What it's like to be an interior designer for the ultra-wealthy

Free subscriber-exclusive audiobook!“No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention”Get it now on Libro.fm using the button below.Since 1999, my husband and business partner, Vernon Applegate, and I have run our firm, Applegate Tran Interiors, where we design homes for wealthy clients in the Bay Area and around the country.We work on about a dozen projects per year and run a showroom called Poliform, an Italian contemporary furniture company that we purchased six years ago.I was a starving artist and needed more financial security, so I got my GED and went to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco to study interior design. 15 years ago, when our first high-end client hired us, the project won many awards and was in publications, which led to more leads.My partner and I have different design styles and prefer to work on separate projects, but we always initially consult with each other. Over the years, clients have also asked for panic rooms, bunkers, and bank vaults, which we've installed.I typically spend an hour on my laptop in bed checking emails from clients in NYC or Italy for our Poliform business with Luigi, our pup and head of security for Applegate Tran. But it doesn't always work out that way because if a client calls asking us to meet that day, we'll go. In the morning, if we're hosting dinner that night, we review the recipes and guest list and ensure the specialty seafood will be delivered on time to have everything in place for when I return home.I'm working on a residential project in the Alamo neighborhood in the East Bay for one of my favorite repeat clients, and I recently went to her home to help her make some decisions.At around noon, we had a lovely lunch on her newly installed, built-in breakfast table in her kitchen. You never know when an opportunity will come up, but that's what makes it exciting.I typically head to the showroom every afternoon to check in on the installation of new pieces that arrive from Italy and have a quick meeting with the sales team.I love to entertain, and we often host beautiful dinners for our friends, clients, and members of the community.