Growing up, I always thought I was going to be a teacher, specifically, a university professor. Coming from a family of professors, I wanted to “join the club” for a long time. The problem was, I had no idea what I wanted to teach. Maybe I’d venture into one of my interests: psychology, dermatology, history, and art.

I’ve always been artistic but I wasn’t sure that I could make a career out of it. As a child I attended summer art camps at Clear Lake where I would paint, sculpt, and create. By adulthood I was decorating cakes, painting, making jewellery, scrapbooking, and sewing, to name a few of my creative endeavours.

I’ve had trouble sleeping since before I can remember so when I was a kid you could find me doing one of two things on sleepless nights: reading with a flashlight or rearranging my room. I can’t count the number of times my mom would wake me up in the morning only to find a completely different room.

In junior high, I had a friend whose mother was an interior designer. I was constantly at their house, watching Trading Spaces of course (it was the 90s after all!). I often tagged along when her mom sourced finishes or attended site visits – and I loved every minute. I remember having way too much fun at a warehouse with massive rolls of carpet to choose from (and play on!). But my favourite part was behind-the-scenes of construction. Seeing how walls could be moved, whole floors reimagined, and drawings brought to life.

In high school I took it a step further by enrolling in a drafting class. I loved the precision that drafting commanded, the attention to detail, and the quiet concentration. I nearly aced the class, prompting the teacher to ask if I wanted to do a one-on-one follow-up course to further my skills. Despite my previous experiences it was only after completing these classes that I began to consider a career in interior design. The summer between grade 11 and 12, I took a decorating course through the leisure guide that confirmed that I had “an eye” for design, solidifying my interest in pursuing it professionally.

Fanshawe, Second year - My winning table design

Fanshawe, Third year - My final project

I researched university and college programs, eventually applying to the University of Manitoba and several schools in Ontario. Fun fact, my parents attended Western University in London, Ontario, and my boyfriend (now husband) had just started there, so I added London, Ontario to my list. Though Western didn’t offer design programs, I found that colleges might suit my hands-on learning style better. I was accepted into Fanshawe College’s general arts program (pre-cursor to Interior Design), decided to take a leap of faith, and moved to London, Ontario.

A year later, I was accepted into Fanshawe’s interior design program. It was tough - the program had a high drop-out rate - but I learned a lot, excelling in history, AutoCAD, and Revit. I won the table building competition in second year and won the coveted City of London co-op position in third year, where I gained invaluable municipal design experience. For our final project we were tasked with creating a display that showcased the skills we had been learning that semester in the woodshop combined with all of the things we had learned throughout the program. They would be displayed at our year-end showcase where potential employers would be coming through to view our work. I chose to construct a circular piece with an integrated desk and seat. I cut every piece on the band saw and/or jigsaw and stacked them to create a six-foot tall structure that was wide at the bottom and narrow at the top. I also cut my name on the band saw, painted the letters, and adhered them vertically to my black-painted structure. The final touches were our personal words of affirmation, our portfolio, and a stack of business cards. I was really proud of this project at the time. While I’m still proud of the effort and skill that went into it my style has definitely changed! If I were to do the same project today it would be drastically different; it’s a good reminder that styles change and evolve just like we do.

Some early Fanshawe Revit work

At school we were encouraged to pursue a career in commercial design because it promised higher wages, more creative control due to lower emotional connection to the workplace, and larger budgets. Although I initially pursued commercial design after graduating, I quickly realized that I wanted to form more of an emotional connection with clients. However, due to limited opportunities in residential design, I ended up in retail for a few years working in a place that blended art, design, and customer service.

A few years later, my boyfriend and I moved back to Winnipeg to be closer to family. I received a full-time interior design offer from a prominent Winnipeg company but turned it down when I realized that our values didn’t align. The jobs I held between my commercial design positions in London and my residential design career in Winnipeg taught me a multitude of skills I use to this day, from artistic expression, to people and project management.

Freelance design work - Revit images

I soon discovered that my Ontario college education wasn’t going to cut it in Winnipeg where a bachelor’s degree was preferred. I decided to return to school, spending a few years in the Art History program at the University of Manitoba before transferring into the Bachelor of Environmental Design program. My goal at the time was to complete a Master of Interior Design program and pursue a teaching career. Returning to school was tough - I was a mature student nearing 30, married, a homeowner, and essentially starting over in the industry. I struggled in the Environmental Program because it forced me back into theoretical thinking as opposed to the practical application I had come to know. I was being asked to dream up solutions to design problems that I knew couldn’t be built so I struggled with completing assignments the way the professors wanted them done. My saving grace during this time was my decade of experience in AutoCAD, Revit, and interior design which allowed me the opportunity to tutor many of my classmates, re-igniting my love for teaching. It also allowed me to finally find residential interior design work on the side while I went to school.

A selection of design work from the Bachelor of Environmental Design program ^

I didn’t end up pursuing a Master of Interior Design. I wavered for awhile but ended up deciding to go in a different direction. I took a job as the in-house interior designer at a construction company after graduating, finally getting more experience in residential design.

Then the pandemic hit and I was laid off. I hadn’t been happy in my job for awhile - it had become apparent that my values didn’t align with those of my employer - and I had been planning to resign for some time. I took a couple weeks at the beginning of the pandemic to relax and regroup before reconnecting with the design community. Though the future of the building industry was uncertain, I wanted to keep my skills and connections up to date so that I’d be ready for the next opportunity.

I had previously tried my hand at solopreneurship and failed miserably at doing everything myself. However, I also wasn’t looking for a business partner when I met Corina during a virtual professional development course offered by a local design studio. Corina “slid into my DM’s,” and we quickly realized how much we had in common. She eventually asked me if I wanted to start a partnership. It took me some time to warm up to the idea, but I loved that we could bounce ideas off each other and build a business that we could both be proud of. Shortly before starting Bungalow, I found out I was pregnant, which was coincidental timing given that my husband and I had been trying to expand our family since before the pandemic. A pregnancy is definitely what you want when you’re starting a business right?

If you’re like me and love a good backstory and you’ve read this far, then you’re in the right place. I’m so happy to have the opportunity to work with fantastic residential clients every day. I love getting to know our clients well – their backgrounds, motivations, what gives them joy, and all the details in between - as it informs how I approach a design project. My goal is to create spaces where clients feel most comfortable and at home, allowing them to be their most authentic selves.

Thanks for reading and taking an interest in how I became a founding partner of Bungalow Interior Design, I’m so glad you’re here!

Rachel