An Interview with Gail Davis Design

This past summer, I crossed paths with Gail Davis (thank you, Instagram!), and she’s quickly become one of the most inspiring women our team has had the opportunity to work with. Gail and I met thanks to the ongoing movement to actively support BIPOC designers within our industry and to say we’ve become fast friends is a total understatement.

As the Principal Designer and Owner of Gail Davis Designs, Gail has been a mainstay in the industry for over a decade. When she’s not working her magic on a new space, you can find Gail hosting the Design Perspectives podcast, which I was lucky enough to swing by just last month! Few women who’ve impacted my life and helped reshaped my perspective as much as Gail, and I know you’re going to love our conversation.

 

Photography: Lisa Russman

 

An Interview with Gail Davis Designs

 

 

Tell us how Gail Davis Designs was born, and what inspired your career transition from the fashion industry to interior design?

My first career was an Executive Assistant at Saks Fifth Avenue for the Regional Director of Stores. I was SO excited to be working at Saks and on the Executive Floor. Later, I would follow that director to the President position for Saks Off 5th. Truthfully, it was a thankless job, and I was burnt out and super unhappy. If you have ever watched the movie The Devil Wears Prada, that was my life.

One day, my boss received this plaque with the inscription, “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” At that very moment, I said out loud, “I’d go to design school.” I quit my job the next day, took the summer off, and started at the New York School of Interior Design that fall. I used up my 401k to pay for school and never looked back.

 

Photography: Lisa Russman

 

How would you describe the Gail Davis Designs signature style? How do you tailor + adapt that to different clients and home styles?

I don’t have a signature style. I listen to my client, and then push the envelope to create a space where the grown and sexy can entertain without the space being too precious.

 

 

Photography: Lisa Russman

 

Do you have a favorite project thus far? Tell us about it!

I am currently working in a showhouse in Princeton, and I’m excited about how it’s all coming together. It’s a super moody guest room that feels like it belongs in London.

 

Photography: Rayon Richards

 

We love how bold colors and patterns always find their way into your work. Where does that come from?

I LOVE color and pattern! It is what makes a room pull you in and makes you want to linger and soak up the space. It comes from how I live. I like to sit in a space and just be—it makes it all the better when the space is tactile.

 

Photography: Rayon Richards

 

From where do you draw design inspiration?

I am inspired by Mother Nature. I always pay close attention when I am in the passenger seat driving somewhere. There is so much inspiration in nature, and it triggers me to translate it into an environment that will lift you.

 

Photography: Lisa Russman

 

What are your favorite Instagram accounts to follow?

Peter Sandel Design | @petersandeldesign

Gideon Mendelson | @gideonmendelson

Thad Hayes | @thadhayesinc

Brian Paquette | @brian.paquette_

Toledo Geller | @toledogeller

 

When you aren’t working, what would we find you doing?

Riding my bike at the dog park with my three pups or walking three miles to clear my head.

Photography: Lisa Russman

 

Tell us about your favorite space in your own home. 

Anywhere my husband and pups are!

 

Tell us a favorite recent trend. How about a timeless one?

I don’t do trends. They are out of style as soon as you have finished the room. I am a hopeless, timeless, classic romantic.

 

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For more industry interviews, check out these posts:

• An Interview with Shea McGee of Studio McGee
• An Interview with J Miller Interiors
• An Interview with Lindsey Brooke Design
• An Interview with Lilly Walton Design

 

IDCO Studio is a full-service creative studio for interior designers and boutique lifestyle brands. Offering bespoke branding, web design and social media content creation, we help brands built around beautiful living elevate their digital presence to represent the physical spaces they design. Our recently launched limited-release website templates are the perfect way for interior designers to get a luxury website on a budget. These templates allow designers to maintain control of their content. Want to work together? Shoot us an inquiry here.