Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Alexander.
Hi Matthew, 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?
My love for designing homes came at a very young age, in fact my mom has a picture of a house I drew at the age of 18 months saved in my baby book. By age 3 my designs were getting more detailed and by 11 yld I was designing a beach house for a family friend, and my parents’ house where they still live today, nearly 40 years later. My second cousin, Jeff, was a successful architect in Minnesota, and was a big inspiration for my career. I have to say my career was chosen for me, a God-given natural talent where my passion was nurtured by family encouragement. I taught myself everything about architectural design, space planning and landscape design long before ever taking my first drafting class in high school or enrolling in design college. I also worked in the physical field of construction, handyman, pools, and landscape services. I was a custom painter for 3 years before moving into the business, creative and technical side of design where I provided my talents as “the designers-designer” to leading firms and studios throughout Orange County, Riverside and San Diego who needed detailed drawings, space planning, furniture design, cabinetry design, and architectural renderings. For years all my creations were hand-drawn, pencil to paper. My projects have carried me around the country designing for clients based only by referral. I have enjoyed long and wonderful partnerships in business and collaboration with other designers, including establishing retail boutiques in Indian Wells and Temecula. Today, the team includes myself and my assistant, Josie, of 12 years, where we work remotely from our home offices.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Life in my design career has not been cruised on with a freshly paved road, but the groundwork laid, was solid, so no matter how many dips and valleys may occur due to unforeseen conditions the road could be reworked, repaired and built stronger and longer with added layers of time. The hardest part about the design and construction business is that when the economy changes, for better or for worse, we are the first industry to be hit for a fall downward and the last industry to return on the climb upward. As where several of my fellow industry partners, my biggest challenge came during the housing, Real-estate & economic collapse in the USA from 2006-2008. Non-the-less we all recovered in time with renewed energy. I believe these challenges are what keep creativity alive and ever changing. Design is neither stationary nor stagnant but always evolving.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My business has offered Architectural & Interior design services since 1995, officially. What makes us a bespoke studio is that we are a “conception through completion” firm. I like to call it offering my clients the 4 C’s. We start with the meet and greet at the “Consultation”, where we tour the location or zoom the call to get a scope of the services you need. We then enter the “Conception” phase, a presentation of drawings & images after our collaborative discussions that will guide us into the purchasing phase, also known as “Construction”, where we will begin to specify, purchase, order, and build your project. Lastly, we finalize everything with the “Completion” phase installing and setting up your new spaces. We value every project as individually important to the clients requests so depending upon the clients’ needs, we will meet the design inspiration with reality and the budget within reason of a cost tailored just for you. You can read more under our Services Section online at www.matthewalexandercreations.com
What makes you happy?
What I have personally loved and appreciated in my career are the relationships, friendships and experiences that have brought joy and excitement to our team and our clients’ families for years. It’s even more rewarding to see our clients return again and again for continuations of new projects. Our reviews online are a tried-and-true testament to our relationships! You really get to know someone well when you understand why they sleep on the side of the bed that they do!
Designing should be an enjoyably creative and collaborative effort for the whole team. For us, it’s never been about the trend, but about “Defining the clients Style”. Being an active listener is where a successful design is achieved. The outcome for how we created the residential or commercial space should be fitting to the clients wants and needs. At the end of the day, it shouldn’t be much about how the designer feels or what they wanted … although we do have our strong opinions to how things should be, and we certainly appreciate the favored attention on a job well done!
Pricing:
- $250 (initial consultation)
- $1,500+ (starting contracts)
- $500+ (per architectural sheet)
- (Structural Engineering & Title24 priced per job)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.matthewalexandercreations.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mac_definingyourstyle and instagram.com/matthewalexandercreations
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-alexander-73ab7413
Image Credits
Matthew Alexander
