Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheri Presley Denat.
Hi Sheri Presley, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m an Interior Designer with a passion of incorporating sustainability and wellness. It’s been a long road for me so I’ll start from the beginning. I’ve always been a creative person who loves traveling and learning about other cultures. I was a little girl watching independent films with subtitles because I loved being exposed to anything different. Growing up in the 90’s, I loved building forts and entering new worlds in video games. I was constantly reimagining my spaces- turning my closet into a secret reading nook and rearranging furniture every month. I would literally get down on the floor and push heavy objects around with my legs! That curiosity and love for travel never went away. I’ve been on my own since I was 17 and it was hard for me to decide on a career path so for many years I worked in the hospitality industry. I worked at some incredible venues from concept restaurants to 5-Diamond resorts. Those were honestly some of the greatest years and gave me so much knowledge and insight on people from all walks of life, economic backgrounds, and human behavior. While backpacking in Central America in 2015, I met a cute, green-eyed French boy who would become my husband. It was around the same time that left the hospitality industry because I really wanted to share my passion of wellness and physical health so I became a Certified Pilates Teacher and eventually went on my own and opened my own boutique studio working with private clients. One of my favorite quotes from Joseph Pilates is “The acquirement and enjoyment of physical well-being, mental calm and spiritual peace are priceless to their possessors.” This always resonated with me because everything is connected and wellness is so much more than physical fitness.
Fast forward to 2020 when the world shut down. Hugo and I have become parents and I was so thankful that I had established my own business and was thriving but at this point I had this unrelenting desire to create and provide wellness in a different way. It finally clicked in my head that I could weave together all my values, experiences and passions into one fabric, and I could see myself as a professional creating the spaces I always dreamed about. So after a lot of thought and discussing this with my lovely husband, in 2021 I went back to school to pursue a BFA-Interior Design at the Design Institute of San Diego.
I had a love for design as a little girl playing designer in my room, and with all my eclectic work experiences I can provide a very unique perspective into design. I believe each space should tell a unique story, should evoke a certain feeling or emotion, and should capture something magic. I believe in using healthy materials, repurposing old objects, re-homing unwanted furniture, sourcing handmade and vintage pieces and really just consciously creating spaces that are purposeful, beautiful and resonate on a deeper level with their users.
Alright, 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?
Being an entrepreneur comes with many blessings and many challenges. For me, the hardest part of following my heart and going after what I love is that working for yourself means you have to wear a lot of hats and take on responsibilities that you don’t necessarily feel strongly about or want to do. I learned this with my Pilates business because I was the teacher, the accountant, the marketing manager, website developer and SEO optimizer. I had to learn a lot along the way. Now as an emerging designer who is still establishing myself it’s kind of like starting over again and there is always a learning curve whenever you’re doing something new. The thing that motivates me the most is knowing that this is what I was meant to do, the hard work pays off, and because my vision is so clear I just have to remember to do my best and take it one day at a time.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I offer holistic interior design services from the conceptual phase to design development and support throughout the entire construction process and final installations. Whether a client needs help furnishing their space, technical drawings or construction documents, I help make the design process go as seamlessly and enjoyable as possible. My design style is contemporary with a strong emphasis on lighting, acoustics, natural materiality, and global influences. I’ve harnessed a lot of inspiration from my travels to places like Iceland, Indonesia, Europe, Singapore and so many other beautiful places and as a result these experiences become part of my designs. By staying true to myself and my values as a designer, I’ve been able to create a unique style and clientele that I’m aligned with.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
We spend an average of 90% of our time indoors, and since COVID people are really recognizing the impact our interiors have on our mental and emotional well-being. We’re going to keep seeing more natural and recycled materials, Biophilic Design (the philosophy of connecting nature to the indoors), and wellness design practices focused on indoor air quality and Circadian Lighting,
The thing about interior design is that there is a lot more that is taken into account than general decorating. Aesthetic trends and styles come and go but in proper design we have to think of the things we may not always see. So with that, I’ll say I’m really excited to see the continuous shift toward sustainability and our environment having a bigger influence on how we design. Now more than ever there is a growing demand and expectation for corporations to give transparency in their product labels, material compositions and manufacturing processes. We are seeing more motivation toward obtaining green certifications such as LEED, WELL and Living Building Challenge. There is a growing demand for energy-efficient homes, Net Plus Energy Buildings- and thanks to technology we are creating more sustainable materials and repurposing our waste.
Lastly, I can’t forget to mention AI. Overall, the design industry will definitely continue evolving and I think designers must learn how to properly use AI as a tool. Today, you can pretty much think of anything and have AI generate a stunning visualization- but again, interior design is not only aesthetics, it’s about designing human-centric spaces that are functional not just pretty.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.sheripresley.com
- LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/sheripresley
Image Credits
Photo 1- Photographer Chad Van Herpe; Location: Roam Homeware
Photo 2- Photographer Chad Van Herpe; Location: Visual Comfort
Photo 3- SP Conscious Living LLC
Photo 4- SP Conscious Living LLC
Photo 5- SP Conscious Living LLC
