Joni Spires

Sometimes inspiration comes from more than one direction at a time. In the case of Joni Spires, her interest in the field of interior design was first sparked by her mother-in-law, and later by her daughter, making Joni a link in a chain of creativity and innovation.

When Joni first married, her mother-in-law was a draper with her own business, which she ran with her two sisters in Coral Gables, Florida. One sister was the "full-fledged designer," and another sister specialized in slip covers and upholstery. Joni was fascinated by the stories these women told, such as recounting making 40-foot Austrian swags for the Boom Boom Room at the Fountain Bleu Hotel in Miami Beach in 1947.

"I was able to learn some of the old tricks that aren't in vogue today, but that knowledge is irreplaceable," she said. "I was listening not only to family stories, but also to a history that I knew one day I would share."

At the time Joni came into their lives, the business was in full swing, and Joni began her first work in the design field.

"My mother-in-law, bless her heart, allowed me to do the 'grunt' work. At that time they sewed drapery rings on to the headers of the draperies, and that was my job, along with tabling, ironing, hemming many a drapery panel, and a few slip covers to boot."

Soon, Joni was working on her first design job, which was helping to design the home she and her husband were building — all 6,000 square feet of it. (It's so grand that now it's a lodge, which can be seen at www.stillwaterslodge.com) The Spires hired a designer, and as Joni watched, she asked if she could design the bath herself.

Since it was my home, she agreed," she said. You can see the results here in a photo provided by the Still Waters Lodge.

"It turned out beautiful, with a black sunken Jacuzzi tub, opened shower with opposing shower heads, black Italian tile with handsome David and Dash faux black patent leather wall covering," she said. "The sinks, showers, and tub all had very masculine gold Grohe fixtures. The interesting thing about the shower was that the architect designed it with two, 10' x 13' ceiling-to-floor glass walls which allowed us to create a rock wall around the outside for privacy, in a garden setting."

But it wasn't until years later, when Joni's daughter, Anne-Rachel, completed the Sheffield Course, that Joni decided to shore up what she'd learned with more concentrated study. She says she "fell in love" with the program, largely because of the hands-on approach and the personal attention.


"I have really enjoyed every morsel of the curriculum. Sheffield has helped me to understand why I did the things that I've always done in decorating," she said.

"I've learned about practical applications, such as balancing out a room, the concept of using color, and how to make the most of wall coverings," she said. "The sections on furniture style have been very enlightening, and I'm going to start carrying around the study book on French Styles, since I peruse antique stores and second hand shops. It is priceless."

For Joni, being the grandmother of nine doesn't for a second slow her down. "The challenge is to stay fresh," she said, and she keeps her work fresh by keeping up with the latest developments in the design world.

Joni also keeps her business fresh by adding her own personal touches. For example, she gives every client not only a nice bottle of wine at the end of the job, but also a copy of her own "Seven Ways to Bring Grace To Your Home," which offers seven pointers her clients can use to continue to make their homes beautiful and comfortable.

Given Joni's reserves of creativity, it isn't surprising that the aspect of running her own design business that she finds most difficult is record keeping, something her husband keeps making sure she does. "It has to be done, and I found the most effective and efficient way to handle this chore was to keep a sketch book for every job. It has all my notes, receipts, sketches, ideas, pictures, articles and of course...bills. I attach paper clips and clip things immediately and deal with them later," she said.

Recently, Joni completed a home in Palm Beach that dated from the mid-twentieth century, with four bedrooms, four baths, and a pool. "It was wonderfully fun," she said. "The wall color that was used was a specially mixed color and was designed around the sofa. The homes built during that era had rooms that were small and all ran into each other, so the dining room and living room are attached. The challenge was to give each room its own identity. All in all it came together nicely."

Joni's current project is one that's immensely satisfying, and which allows her to see her work come full circle: she's now helping to design a home for one of those three sisters who launched Joni's initial interest in design.

And she still finds that sometimes clients, or prospective clients, have one question foremost in their minds: "Have you been to design school?"

"I was asked this question about two years ago by a top yachting designer, and it gave me the edge to be able to say, 'Yes!'"

Joni offers the following for anyone going into the field, and we've found all these pointers to be solid:

1. Learn how things are made. Learn the techniques of sewing, even if you have to purchase a very inexpensive machine. Learn just the basics of things such as how do you tell the difference between a beautiful seam and a sloppy seam, how a pillow is sewn, how drapery is made. You'd be surprised how many designers don't even know when things are made poorly. You don't have to become great at sewing, just so you know what's correct or not.

2. You are only as good as those people who stand behind you, your painters, your finish carpenters, your flooring person, your cabinet maker, most of all your drapery installer. Know them well.

3. When you buy furniture, know what you are buying. The first place to start is at your desk, on the computer. The right one will save time, money, and a tremendous amount of energy. Then go find where they make the furniture and look at it, turn it over, see the construction, and, on upholstered pieces, the way the patterns match.

4. When you are designing or re-designing a kitchen, please, please, please remember that most people don't want to walk in and see a refrigerator unless it is faced with cabinetry. Put the refrigerator in an area so that the eye doesn't meet the metal box first thing.

5. When you have a design job, and you are at your desk, play some sort of music. Back in the recesses of your mind, a creation will come that only music can bring out. Try it. You will be so surprised how this works, it's like a 6th sense emerging.

6. Talk with other designers as often as you can. It's refreshing to get other views, and it will broaden your creativity. Instead of just looking at the pictures in a magazine, read the article that has been written by designers.

7. Be willing, for an additional fee, to go the extra mile. If you are doing a bedroom, be willing to purchase the bedding. You have to know what is the most appropriate for your client. You want them to be able to crawl in that bed and get a great night's sleep in the room you designed. They will remember and tell others. With the kitchen it's the same — the dishes are very important to pull the look together.

8. And last but not least, know where your weak areas are. I've been around draperies and drapery fabrics my whole life, and still have a real problem with drapery design.