CanvasRebel: Russo represents the past, present and future of interior design.
Hi Danny, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
Two projects come to mind. After Hurricane Maria, I flew to Puerto Rico to help restore a church. We rebuilt the whole place from scratch, including the altar. We wallpapered and painted the walls, redid the landscaping and made sure the church was back in shape in only seven days. The other project I did was help a client who had two handicapped children. I firmly believe that design impacts lives, so I set out to help redesign her living room layout in a way that made the whole space more accessible. By simply helping to rethink the placement of her furniture and making entry ways more spacious, it overall made life easier for her and her family.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
What sets me apart is I’m one of the few interior designers who has been on the client side. As a young interior designer designing my own home in the early 2000’s, we consulted an interior designer for some major decisions. I learned firsthand the importance of communicating properly and communicating clearly with clients, I saw how interior designers collaborated with clients – listening to their vision and providing their expertise and knowledge to make that vision come to life. Now, after 20 years of running my own business as an independent interior designer, I’ve not only come into my brand but built it and expanded it into something that’s recognizable in the industry. I’m known to break the rules, take risks and push boundaries in my designs, all while remaining timeless.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I represent the past, present and future of interior design. I was the first interior designer in Columbus to market myself digitally. Not only did I build the first website for an interior designer in the area, but I ensured that the design of the website reflected the mood and tone of a lot of my designs – I basically helped to set the standard of interior design websites. A lot of folks in the industry and community know who I am because I was deliberate in putting myself out there. Now, the current landscape of interior design is that its moving to interior architecture – I’m using Artificial Intelligence and augmented reality to communicate design visions with my clients. Others in the space won’t be capable of doing this for the next several years.
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
Communicating regularly and honestly with clients is one of the foundations of my business. I’m organized with client projects and make a point to connect with clients on a weekly or biweekly basis, depending on where we are in their design process. I’ve had some clients for over 20 years since when I first started my business, designing their different homes as they’ve moved or designing their kids’ homes. Remaining communicative and working with integrity with clients is extremely important – it’s one of the major forces behind the success of my business!