Founder of Beverly Hills-based Arch-Interiors, designer Christopher Grubb reflects and projects on his creative career.
How has your background influenced the way you approach the design business?
Christopher Grubb: I approached the design business with the benefit of experiences I gained from a very young age through the start of college. My grandfather was a contractor, so I was able to observe construction, craftsmanship, and the process of building. My grandmother owned a giftware store that had been in our family for over 100 years. That experience gave me an appreciation for scale, color, merchandising, creating display windows, and the artistry of tabletop presentation. I also accompanied her on buying trips, where I learned how orders were placed and processed, how to make sales, and how important it was to understand what customers would actually buy.
Both of my grandparents owned their own businesses, so I was able to observe how they managed their operations, employees, and customers. They each had very different management and marketing styles, and I learned something from both. My father worked as a construction estimator, and I watched him prepare takeoffs, produce drawings, and review plans. That gave me an appreciation for the complexity of construction and the importance of accuracy.
Education and experience were still required, especially how a design business works, but I was fortunate to grow up with an arsenal of experiences that gave me a head start.
What has been your biggest challenge in the design business?
Christopher Grubb: One of the biggest challenges of having a design firm in Los Angeles is that it’s a very transient city. I’ve interviewed designers and quietly thought to myself, “I may only have them for four years.” You can just tell they have the talent and drive to eventually start their own firm – which, of all people, I completely understand. People leave for a myriad of reasons. They fall in love, get married, have parents they need to be with, or something personal they need to return to their hometown. I joke with parents at weddings that the groom “stole” my employee, and they usually laugh and agree. It’s simply part of life but as a business owner the true challenge is starting a new search and recruiting. Vetting resumes, evaluating candidates, trying to understand their abilities in a relatively short amount of time, recognizing their strengths, and anticipating where they’ll need mentoring. And as a boutique firm, our needs require versatility and I find many designers now have careers more limited to certain tasks. It exacerbates the effort but big picture I am fortunate to continue relationships with former employees. In fact, I recently collaborated on a project with a former employee who had been with me for 11 years and it was a special experience to work together again.
What advice would you give someone entering the design business?
Christopher Grubb: My advice to anyone entering the design profession is to find every opportunity to study and learn the “business” of design. Creativity is our passion and is essential, but understanding how the design business operates to me puts you in an advanced category. I was fortunate that my design school required two business courses, and one professor became an invaluable mentor. An example of one class was using and developing a class project as if it were an actual project. We researched construction costs, specified furniture and materials, created budgets, prepared purchase orders and invoices, and learned about contracts and fee structures.
That experience gave me the confidence to start working with some clients while I was still in college. Even for designers who never plan to own a firm, understanding fees, profitability, project costs, and the business side of the profession makes you a stronger designer and a more valuable member of any team.
I also recommend doing two internships. Experiencing different firms exposes you to different management styles, project types, and office cultures. Whether your interests are residential, commercial, hospitality, or healthcare, those experiences help you discover more of who you are as a designer.
What is the most important career lesson you’ve learned?
Christopher Grubb: Creatively, a lesson is designing for a client is not about me and how important active listening is for a successful project. I want to learn what my clients like aesthetically and want to experience. They’re individual and family personalities. Listen to both the verbal and non-verbal. It is paramount from the interview through the rest of the project. As I design, I reference my notes and conversations so the finished project is not only beautiful, but unmistakably theirs. Not long after starting my business, I had a project published in the Los Angeles Times. It was nice to hear the wife said she felt “heard” during the entire project. The husband complemented that even with very different taste, they both see themselves in the design. That “listening” I do that by having my clients give me inspiration images separately. I can easily see their commonality. Sometimes I ask them to give me images of dislikes too. People often reveal their true preferences without realizing it. Exceptional customer service has become one of the defining characteristics of my firm. I take great pride in caring for my clients, because that’s an essential part of luxury service.
Regarding business: One of the most valuable business lessons I learned was calculating exactly how much revenue the firm needed to generate each day just to break even. This felt like a pragmatic way to look at operating my business. Knowing that number changed how I made decisions, priced projects, and thought about expenses. I often share this idea during speaking engagements because it’s especially helpful for designers who love the creative side but not the business side. It’s a simple exercise, but it reminds you that creativity has to be supported by a healthy business – and helps with confidence when it’s time to raise your fees.
What is your favorite feature in your kitchen or bath?
Christopher Grubb: I would love to say it’s a curved built-in banquette for friends to relax, visit, and be sequestered when I’m cooking, but it’s something that came with the house and that I’ve rarely used on a project. It’s the greenhouse window over my kitchen sink. Instead of potted herbs, it’s home to my collection of miniature buildings from around the world. I started collecting them while studying abroad and have added to the collection from nearly every place I’ve traveled. Blessed to have now visited every continent, it’s become a very personal display of memories. The designer in me sometimes thinks, “visual clutter.” The homeowner in me is happy every time I’m at the sink because each piece reminds me of a place and a moment in my life. My guests enjoy looking through the collection to find places they’ve visited, too.
It’s also a great reminder that successful design isn’t just about creating a photo-perfect room. It’s about me creating a home that reflects the people who live there. Sometimes that means embracing treasured objects I might not have selected myself but making them work because of their specialness to my client. So ironically, my favorite feature is one I would have never picked for myself. And if I ever need the space photo-ready, I can always pack up the miniature buildings and replace them with herbs for the day!
