Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon McGough.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Shannon. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
It all began at Neiman Marcus, Northpark Mall, as so many good Dallas stories do. I had the pleasure of meeting Lisa Barfield Kopecky who hired me as her design intern, creating beautiful window treatments for some of Dallas most elite clientele. During my final year at the Art Institute, I applied for an internship at world renown Wilson Associates here in Dallas and was offered a full-time position a week before graduation. This opportunity turned in to one of the most important and memorable decades of my life.
And this is no joke- but I will give it to you in a nutshell. Ten years inclusive of endless learning, working, designing, deadlines, late hours, forged friendships, traveling, hotel installs, marriage, and my two oldest daughters. And at this point, I hadn’t even turned 31. I had a hand in luxury hospitality projects of all sizes and styles and was even able to catch a few grace the covers of prominent magazines. Don’t get it twisted though- this is no a brag sesh, this is an ode to hard work… and there’s never anything wrong with that.
At the end of my Wilson decade, it was time to reorganize my house. A tragic accident had left me widowed at 30 with two darling little girls. With a support system like no other from my immediate as well as Wilson family, I decided to make a change. But you see, I am a Virgo, and nothing makes me happier than to execute a plan.
Endgame? The end game was to turn my love of Interior Architecture into a way to make a living in the Dallas Residential game. I wanted the whole long drawn out hotel process, in a residential format. Floorplans, to budgeting, to building, installing, and the icing on the cake I baked….. the interior design and furnishings at the end. So, I began with small steps away from the corporate world, however, my story would be amiss without giving credit to all of those who helped me do just that.
Ann Sutherland offered me a position managing her boutique firm Square Foot Studio, and with an office in the Design Center, I was still in my comfort zone! Baby steps are good…. they really are. Rosewood Custom Homes taught me the home building process from start to finish. I learned the order in which a builder needs things done to build a house on schedule while allowing me to take on clients and incorporate my design position at Square Foot.
I was later offered a position at Platinum Series by Mark Molthan where I personally managed the design on upwards of 15 homes around Dallas and Southlake within 2.5 years time. As if all of that wasn’t exciting enough, the best of this story happens here. I met my husband Tim. Fort Worth native, TCU grad, baseball player, and son of a home builder (a dash of irony in life is so important). During my time building homes with Platinum Series, we married and added a baby boy named Cannon to the bunch. Don’t even ask…… there is no more room at the Inn. We are chalk full of pre-teen hormones and baby toys. That chapter ends here. And so- I thought it was a good time to begin writing a new chapter.
In 2015 I took yet another baby step and opened my own small yet fierce residential consulting firm – Forecast 15. It’s hard to select a name for a company that is just you. It has to be meaningful. Ultimately, as much as I like to plan there is no way on earth I could have forecasted where I would be in the year 2015. And I couldn’t have been happier with that exact spot in my still-evolving story.
Three years into Forecast 15 I am designing new construction and large remodels for a handful of my favorite builders. Start to finish. Some of my dearest friends are past and current clients and I can tell you without lying, or even breaking eye contact….. that I have worked so hard for this and I LOVE WHAT I DO.
I also love a challenge. Learning a new craft at age 36 is a big commitment. So, without giving up my go to, which will always be designed, you will also find me this spring at Preston Hollow Village in Dallas as a managing partner/owner of XTEND Preston Hollow fitness studio. This might sound like my excuse to wear leggings and knee-high boots to work most days, but it might also be my biggest challenge to date and greatest gift to my girls.
Negotiating commercial contracts, commercial design and construction, building and managing a strong and inclusive team of women who will, in turn, encourage other women to be all that they can….. here it is Y’all….. Do the things that scare you. Accept the challenges, take the chances, make the connections, and keep making plans that you can modify to suit your course forward, and just don’t stop.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My story would have likely ended with “still designing amazing hotels at Wilson Associates” if things ran smoothly all the time. The fun is in the challenges, in the curves and cutoffs that you cannot see or plan for. Not smooth per say, but certainly able to be navigated.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Forecast 15 – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I would say that my specialty is functioning as an asset to my builders/contractors. I find that they appreciate my knowledge of the process. Obviously, you cant move furniture and window coverings into a house that hasn’t finished yet, and you certainly can’t even buy those things if you cant finish that house within a set budget.
Before I focus on the pretty decorative elements, I focus on the bones of the project. I don’t like to design interiors that I didn’t get to finish out. My clients will tell you (most all with a smile on their face) that we became fast friends. I give my honest opinions- and will tell them whether it’s just my personal opinion or if it is based statistically on my previous 20 homes. I encourage clients to express their likes and dislikes- it is their home after all.
I learned in college (trying to please various professors) that there are only about a MILLION ways to execute a polished design, and not everyone likes the same things. It is not about what I like, it is about what the client likes, and finding a way to get there successfully with a well-executed final design. I am able to act as a concierge to my clients- taking them through the plan, budgeting, building, and selection process and having fun while we do it. The end results are always better when you have some fun along the way.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My plan for the future- on all fronts- is to keep the momentum going. By keeping the momentum within my Forecast 15 design company, and the growing fitness studios (Frisco and Plano are coming after Dallas). I always have an opportunity for change. I can speed up, slow down, but you will always find me moving. I look forward to many more custom homes around Dallas and sweating alongside my favorite clients during a Saturday morning class at XTEND.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 469 877 6533
- Email: forecast15llc@gmail.com
- Instagram: XTEND Preston Hollow
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
