Meet the Designer: Glenna Stone
Next in our “behind the scenes” series, we’re featuring our principal, Glenna! She’s opening up on what led her to a career change, how interior design has influenced her personally, and the “why” behind GSID. Keep reading to meet the designer: Glenna!
Why did you choose a career in interior design?
My love of interior design stemmed from realizing about 10 years into my previous career that, while I loved many things about my job, it wasn’t creative enough for me. At the time I was living in Boston, working for Gillette/Proctor & Gamble, and began taking interior design courses at the Boston Architectural College and the Rhode Island School of Design as a way “to do something more creative.” I was hooked!
After understanding that interior design is so much more than decorating, and how much I could leverage from my existing skill set, I would say that I didn’t chose interior design, but it chose me. I convinced my husband to lose my salary for 3 years (yikes) and finance a graduate degree (double yikes), then applied to graduate schools and decided upon Drexel University. I grew up in Delaware and my husband is from the Harrisburg area, so coming back to this area was always in our plan. Combining my technical and creative skills along with a love of entrepreneurship into a career has been even more fulfilling than I could have imagined.
What would you say that you love most about being an interior designer?
Gosh, I don’t know where to start! I love thinking creatively, yet having a vision and understanding the technical components of what’s needed to get there. I love that it’s project-based and there are so many aspects to what we do as designers. Whether it’s being on a job site, going to a design center, meeting with our many trade vendors, working with the team here in the studio, collaborating with our clients, or being on site for installation day, it’s all interesting and engaging work. It really does make me hop out of bed in the morning excited to start each day. Knowing that every day is going to be unique and that we are working to make someone else live or work better by creating beautiful, radiant spaces that function for our clients – that is what it’s all about.
If you had to pick a favorite space to design, what would it be and why?
I don’t know that I have a favorite space in particular, but I do love to work in spaces that I know a family uses a lot. These include kitchens, family rooms, bedrooms, and even functional spaces like mudrooms and powder rooms. As we get to know our clients, how they live, and what they love, I truly envision them going about their day in the spaces we are creating. I imagine them waking up there, opening the door after a long day at work, making meals, entertaining, having a family movie night, or playing with their grandkids. I love having an impact on how people live by combining beauty and function. When your space feels like “you,” you enjoy it to the fullest.
How has your career carried over into other aspects of your life?
When you own your own business, you get curveballs thrown at you constantly. There’s a lot to juggle, and it’s taught me to take the craziness of being a business owner, mom, wife, friend, and daughter all in stride. I do the very best I can every single day, whether it’s at work or at home. Just as I take time to plan and manage the business, I’ve started making sure I am doing the same thing at home. This includes taking time with my family and taking time for me when I need it. It’s fundamental to my well-being, and in the beginning I wasn’t doing that. I had young kids and I was overextended, but now I’m able to make my family and me more of a priority. There is no such thing as balance, but there is an ebb and flow to life, and I’ve learned to accept that and take each day as it comes.
Why do you enjoy being a part of the GSID team?
The team I have is amazing and I’m truly lucky for each an every person on our team here and our extended team. We’ve worked hard to develop a culture statement for what we all believe in, why we come to work each day, and why we do what we do. It’s nice to know that underneath it all we have common beliefs, core values and goals. We are all very different with different skills which helps us be a phenomenal team. We support each other, mentor each other, and help each other. My team here is like a second family!
Header image: Betsy Barron Photography
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Glenna Stone Interior Design is an award-winning Philadelphia interior design firm serving Philadelphia, the Main Line, and surrounding cities. Utilizing her background and training in interior design, architecture, and engineering, Glenna specializes in creating interiors for residential and commercial design settings. We invite you to visit our website, view our portfolio, and catch up on the latest interior design concepts on our blog!