Meet Caryn Grossman | Interior Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Caryn Grossman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Caryn, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I don’t think I had a choice not to … Design completely fills my soul. It keeps me curious and constantly learning, thoroughly engaged with the world around me.

I started my creative career as a writer. My first job out of college was as a writer and junior editor for design magazines. A few years on, I started my own freelance writing business, with architects chief among my client base. I found myself sitting in on their concept meetings and preparing their competition entries. I was completely transfixed – while I was putting words to paper, they were creating entire worlds. I went back to school to study interior architecture and design, and once I found it, in all its three-dimensional glory, there was no going back.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I founded my company, cg interiors group, back in 2000, while I was still studying design at Atlanta College of Art (now SCAD). I’d continued writing and had opened a gift and home accessories store in Candler Park, and one of my writing clients hired me to redesign the interiors of two office towers they managed. I promptly hired one of my instructors to oversee my work, and gathered all of my classmates together to help prepare the technical drawings. We were a great team.

Right about the same time, a customer at my store shared that he was a general contractor. I asked him how to get my work in front of the right people, and he recommended me to his clients on the spot. I went on to design about a dozen custom kitchens and other spaces and learned a tremendous amount about construction, and my role in it, along the way. Since then I’ve undertaken historic warehouse conversions, the design of a completely off the grid and eco-friendly family ranch, and am currently working on the renovation and furnishing of a 12,000 square foot Buckhead home.

I think youth had a lot to do with my willingness to throw myself head-first into something I wasn’t quite sure I could do. That and curiosity. I’ve never wanted to do the same thing twice. As my business has grown so has my list of skills and offerings. I no longer take on less than a full-scale renovation or whole-home or office decorative project. Each is as individual as the client, with sourcing from all over the world and custom furniture design an integral part of the mix.

To answer the second part of your question — none of it was or is easy. Being self-employed is tremendously stressful. You have to be driven — for me it’s always about learning, reaching and absorbing what’s out there — and you have to really love what you do, and who you do it with. Thankfully I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve learned which clients are for me, and which are not, and the courage to act on it. I’ve also assembled a team of amazing collaborators who not only broaden my horizons but push me to keep trying new things.

I’ve gone back to school — again, this time as a response to the Great Recession —for a graduate degree at SCAD which gives me a fall-back if I ever want to teach full time. Thankfully, although I do really enjoy teaching, it’s always been as an augment to my design practice, not a replacement. Lately I’ve been leading workshops at the Museum of Design Atlanta and it’s been a real treat to interact with such a talented staff and imaginative attendees. It widens my mind even further.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Days always start with a walk in the park or across one of the city’s campuses, rescued greyhounds in tow. Wakes me up and gets me moving, and the dogs are patient enough to wait until noon if need be! If the weather is nice, I’d suggest we wander, follow some of the less busy paths off the beltline and stop at points along the way. Piedmont Park is a definite. Lunch outside in Cabbagetown, dinner at a spot on Buford Highway (doesn’t matter which one), and the Atlanta Symphony or a jazz show – I love watching and listening to movement and sound. In between, if the Warehouse is open, the exhibition is amazing and I’d definitely stop there, plus a visit to MODA and SCAD FASH. The botanical gardens are always a treat, and so are places off the beaten path, like Dolls Head Creek.

It’s hard to come up with an entire week — I’m always working, in one form or another. I’d definitely spend a day in the Sweet Auburn district, taking in Atlanta’s rich history of civil rights (and how far we still need to go). For staying in and cooking, a trip to Your DeKalb Farmer’s Market would be a must, and it’s always fun to check out the vintage booths at Kudzu along the way.

A day of vintage shopping for sure, at Antiques and Beyond on Cheshire Bridge, the Modernist and Westside Modern, Interiors Market and points in between.

I have a lot of friends who are performers and artists so I’d check who is doing what and where. Lunch at Cafe Intermezzo, with a dinner at Miller Union would be on the list.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Isa Motaj and Harrington Witherspoon. Isa and Harrington were my graphic design partners when I was a writer. They are both incredibly talented and both wholeheartedly supported my jump to a new career.

Isa bought me two books that I have to this day: House of Beliefs by Kelee Katillac and Breaking the Rules by Christy Ferer. I had plenty of textbooks but nothing that spoke to me; nothing that encouraged me to embrace a talent I wasn’t quite sure I had. They encouraged me to follow my own path and to set my imagination free.

Website: https://www.cginteriorsgroup.com

Instagram: @cginteriorsgroup

Image Credits
Portrait by Nick Burchell
Interiors photos by Mali Azima