Designer Spotlight

Designer Spotlight: Maureen Stevens

At Vishion, we love interior design and we know you do too. Each week in the Vishion Designer Spotlight, we introduce you to a new designer that inspires us. Meet Maureen Stevens, Grand Prize Winner of the Vishion Design Awards Competition

Maureen Stevens

From the moment we at Vishion saw Maureen Stevens’ submission in the Vishion Design Awards competition, we were blown away. Her use of color, texture, and space is welcoming, eye-catching and timeless. Scrolling through her portfolio is like looking through a coffee table book of inspiration, colorful design, and #lifegoals. When the panel of judges chose her as the Grand Prize Winner, we were honored to work with her and excited to watch her continue to take the design world by storm. Recently, we asked Stevens a series of questions to learn more about her business, her design process, and recent work. Read below to find out more.

Virtual Market Update:

If you would like to connect with Maureen, Registration is now open for LIVE sessions with all of our Virtual Market speakers. Maureen Stevens’ session is called “Insights on Color & Design”. It takes place on April 14th at 2 P.M. EDT. Register here for her session.

A Conversation with Interior Designer, Maureen Stevens

Designer, Maureen Stevens

Where is your business located and what type of design do you primarily focus on? 

My clients are mostly in New Orleans and Austin but I have done design for other clients beyond these cities, such as Houston, Chicago, New York and more.

I lean towards an “updated classic” feel and “muted maximalism.” It’s traditional yet neoteric,  a mix of genres and eras yet, not overwhelming. My design style is never sterile and a hundred percent unpretentious & approachable. Well-edited and immensely functional are the two main ingredients I always put into my design. Add refreshing to classy, a dash of “oomph” to sophisticated and you’ve got a recipe for my style aesthetic.

What is the most important aspect of any successful interior design? How do you use color in your design?

A Pop of color from Maureen Stevens

As a designer, we think of several things to make a space well-designed – from space planning to making sure it imbues a client’s personality or a company’s brand. One of the most important things when starting a project is establishing a color scheme. Color establishes an aesthetic connection between objects and, without a doubt, will set the mood of the space. It can create illusions…making rooms appear larger, smaller, narrow, wider or ceilings higher or lower.

It’s all about the colors you choose and how you paint your space. I always recommend using bold colors somewhere in the home. You don’t have to paint the whole room bright pink but you can use a fun wallpaper on an accent wall or make a bold statement with your window treatments. It absolutely uplifts the mood in a home and breaks up the mundanity of everyday life.

When tackling a new project, how do you design from start to finish?

Garden District Home Design by Maureen Stevens

I first visit the home and get a feel of the space and learn my client’s personalities. I then work on my space planning which involves knowing how my clients are going to use each space. For example, I am currently working with a client who has a back sunroom but wants to use the space as a morning breakfast area with a full coffee station Once I know how each space should function, I mesh functionality with my client’s aesthetic and create a concept for the space. Then, I let the storytelling begin.

I love adding pieces that act as little mementos, curiosities, and artifacts all throughout the house. Pieces that remind us of amazing experiences, your favorite books that inspire you, or a tasteful display of artwork from your kids. Anything to put a smile on my client’s face.

Tell me about a recent project you loved?

Victorian Garden District Home in NOLA

I am in the process of completing a Victorian Garden District home in New Orleans. It is a Greek revival home that is 170 years old and it is stunning!

What design challenges did you have, how did you address them?

My clients don’t live in New Orleans, so all decisions and correspondence were done digitally. They are also super busy, so at times, decisions were delayed. That normally wouldn’t be a factor, but this was a rush project. We had a two-week deadline to design and furnish the entire home, consisting of two parlors, three bedrooms, a dining room, den, two hallway landings, and two foyers.

The project did end up taking a little longer than two weeks because of situations out of my control (delivery/shipping delays, back-ordered items, etc.) but because I have the best clients in the world, they completely understood. My assistant and I worked day and night to get this project completed as fast as possible, many nights were spent staying until midnight or later. We put on some good music, unpacked oodles and oodles of packages, painted styled and designed!

Please tell us about the colors used in the color palette. Be as specific as possible.

We used Sherwin-Williams Romaine, Sherwin-Williams Warming Peach, Sherwin-Williams Maxi Teal, Sherwin-Williams Toasty. Light Greys, Rusts, forest, teal. pine & trekking greens.

Please list brand names of up to five products you have used in your design.

Spliced Geo Wallpaper by West Elm

We used the color Romine SW 6730 to paint an accent stripe in the Master Bedroom and a design in the upstairs foyer.

We installed the Spliced Geo wallpaper from West Elm in guest bedroom two. We hung a 22X36 framed art piece of New Orleans Indians by Fine Art America.

In Parlor 1, we added a Plume Lounge chair from Industry West (one of my favorite pieces in the whole house!) In the dining room/den we installed the Palmaria wallpaper from Osborne & Little.

What do you see as the hottest color and design trends of 2020?

I do think the baroque style & ornate details are back. Truth be told, it has been eking its way through the mainstream over the past few years – like maximalist minimalism. In 2020, more people will embrace it & will put exuberance, drama & grandeur in their homes.

2020 is all about bold patterned tiles and colors. Maximalism is about embracing the grandeur. Another one of my favorite trends are black walls. My bedroom back wall is black, and I love it. Black walls, finishes, and furniture can make your home look high end and on-trend! I love experimenting with new design trends, but the most important factor is how a space makes your client feel…not the ever-changing trends

Garden District Home Design by Maureen Stevens

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Love what you see? Want to hire Maureen Stevens for your next interior design project? You can contact Maureen and see more from her portfolio at www.maureenstevens.com

Check back next week for more featured work in the Vishion Designer Spotlight.

Virtual Market:

If you would like to connect with Maureen, Registration is now open for LIVE sessions with all of our Virtual Market speakers. Maureen Stevens’ session is called “Insights on Color & Design”. It takes place on April 14th at 2 P.M. EDT. Register here for her session.

-You can view the full list of speakers here.