Designer Spotlight: Shannon Prince
Name: Shannon Prince
Position: Healthcare Designer/Account Manager
Years in Corporate/Healthcare Furniture Industry: 15 Years
When did you first decide you wanted to be a designer? In high school. I took a design class and loved it.
Education/degree/certifications/experience? Bachelor of Science from Illinois State University; NCIDQ certified in 2000
Any other interesting jobs that helped you prepare for this job? I worked at Sherwin Williams Paints for 6 years- I got a lot of experience with color and worked with retail customers selecting finishes (paint, wallcovering & flooring) for their homes; I also did a residential design internship.
What do you love most about your job? Space Planning; It is like solving a puzzle.
What has been your most favorite or memorable work you’ve done? Children’s Hospital of Illinois- Milestone project.
Children’s Hospital of Illinois. (Peoria, Ill.)
What does your typical day look like? Every day is different- whatever issue or need is most urgent gets taken care of first and the rest falls into place from there.
Free time activities/hobbies? I love to read and spend time with my family; outdoor activities (when it is warm).
Shannon and family.
Favorite quote or life motto? Take one day at a time and always strive to do your best.
Favorite color scheme right now? Why? Warm neutrals with blue/green accents.
Warm neutrals with blue and green accents.
Who/what inspires you? My family- especially my grandparents (married for 66 years and still going strong).
If you could pick one piece of furniture to have in your home right now, what would it be and why? I have always loved the Eames lounge chair- it’s a classic that is actually comfortable.
Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman with the pearl leather and bleached ash shell.
What’s something you can’t leave the house without? My eReader and of course my phone.
What’s something you can’t go a day without? I like to end my day reading to unwind.
Who is your favorite designer of any field, and why? I have always loved the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Frank Lloyd Wright “Fallingwater” Residential Architecture.
What has been your most challenging design work? Probably the Milestone project- it spanned a long period of time and involved working with a variety of people (both locally and out of the area).
OSF Children’s Hospital patient waiting lounge area.
What is the first thing you tend to notice when you walk into a room? How open or cramped/cluttered the space is
If you were given an unlimited amount of money to design your dream home, what would you do? It has to be out in the woods with lots of windows to let in the light and give access to the view. I’m also a neat freak so I need lots of storage space to minimize the clutter :o)
Home in the woods.
What are the perks of being a designer? We get to see the latest trends and all of the really beautiful (and not so) finishes that are available.
Funniest moment as a designer? It is always interesting to navigate the communication gap between “furniture people” and the customer/clients. Terminology many times needs to be explained in layman’s terms so everyone is on the same page. One customer was trying to explain what type of storage they wanted in their work station and rather than calling the drawer unit a file cabinet or pedestal, they asked for a ‘crisper drawer’ like in their refrigerator.
