Growing up in Palm Beach, Florida designer Lisa Erdmann was surrounded by a world of color, whimsy, design, and a greater need to give back to the surrounding community. Lisa and her team of designers incorporate a variety of style, intricate details, and personal flare into each and every one of their projects in order to make it truly feel like home.
Lisa studied at Parsons School of Design and FIT in New York City and Middlebury College in Vermont. She founded her eponymous firm in 1994 and has developed a repertoire of loyal clientele ever since. Lisa is also involved in philanthropic organizations including the Board of Directors for The Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation. She and her firm have lent their time, talent, and resources to a number of Red Cross Show Houses and the Kips Bay Palm Beach Show House.
Lisa’s “Royal Retreat” is currently on view at the The 9th Annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House Palm Beach. It is a Caribbean haven inspired by the timeless glamour of Mustique and one of its most celebrated patrons, Princess Margaret. The exquisite Show House is closing today, so swing by if you can!
We are delighted to welcome Lisa to The Glam Pad today for a Style Profile Q&A! Welcome, Lisa!
Conducted by Micah Hanvey
Q: When and how did you first become interested in interior design?
A: My path to design was filled with twists and turns. My mom was a designer in Florida; however, I was very independent and interested in forging my own path. We never worked together until my firm collaborated with her on her new house just a few years ago.
I graduated from Middlebury College with a liberal arts degree and moved to New York City. I was interested in fashion design but took an office job at Donghia that I found through a friend’s older sister. Within two weeks, I was promoted and within a year or so, I managed customer service. I loved the textiles and furniture and met with Donghia’s management to voice that I was interested in moving into other areas. They were a firm that liked to promote good people from within, so I eventually went to school at night and worked in product development during the day. Within a few years, I became a director of the company in Product Development under Sherri Donghia. I worked with designers and traveled to our European and UK mills several times a year and had a dream job. After 7 years, I wanted a change and went to work for a design firm in New York City that had a retail store. Then in my early 30s, my husband and I moved to Florida, and I opened my own interior design firm.
Q: How do you define your style?
A: Classic, not trendy. My firm is also unique in that we meet with clients to determine what they want in their home. How do they want to live in the spaces? – Is it for a lot of entertaining or a private family retreat? Given this, we don’t stamp our projects with a style but create a “look” and design for each that is a unique combination of my firm’s creativity and the client’s wishes and desires.
Q: What designers inspire you?
A: Bunny Williams blends a wonderful mix of antiques and new furniture, which I find inspiring.
Q: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
A: Reading, entertaining, and traveling. My father is a sailor, so we always sailed to exotic places like the South Pacific, Canada, Caribbean, New England, the Mediterranean, etc. on the family sailboat. I was one of four children, and we were a good crew. I have continued this tradition with my family, and we have been to some wonderful places: Europe, Africa, South America, and more (but not on a boat).
Q: How did growing up in North Palm Beach, Florida influence your design style?
A: My mother was my influence. She would involve me in design selections and paint colors for my bedroom. One of my favorite drapery treatments was made in a Robert Indiana “Love” pattern drapery fabric in pink. She would let me move my bedroom furniture into different configurations and talk about the projects she worked on.
Q: What enthused you to become involved in different organizations, such as Nicklaus Children’s Health Care and Red Cross, and how do you utilize your design firm to assist these organizations with their needs?
A: My mother was always involved in charity organizations and fostered the obligation that we must give back to our community. Florida was a small community in the 1960s. I have always done this in a variety of ways, including serving on boards, community activities and participating in Red Cross and Kips Bay Show Houses after my firm was founded.
Q: As your design firm was founded in 1994, how do you think that your design style has changed over time from when you first began until now?
A: That’s a good question to ponder. I have a lot more sources and capabilities due to a great team. We have more range in style and options to solve design requests as well as to search for pieces. The internet has also changed everything because we can access antiques, furniture, and lighting from all over the world in an afternoon, which was not possible when we began.
Thank you, Lisa, for participating in our Style Profile series!
To learn more, please visit Lisa Erdmann Interiors and follow @lisaerdmanninteriors on Instagram for ongoing inspiration.
