Award-winning interior designer Traci Rhoads doesn’t rest on her laurels.

Even after nearly two decades of designing multi-million dollar luxury residences, clubhouses and resorts, and twice being nominated as “Southeast Designer of the Year,” the words of her mentor inform her passion to design not only beautiful rooms, but beautiful relationships, as well. Those words: “You are only as good as your last job,” translate into following up with clients long after the final install. Of course, Traci Rhoads Interiors (www.trinteriors.net) is renowned just as much for translating its clients’ homes into visions that reflect their lifestyle and needs. In this edition of “Interior Monologues,” Rhoads discusses her style muses, her typical (atypical) day and the design elements that happily surprise clients most.

We hope you enjoy it! 

David Lefkovits,
President, LEFKO Design + Build

Q: You have been nominated as “Southeast Designer of the Year” several times, what sets you apart? What is your approach to residential interior design?
A: I believe first and foremost, you have to follow up and follow through.  I could select a sofa and fabric that is perfectly executed, but if after the installation, the leg breaks, and I don’t respond or follow up, the client will end up with a negative experience.  Each and every project, I continue the relationship and follow up long after an install. My mentor throughout my design career imbedded in me, “You are only as good as your last job.” 

Q: What is your favorite room to design? Why?  
A: A client’s dining room or master bedroom are my favorite spaces to design.  In a dining room, I love to create drama, intimacy, warmth, and always a bit of glamour. I want guests to feel special and awed by their environment. A client’s master bedroom is such a personal design that requires you really understand their needs and create a space they feel relaxed and comfortable in.  To me, it’s the space that is most important to their happiness. 

Q: Who or what is your “style muse?”
A: My style muses (can’t have just one:) without a doubt would be interior designers Mary McDonald and Windsor Smith. Both of these amazing women inspire my personal style and embody what I think is timeless, modern, elegance with a bit of unexpectedness. 

Q: What is a typical day like for you…if there is such a thing?
A: Honestly, there really isn’t a typical day and that’s what keeps my long hours and dedication thriving. Each day I encounter a new client or new vendor, an innovative product or fabric…your creativity is consistently stimulated and nurtured. 

Q: What design element do you find most clients never knew they wanted but are so glad you suggested?
A: I’m passionate about wallpaper and decorative lighting. Clients who thought of wallpaper as “out of date” or a “thing of the past,” are always pleasantly surprised at how modern it can be and how it can drastically change a space.  And, not just on the walls, but the ceiling as well.  I also feel decorative lighting provides the ambience and character of a room day or night. I love decorative lighting turned on in the evening as opposed to overhead down lights.  They create that intimate feel and they must always be on a dimmer!