The Chicago Monogram Design Center (MDC) brings designers to Chicago, Illinois, for two-day experiences to learn about Monogram, the design process, our appliances – and even cook with them! We interviewed each designer to learn a little more about their background and design experiences. Today we’re featuring Garrison Hullinger with Garrison Hullinger Interior Design based in Portland, Oregon.
SRFD: How did you become interested in design?
Garrison: When I was a kid, my father worked for my uncle, who was a custom home builder. My brother and I would get dragged along to the job sites and I was always fascinated during lunch time to watch them draw out plans on napkins. That interest in remodeling and design has been a part of my entire adult life. My husband and I have remodeled numerous homes over the years, and many times I would get asked by friends and neighbors to help them with their design projects. I was always reluctant to help others, knowing I didn’t have the formal training. I finally took the dive in 2010 and started my design firm in the attic of my home and hired a young lady who had been laid off from a huge firm during the great recession. She had the technical skills and I had the ideas. I hired three more part-time employees and finally, neighbors and others could hire me for their design work.
SRFD: Tell us about a recent project you really enjoyed.
Garrison: I’m really excited about a remodel project that we’re doing for a couple who bought the home a few years ago. The home was built in 1971 by Bob Rummer, whose homes are influenced by the Joe Eichler homes of Northern California. The home has a central covered atrium and all the rooms connect to the central core of the home, bringing a lot of daylight into the home. The owners have asked us to bring the home into the twenty-first century. We’re expanding the master closet, updating the bathrooms, creating a laundry niche (with doors off the hallway) and a completely new design for the kitchen. Amid all this change, we have made a very conscious decision to make sure none of the original concrete floors throughout the entire home are touched.
SRFD: A trend you’re over?
Garrison: I’d really like to see the accent wall in a room go away, though I don’t mind a feature wall. I’d much rather see someone go the extra mile and add wallpaper, shiplap, or reclaimed wood to a wall than simply paint it an obscure color they found on a paint chip at the hardware store.
SRFD: A trend you’re excited about?
Garrison: Mixing metals. I’m so happy that clients are really understanding my desire to mix metals in a space – if everything is brushed chrome you’re more likely to hate it in a few years, but if you allow me to mix in some black, polished chrome, and even a little copper it will stay fresh much longer and won’t leave a time stamp on the project.
SRFD: What did you learn during the Monogram Designer Training Session in Chicago?
Garrison: I learned so many great things about cooking with induction cooktops while attending the Monogram Designer Training session. I was able to cook on the induction cooktop and see how much faster it heats up than the gas range and how much easier it is to regulate the temperature. It was so intuitive – and that’s saying a lot for someone who doesn’t cook much. Thank you again for the opportunity to spend several days in your gorgeous showroom in Chicago and to learn from the Monogram team.
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