Interior Designer and Entrepreneur Wonder Woman— 11 Questions with Bridget Hamilton
Founder and President of Hamilton Interior Design and Staging
I am thrilled to introduce Bridget Hamilton, founder and president of Hamilton Interior Design and Staging, a boutique interior design firm based out of New York City, specializing in residential, commercial, and staging design services. Bridget founded her company in 2001, and has owned and operated her design firm for over 15 years.
As a seasoned designer and entrepreneur, Bridget has exercised her credentials and accomplishments all over the US, Caribbean, UK, South America and Dubai. Hamilton Interior Design and Staging currently has major jobs staging apartments in the greater NYC area, with projects ranging from $3 million to $12 million.
Hamilton runs the day to day operations of the firm that includes, but are not limited to: new client relationships, networking, interior design homes, renovation design, billing, product selection, and purchasing. Bridget and her firm have accumulated a volume of awards over the years such as — Creative 8 “IT Girl” NYC, NBC Open House, KDHamptons Magazine Design Award, and Haute Living Design Article.
Now let’s talk with the wonder woman herself, Bridget Hamilton:
- What work were you involved in before founding and running your interior design firm?
“After college I worked at a Fortune 500 company in technology sales, I was in this industry role for 8 years. I was fortunate enough to be provided a great sales training education and the best lesson was that the worst a potential client could say to you is ‘no.’ I have taken these skills and a no fear attitude into my company and generally am grateful for that experience.”
2. How did you become interested in interior design?
“I started my firm in 2001 and when I was telling my parents what I decided to do my dad responded ‘you have been designing since the 4th grade when I had to build, paint, and make your room “vision” come alive, until you left for college.’ The light bulb went on and I guess it was always in front of me in terms of a passion, I just hadn’t pursued that career or tapped into my inner voice yet. So I went off and running with this passion, beginning to work closely with the firm Coldwall Banker in NJ, to gain new clients and staging opportunities.”
3. When and how did you decide you were going to pursue becoming an entrepreneur?
“I wanted to pursue Interior Design and I had just had my daughter. I thought having my own company would allow me the freedom to excel and keep work balance life at home.”
4. What are some of the challenges you faced early on, and how did you overcome them?
“I faced marketing myself, understanding accounting, profitability, and meeting and setting expectations of the client. I tapped into some mentors and really tried to learn from my mistakes. I still make mistakes today and probably will continue to, but it is a learning process everyday.”
5. Did you experience any challenges specifically related to being a woman in the entrepreneurial and business sphere?
“In today’s political environment and now with the #TIMESUP movement, I can definitely recall plenty of times my contractors’ would second guess my decisions or even change my design plans without telling me. I had a contractor working on a spectacular 3 bedroom apartment overlooking the Hudson River and he was to paint the color I had given him. I got a call from my client later that evening saying the contractor painted a mural that wasn’t approved and I must say it was the ugliest thing I ever saw.
I wondered if I had been a man would he have taken the initiative to do this?
I immediately calmly confronted him and he changed it.
Additionally, I think the biggest challenge with being a woman is being able to get paid equally. I have been really beat up sometimes on my competitive pricing. I have learned to price my projects over 30% so I can allow for discounts now instead of coming in at the best price off the bat.”
6. Do you have a good book you’re currently reading?
“I am reading Joe Biden’s book- Promise Me, Dad & The Secret Race — Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France. They are very inspiring and intuitive books and I have to admit I am learning a lot.
7. Tell me about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career.
“My client Chris Wragge, an anchor for CBS News, is by far one of my favorites. I redesigned his NY UWS apartment after his divorce and made it into a sanctuary for him. He was enthralled and we had it photographed and the design was published. He was ecstatic with the environment we created for him.
A year later he invited me to the closing of his Bridgehampton home and blindly gave me his credit card to make his dream weekend home spectacular. In Chris Wragge’s words “Mission Accomplished.” He has become a friend and I am happy to know the two environments I created he is enjoying with his family immensely.
The second project is profound. I was asked to design a 3 bedroom condo overlooking CPW for a client out of Cleveland. The client Steve Potash, owns overdrive.com, the largest and one of the only digital avenues for libraries to offer books on-line. He is an intense man, whom knows what he likes. We got along well enough, but his attention to detail fully overloaded me and at one point he fired me. A month later he called me back to finish what we started and said every time he and his family walked into the condo they were in love with the design, but he couldn’t visualize it until it was installed.
He was being honored by the UJA at the Pierre Hotel and he was bringing in 80 guests. 8 family members would be staying with him and he would host a party in his condo during the 5 day festivities. However, his apartment flooded while he and his wife were in Cleveland and clean up was a problem. My firm handled everything, including overseeing all new floors and new painting. When they arrived we had dressed the apartment in flowers and final touches, he proclaimed ‘he would never forget what I did for him or his family.’ That brought me to tears and really opened my mind on how I can impact people with small details.”
8. What’s something that’s been on your mind lately?
“Passing on my intuition, experiences and failures. I am currently writing a book and working on a TV series for HBO. I want people to read about my experiences and know that you can fail big and have huge success. I am working diligently on these projects and will share when I know anything further.”
9. Do you practice self-care? If so, what are some things you like to do for yourself?
“I do practice self-care. Quiet, reflective alone time is very important to me and I am utilizing this by writing on my book/TV projects. I would like to say I enjoy working out, but honestly I would pay someone to do this for me if I could. I like to cook everyday, it is a form of expression and self-care. Sometimes it is also a form of therapy to get wrapped up in.”
10. What kind of impact do you wish to leave on people, society, and/or the world?
“I wish people knew me as ‘colorful, thoughtful, and energetic’, not the normal path chosen, yet the path for me. I want them to remember me as making an impact when I walked in a room, with a humble character. I want to pass down my triumphs and my failures to my peers and young adults and continue to strive for success. I want to teach and help those who ask for or need it.”
Pause: I can personally attest to this, Bridget embodies the impact she strives to leave on people. I had the serendipitous opportunity to meet Bridget in December, at a winery in Harrisonburg, VA, celebrating our mutual friend’s graduation from James Madison University. Bridget truly illuminates the room. She has a colorful and empowering presence, and even in our short encounter, she reminded me of the type of woman and professional I am aspiring to be.
11. What’s your charge for women?
“I want women to band together as the ‘new girls club’, not the ‘old boys club.’
I believe women like to somewhat not be supportive because of fear, and I think supporting other women can empower you to reach your best level of success.
I want women to know the education that is out there for them, the experience of traveling to new places, and the ability they have to try new things that can really help them grow. I also want women to know they can make their life on their own without someone or with someone. However, they should choose their path and gift and then be able to pass along their talents and wisdom to the next generation of strong women leaders.”
Bridget, thank you for passing along your gifts and wisdom to me, and the next generation of strong women leaders. :)
