Meet Suchada Eickemeyer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Suchada Eickemeyer.

Suchada, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My road to interior design has been anything but linear! I’ve always been a creative person, but I come from a military family and felt a lot of pressure to enter the “family business”. I went to college right out of high school on an Army ROTC scholarship, then served in the military for five years before working for a defense contractor. After a few years of that, I was married and had my first child, and I decided to take time off to raise him and the two that followed soon after. Once they were a bit older, I wanted to return to work but knew I wanted to pursue my passions, which were a complete 180 from my military/defense background. I went back to school for interior design, which was kind of picked out of a hat but also really brought together things I’d learned in my previous professional experience, like organization, process creation, leadership, and my love of art & design, travel, and getting to know people.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing is ever a smooth road! I feel like I’m facing one of the biggest challenges right now, just starting in an industry that’s new to me but being further along in my life than most people. I find myself juggling a lot of responsibilities that my younger colleagues aren’t facing yet, like getting my three school-age kids to all their activities, having everyone fed, and waking up the next day to do it all over again. It’s a lot to take on, but on the other hand, I’ve had a lot of practice and experience in managing a lot of moving parts. A couple of years ago when I was still in school, my husband went on a six-month deployment. I had a village of help, but it was still one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I feel like if I could survive that semester, I can find a way to make it through whatever other challenges come my way.

Please tell us about your work.
I’m an interior designer, and I do residential work and commercial tenant improvements. What I’m most known for and what I’m most proud of is being able to get to know people and understand what sets them apart from others, and then bring that into a design. I love talking to people and hearing their stories and learning about what’s most important to them. Whether it’s a home or a business, it’s those personal touches that make the designs meaningful.

I’m also really proud of being someone who makes things happen. Building improvements can be sidelined by so many things, but I offer lots of ways for people to realize their dreams, from creating plans that can be followed over several years to managing projects entirely so they can free up their own time for things that are important to them.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I had a pretty amazing childhood, so it’s hard to pick just one. I moved every couple of years because of my dad’s military career, and we lived overseas for a lot of it. There were so many cool opportunities to travel and see places that most people only get to dream of. In spite of all those things to choose from, I think my absolute favorite thing was to come home and see old friends. My family owned a house in Virginia for years, and we moved back a couple of times when I was in middle school and college. It always made me happy to spend time with the friends I’d known since I was a kid, and be welcomed back by parents who had me over for sleepovers as a first grader! I stay in touch with them even now.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 7603012263
• Email: suchada.eickemeyer@gmail.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/suchadadesigns
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suchadadesigns/

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