prepares to develop suggestions for her design projects.
Quick glance into Amy's Wunderlist app on her phone.
"I've always been a list person. I think we're all
probably list people, but we have an app that we
love called Wunderlist, that helps us get
everything done."
Amy is very clear that a large factor in a career in interior design is not just a having great talent for mixing a variety of fabrics and materials, but also in developing terrific communication skills for the best possible relationships with her clients and vendors.
Amy knows that her professional appearance is another style indicator for her clients. Bell sleeve jacket by Zara, jeans by Frame, and Gucci Floral Slippers complete this stunning look.
Amy's Google calendar does not include blocked time for project work. Her calendar is full of client and vendor appointments and the design work, business paperwork, and other tasks are placed in the Wunderlist app that she and her team use.
Amy's team organized samples by fabric vendor in baskets and each client has their design information stored in their own dedicated drawer in the custom furniture piece.
"We have a really good design community in
Dallas. It's really nice being in a community
where you can easily reach out to people if
you need help. This business is so ... I love
what I do, but it is so service-based, but it's
nice, having so many people here that are
really approachable and kind, and so
many of them are."
"It's important to have a voice, for it to be an
identity. What I do anyway ... walks a
boundary. It's personal but it's also professional."
An overview of the Amy Berry Design office space. It's been designed intentionally to have that open, light space
- void of any particular pattern or color - so that the design team can enjoy that visual break from all of the
materials, fabrics, textures, colors and patterns that they use for clients.
