Today we’d like to introduce you to Traci Darden.
Hi Traci, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
After receiving my Bachelors degree in Interior Design, I moved to the north Dallas area with my husband and began chasing my passion for utilizing my design skills within the construction of custom homes. I developed relationships with several custom builders, spent many hours on jobsites seeing processes in person to truly understand how my designs impacted the final product. I went on to open my own firm where we cater to this industry still today, almost 30 years later.
Over the years we have built a fabulous team of design and support personnel and have been involved in some fantastic projects including residential homes (Texas, Colorado, New York, Wyoming, California), model homes for builders in Texas, Oklahoma and Arizona, as well as showhomes supporting charities and featured in magazines. We were also honored to have been included in two fantastic books showcasing Modern homes of texas and Women Architects and Designers in Texas.
Having experienced this industry through my education, I have enjoyed giving back to our community by mentoring young students who also have a passion for the field. Through the Keller ISD (where both of my children attended, one of which went through the design program and has since gone on to Texas A&M to study construction science) we host Interior Design students in their CTE program, where they come into our firm during their class time to experience the day to day business of interior design, We hope to give them additional skills from hands on experience that will solidify their love of the industry and also better prepare them for their future college courses and worklife beyond their schooling.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As with any smaller business (we are a boutique firm with 5 employees currently), there are always challenges in managing and staying ahead in our field. However we’ve adapted very well and survived (even thrived) during challenges such as the fallout of 2008 which was detrimental to several home building firms and associated vendors and trades, and then covid which also brought about hardships that caused many businesses such as ours that rely on face to face relationships and communication to close their doors, we managed to come out even stronger on the other side.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
When asked what drives my design style, I feel it’s listening to the client and developing a plan that is livable and timeless. Our firms designs are touted as “thoughtful”, as we put our collective eyes to a project and come at it from all angles, truly thinking of it from a lived in perspective. Gaining this reputation within the industry, I’ve been asked to advise on many boards and peer groups.
We keep our ideas and designs fresh by staying on top of what is out there to offer our clients. We attend at least one major Market each season where we’ll take note of upcoming forecasts in color, style, furniture and building materials. We also attend several CEU courses throughout each year to learn of new materials, processes etc within the design and construction industry.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I’ve lived in DFW area for the past 28 years. Keller specifically and what I love about this area is that we are directly between Dallas and Ft Worth so we benefit from the best of both worlds. Dallas offers us easy access to Dallas Market Centers and the design center, and Ft Worth brings us the relaxed and elegant cultural side with wide open spaces to design true Texas Vernacular spaces. While we have been here for so long, the major downside is that I’ve seen what is now Southlake Blvd (where our office is located just off of), go from one lane each direction (when I was designing my first project here in southlake (Southern Livings Idea home located in Timarron) with hardly any traffic to a 6 lane roadway that is highly congested. It’s a give and take – I’ll take it! 🙂
Pricing:
- hourly design services in house or in our showroom
- flat rate full service throughout the building process
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.elementsofdesignllc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eodllc/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/traci-darden-833347/
