Thank you for visiting. This is my personal website that I use as a portfolio. I have been working in the field of Interior Design since 2003. Let me tell you how I got here. I was raised in Birmingham, Michigan in the Detroit area and moved to Florida to be with family in the mid-nineties. I decided to pursue a career in design of some sort and graduated from University of Florida with a Bachelors in Design and began work in Winter Park Florida with Scott Carter, also a UF grad. He was a popular designer going way back with a beautiful portfolio and clientele and was then and still is truly ahead of his time. We did things 15 years ago that are now de rigueur...450 Fairfax Ave was the first project I ever worked on. It was a modern box before modern boxes became ubiquitous and it had an interesting mayan revival vibe to it, it was warm and organic and still looks stunning today. The architect was Gary Hancock and the builder was Jim Winters, two really great people to know...I loved working with Scott as I was exposed to so many beautiful things and learned so much about STYLE and how to see design as theater and to truly commit to an idea and to never be afraid to be bold. It was a very hands on education as well as it was a small office, I always have worked in small offices...and I handled so many things and learn so many facets of the job. We even did a string of Mediterranean Revival houses out in Windermere for Scott's sister Valerie Tucker, who owns Stonebridge Homes, a member of the Master Custom Builder Council. There is a gorgeous home out in Bella Collina, a horsey community in West Orange County, that we did for the Street of Dreams that I just love. For fantastic examples of this style look no further than the many James Gamble Rogers designed homes in Winter Park. Unfortunately they often get torn down because their closets are not large enough which is a shame as it would cost an absolute fortune to build new to the same level of detail and character. If you are unsure of what I am talking about I recommend a book called Getting Your House Right by Marianne Cusato. It will explain everything.
All good things must come to an end and so I moved on to my next stop- One night I attended an art opening at Qui Studios on Alden Road in the Lake Ivanhoe district (Now the Yard, a huge multi-use development) and I was drawn to the long storefront across the street. The windows were full of drawings and sketches, large scale and fun and loose. This was a hip, creative, inspirational studio that I walked into that night and a few days later I was working with Kim Deddens and Dave Brown. Dave has since passed away but Kim is still working and both of them came with great pedigrees from working with the best of Orlando design and architecture studios. Here I met other creative types in that little warehouse district. In addition to Qui, there was another local Artist Studio and then there was Ender at Elephant Walk Antiques and Tile Market had a cool space with metalwork by local Chris Scala. Chuck Price had his concrete studio just a couple doors down and Boris Petkov with his ironwork studio was right next door. It was such an inspiring street. In the studio we did so much, from model homes and condos to high end residential. Models are tough, you have an extremely low budget but with Kim at the helm I learned how to make that stretch and using "ordinary materials in extraordinary ways" we gave our clients memorable designs that sold their properties. In one 1/1 unit at the Paramount downtown for Zom we used Fornasetti wallpaper, the one with the faces, on an entire wall from entry to the rear of the unit. It was black and white and then we painted red red red! everywhere. It was such a strong design and truly original. Kim is such a fantastic designer and she draws everything by hand, her elevations and detail work are gorgeous and I just soaked up every minute of it. There was nothing you could not try as long as it was different! We also got to work on an amazing project with Charlie Clayton, the Tradewinds House in Baldwin Park. Though the timing was bad and it was a tough sell, the design was truly groundbreaking as it had an interior pool courtyard, very popular now. The architect was the very talented Geoffrey Mouen. It was featured in and sponsored by Builder Magazine/ Builder Show and was the Grand Aurora Award and Parade of Homes winner for 2008. We all got to attend the awards ceremony as a group and it was a great project to be a part of.
In 2007-2008 Florida was hard hit by the recession and I hung on as long as I could with Brown & Deddens. When it all kind of fell away I did the only thing I knew how to do, tighten purse strings and pursue work as I could find it and so Julie Koran Interior Design became real. I took projects that I liked and it was freedom to do my own thing. I did A LOT of projects, I did a historical house renovation, a VIP hospitality bar and lounge at Silver Spurs Arena, Vanbarry's bar/restaurant, a plastic surgery and law office downtown, plus several homes and condos. I worked with realtors and other like minded companies like Interstruct and KMF Architects and I just love the collaborative nature of this business.
Speaking of collaboration, a friendship bloomed into a work relationship a few years ago and so began my relationship with Ted Maines, who I have known for many years. Ted and his husband Jeff are "famous Orlandoans", famous for their philanthropy, art collection and well, just famous for being wonderful people. Together we have been designing our hearts out and getting awarded for it! Tons of Best of's, OBJ, Golden Bricks, Aurora Award, Parade of Homes, the hits keep coming. Someday we say we will do a Youtube channel of all the goofy fun things that happen in the office and on site. We sing, we play, we do modern dance and we like to go to Hot Dog Heaven. You can see a lot about us and our projects on the website and social media sites for Ted Maines Interiors.
Relationships are key and holding up your end of the bargain keeps you working more and more. Relationships with your clients are the most important because without them, there is no work so I just feel so much gratitude and love for the people who entrust me with their personal homes or the direction of their business and I feel honored to play such an important role in their lives. Repeat clients are a badge of honor and from a design standpoint a special situation as design is a reflection of the people so when you can do different spaces for the same people it takes it to a new level. The archetype, the symbol, of the Builder or Designer is a role I take very seriously. Designing the built environment, whether a home or office or public space, is a responsibility. I think in seventh generation terms and understand the affect, conscious or not, that "space" has on people. Whether or not the spaces are to inspire or sooth, it is good to think of them beyond the products within them but to focus on something deeper: the goals, the feelings, the memories and the living that is happening and will happen. I am very lucky to have these opportunities and be able to meet the amazing people I get to meet on a daily basis. Though the funny online meme about "what I do as a designer" is often correct, I wouldn't change it for anything. I look forward to the future and where I will go next, the plan is to continue working until I am no longer able and I know there are many more opportunities ahead!