A good construction project is not just about the looks. It goes beyond aesthetics, strategically marrying form and function together. Eric Anderton sits down with Blima Ehrentreu, Founder/CEO of The Designers Group, to discuss the transformative power of a purpose-driven design. She discusses the major differences between good and bad designs, as well as her various approaches in coming up with aesthetically pleasing yet highly functional outputs. Blima also shares how she was able to create a diverse and well-performing team, starting as a two-woman firm and eventually growing to more than 30 people.
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Website: https://www.thedesignersgroup.com
LinkedIn Handle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blimaehrentreu
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedesignersgroup
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Beyond Aesthetics: How Great Design Shapes And Transforms The Built Environment With Blima Ehrentreu
You’re going to like this conversation. My guest is Blima Ehrentreu. She is the Founder and CEO of The Designers Group. She’s a creative visionary and industry trailblazer. Her passion and leadership showcasing the transformative power of purpose-driven design have had a tremendous impact on the clients that she works with.
We talk about why design is important and the difference between good design and bad design. We talk about the unconscious yet highly effective way that she was able to build a diverse team to help her execute the challenging job of producing livable, practical, and aesthetically pleasing designs. I like design. I’m ignorant about it. I ask a lot of questions about what good design is and what bad design is, but it’s a feel.
When you’re in a good space, it’s refreshing and enjoyable. It’s important that the buildings that we build have the form, function, practicality, and aesthetic for the folks who are using them. You’re going to enjoy this conversation very much. Blima knows what’s up. Enjoy the various takeaways. Make sure that you share this with other people who would benefit from reading it. Let’s dive into the conversation.
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All About Blima
Blima, welcome to the show.
Thank you so much for having me.
Introduce yourself to our audience. Tell us about what you do.
I am the Founder and CEO of The Designers Group. We’re an interior design firm dedicated to designing with the purpose of creating a better world. We’re all about the impact that our designs can have. We love it when people using the spaces that we’ve worked on are able to maximize their potential.
How did you get into design?
I have always been a creative person. I always loved art. When it was time for me to figure out what I wanted to do as a career, interior design seemed like the natural course of action. I went to school and got a Master’s in Interior Architecture and Design. I worked at an architectural firm to get that technical experience and understand the technical side of design. That was the start of this incredible journey that I’m still on.
When did you know that you wanted to have your own business?
That was never necessarily the plan, but it transitioned into that. I was working at an architectural firm. Another designer reached out to me and asked me if I’d want to partner with her to start our own firm. That sounded like something that would be exciting and impactful. As a woman in the industry, I realized that we’d be able to open up many doors for other women by doing this, and that’s how it started. What began as a two-woman firm transitioned into something incredible. We have a team of over 30. We’re working on amazing projects throughout the US and Canada. Every day is exciting, something new, a new way for us to make a difference, and I love every second of it.
What was the biggest mistake you made when you were building your business?
That’s an interesting question because I don’t know if there was one biggest mistake, but it’s always about learning throughout every single project that we work on. I’m still learning. I’ve been doing this for several years. I remember the first mistake that I made, which was we were working on a residential project. It was one of our first clients when we started the firm. We selected this beautiful sofa. We checked the dimensions, and everything worked. It was time for the delivery guys to bring the sofa to the home, but they could not get it through the front door. That was something that we didn’t even think of.
We looked at the dimensions, the space, the material, and how it worked with everything else, and everything was perfect. The fact that it couldn’t get through the front door was such a lesson. I always tell my team, “Mistakes are there for us to learn. The only problem with making mistakes is if you don’t learn from them.”
Mistakes happen for us to learn. The only problem is if we do not learn from them. Click To TweetAnytime we’re working on a project, we always make sure that whatever we’re specifying, we’ll work within the space. We’re working on a large event space in Brooklyn. We designed these partitions that go from floor to ceiling. Because it’s large, the event space can be divided and used simultaneously for different events happening at the same time. One of the things that I pointed out to the lead designer was, “How are we getting these partitions into the space?” Because it has an eighteen-foot high ceiling and the elevators are not that size. We had to make sure that the partitions were delivered to the space before construction continued on the other floors.
It’s always about learning, taking every lesson wherever it is, and making sure to implement whatever it is that we learn from it into our future designs. Taking responsibility for it. I didn’t mention that, but even with the sofa, we paid for the client to return the sofa. There was a restocking fee. We chose something else that would get through the front door. It’s all about learning from mistakes and taking responsibility. At the end of the day, people are hiring us for our expertise, and we need to stand behind our product.
Coming Up With Good Designs
Tell me, why is design important?
Design is important because it impacts the environments that we’re in. As a design firm, we’re working on many different projects in many different industries. I always say that many people don’t even realize the impact of the spaces they’re in. When they’re in that space, they’re able to do certain things if the design lends itself to that.
We’re working on anything from senior living to multifamily to office. There are always those core principles. In an office, you want people to be productive and happy. When people are happy, they’re able to produce in the best way possible. When someone is in a senior living facility, and they’re happy, they’ll be able to rehabilitate properly. They’ll be able to live a better life and be there for longer. In every space that we work on, there’s a different mission and vision, but it all boils down to the same principle that we want people to live their best lives in that space. We’re looking across industries to make sure that we’re integrating that into the design.
When you’re working with a contractor, and you’re discussing with them their vision for the project, and they have a champagne vision and a beer budget, how do you work with them, particularly when it comes to some of those fundamental things that you shared about? In an office space, you want people to be productive. In a senior living space, you want them to be happy. How do you negotiate that through with a contractor and discuss it?
I always say that part of being a designer is understanding what people are saying, even without them saying it. It’s almost like a therapist. You want to be able to understand what their vision is even when they can’t verbalize it. Sometimes, they verbalize it, and what they’re saying is completely not what they want.
As designers, it’s our job to show the client or the end user what it is that we envision and why that will best maximize the space and the potential for the space. That’s what it’s about. We need to understand the mission or the vision of the space and be able to utilize our expertise to translate it into a space that will work well.
You said something interesting there, which people come across a lot of times. They have an idea of what they want. They may have a sense of it, but they’re not able to verbalize it. Part of your job is to help them to articulate and clarify that. What are some of the key questions that you like to ask someone when you’re in a consultation to help them begin that articulation process?
We always have our first meeting when we sign onto a project. It’s a conversation. We always start by asking them to tell us what space they want to design. Who are you trying to attract in this space? What do you want those people who will be in the space to be doing? What’s most important is the function of the space and how our designs will encourage the people who are using it to maximize that.
An interesting example that is different from what you’re thinking when I’m talking about it is that over COVID, we got into the urgent care space where we had a client who was starting an urgent care brand. We sat with them. We were brainstorming. What are the differentiators for this urgent care brand? They were a new company. How do they want to set themselves apart?
We took our expertise from the hospitality space and said, “Why when you’re getting a massage or a facial? Is that a luxurious experience?” When you’re getting stitches or you have to visit the doctor, that’s an experience that is anxiety-ridden and that people do not look forward to. What we did was we said, “Why not bring in those concepts of a hospitality space or a spa into the urgent care experience?”
It was interesting because, at the first grand opening, I was there for the ribbon cutting. I heard one of the city officials say to the other because they had people from the city come. He said, “This feels like a spa.” I walked over to him and said, “Did someone okay you to say that?” That was our vision for the space. We looked at what are the users. What is someone who’s coming to an urgent care? What will they be feeling like? What do we want them to feel like? It was an incredible experience. We keep seeing how impactful our designs have been by the way people are reacting to being in that space.
I’m hearing there the marriage between form and function. If I understand what the function of the building is, keeping in mind that human beings are going to be using it, I can begin to think more through the form of the building. Did I hear that correctly?
Yes, that’s a good way of looking at it.
In terms of that, what are the other parameters as you’re coming to look at a space and beginning to work with a client? What are some other insights that you bring to the table that help you put together a design that matches up with the inarticulate vision that the client sometimes has?
We always look at the demographics and the people who will be using the space. Who are we trying to bring in? How will they be comfortable in this space? We also look at budgetary constraints. What’s the budget for the project? We want to make sure that by the time they get up to the finishes, which is the last part of a construction execution, there’s still money there for them to actualize our vision.
We also want to make sure that the space will last. We want to use materials that are durable and withstand whoever will be using the space. For example, when you’re working in a medical facility, there’s a lot of heavy usage. We want to make sure that any medical equipment, walkers, wheelchairs, or exam equipment will be able to work well in this space but also not destroy what we’ve designed.
These are some of the things that we look at, but there’s much more. We look at sustainability and the experience that people will be having. Another example back to the urgent care is that we found this material that looked like velvet and did not absorb but made you feel like you’re in a high-end environment.
What happened was that when people came to the first location, they were uncomfortable. Why is there velvet? Even though it did not absorb, it was way more expensive than velvet. They felt like it would attract germs. It’s about understanding the psyche of the people who will be using that space. We’re always learning. That was an interesting experience for us. We found this material to be perfect because it didn’t absorb, but it gave you that luxurious feel. That’s not what people wanted in that space.
We’re always looking at many different things when it comes to designing a space. That’s why I always say, “The initial investment of hiring a designer always pays out in the end.” You have someone who’s looking into many different aspects of what the end user will want or look for, and you’ll have that user in the space. It’s worth to hire someone who has the experience and the knowledge to execute properly. Construction is expensive. Anytime you’re putting in that money, you want to do it in the right way and guidance that your project will pay off, or you’ll be able to pay for it.
Designing A Timeless Space
As you were speaking there, I have a couple of questions. You talked about a space lasting. It’s interesting because, in many of the products that we use, the design of the product is such that it has perhaps a resonance for a short period of time and looks dated or is not comfortable to be in. What is comfortable in one year is uncomfortable in the next year, perhaps because of the trends around us. How do you design a space that’s timeless?
That is a broad question because it depends on which industry and how, in one year, it’s already dated. I could give an example from a multifamily.
Can I give you an example of what I’m talking about?
Sure.
Let’s take an office space, for instance. You were talking about an office space where people are productive and having fun. Back in the day, you’d have cubicles and executive offices around the outside. There was this trend where the executives were like, “No, we’re not going to be in the offices. We’re going to be in the middle with everybody else.” The executives are like, “That’s not working because I can’t concentrate. There’s too much stuff going on.” How do you design a space that is productive on the one hand and yet timeless on the other in terms of its aesthetic and the way that it functions?
When it comes to an office environment, every company is different. Every company has a different way of collaborating and working together. Some offices need those separate work areas where people can be productive on their own. Maybe they’re on calls or having private meetings. In that way, we would design the spaces separately.
In other office environments, working together is key, and collaboration is what gives them the best possible work outcome. That’s part of our initial research where we’re talking to them. We understand what it is they’re doing, what service they’re providing, what product they’re providing, who they are as a brand, what they’re trying to get their employees or clients to get to with whatever it is that they’re offering.
When you say keeping spaces timeless, I think about certain public areas. When I talk about a multifamily building where you’re bringing in prospective tenants, renters, or condo owners, you want to keep the spaces as neutral as possible. It appeals to as many people as possible. You don’t want to go crazy with bright colors or do anything that will only appeal to one type of person. Back to the office example, if you’re working with a certain brand, you want their brand colors and brand mission to be visible. Anyone who walks into the space from their team takes pride in what and who they are. Any potential customer walks in and knows who they are as a brand.
I hadn’t thought about that. You are incorporating this idea of not only general design elements but also the brand itself. A lot is going on here. You’re thinking about the brand, the people who are occupying the space, and the purpose of the space. All of that flows into. I’m sure many other things flow into what it means to put together a good design.
Design is about the experience that people will have in the space. That’s why we’ve included branding as one of our services: We believe that it’s not when you walk into the space. It’s also before you’re in the space. What is their social media handle? What is their social media experience like? Who are they in a print ad like when you’re seeing possibly a commercial, and you walk into their actual physical space?
Everything works together. It all lends itself to each other. We’re a creative team. We love the challenge. We want our clients to be successful with whoever they are and whatever it is that they’re offering. We want to make sure that everything works well together and gives the client that full, all-encompassing experience.
Working With Contractors And Bad Clients
The audience that’s reading this is commercial construction companies. In every construction project, multiple vendors and project partners are involved. It’s tremendously complex, and the relationship with the designer is one of those essential elements. What advice do you have for contractors to get the most out of their design partners?
We always tell any of the vendors we’re working with on a project that we’re a team. We’re all here to give the client the best possible outcome. We’re all working together to accomplish that. Sometimes, when working on a construction project, it’s natural for people to blame each other and for someone to say, “The architect didn’t tell us that. The electrician didn’t bring up that point. The mechanical engineer forgot that.”
We’re all about working together and figuring out solutions together. There’s never a blame game. It’s never about whose fault it is. It’s always about how we can make this work and how we can make our clients happy. We look for teams to work with that believe in this. We have found some incredible companies that we work with. We all work together with this vision in mind.
One of my favorite designers is Massimo. He has this quote I always keep in mind. He says, “This never worked for a bad client because what happens is one bad client leads to another bad client. Only work for good clients even when you’re desperate because one good client will lead to another good client.” In your experience, what makes a bad client?
Many things but we don’t have any bad clients. It’s hard for me to answer that. I turned down projects when I saw from our initial meetings that the client wasn’t necessarily about giving the end user the best experience. When we’re designing, we want to have an impact and make a positive difference. Sometimes, in those initial conversations, we’re able to see that we’re not seeing eye to eye.
In general, we’ve grown organically. It’s been one of our clients telling another client or a contractor that we’ve worked with who tells another contractor. Most of them have the same mission as us, which is about making the world better one space at a time. There have been not even a handful of times that I have turned down projects for that reason.
When a contractor is looking to engage a designer and has 1 or 2 to pick between, what are some key questions that contractors should be asking as they’re selecting a designer to make sure that they get the right one for the particular project that they’re working on?
The key is making sure that they’re working with a designer and that they can execute that designer’s vision. It’s important because, at the end of the day, as designers, we’re only as good as a partner that we work with that can execute our vision. That’s what we look for when working with contractors. We want people who want our vision to become reality. It works on the flip side. We are contractors who want to work with design firms that want their visions to be executed and that they believe that they’re the right person to do that.
Good Design Vs. Bad Design
What do you think are the differences between good design and bad design?
Design is all about the experience that you have in this space. We believe that engaging all five senses lends itself to that. It’s not about the space looking pretty. It’s about the way it functions. It is also engaging all five senses. We are making sure that there’s a good smell in the space, the acoustics work so people can hear each other, and people are comfortable in the space.
There’s so much that goes into it, but it’s not about how the space looks. Sometimes people get confused with that. They look at a space. They’re like, “This looks great.” It doesn’t function optimally. That’s something that we’re passionate about. We are making sure that the spaces that we’re designing function optimally and that the people who are inside and using them can appreciate that and maximize their potential.
What you’re describing here ideally makes sense and is cool. I hadn’t thought about designers thinking about the acoustics and the smell. What you’re describing is difficult to do. It’s not easy to do. I would imagine.
People are hiring us because of what we know and how we can make spaces incredible, which shouldn’t be easy. That’s why we go to school and work on projects to get that experience. We hire designers who have that experience. If there’s something new that we’re working on, we’ll do the research. We’ll make sure to learn everything that we need to. We’re here to give that expertise. If it wasn’t difficult, people could do it on their own.
Hiring Designers
As your business is expanding and growing and you are looking for designers, I have a couple of questions. Where do you source your talent? When you’re interviewing someone, how do you find the diamonds in the rough?
Design is creative, but it’s not like you can look at a resume and say, “This person is the right fit.” What we typically do is before we hire someone, we have a paid trial where we give them a couple of tasks to work on. We’re able to see what the results are, how they think, how they’re approaching the challenge, and what aspects of design they’re bringing into the space. We’re not always looking for diamonds. We’re okay with diamonds in the rough. We’re able to train and get our design team to the level they need to be. We always look for that passion and desire to make the spaces amazing.
We have a diverse team at the Designers Group. People always ask me, “How is your team diverse? Do you have an HR team that makes sure that you’re hiring a diverse crew of designers?” I always say, “We look at talent. We’re looking at each person and what they’re able to do from a design perspective.” That lends itself to being an incredibly diverse team.
I believe that everyone’s different backgrounds, cultures, religions, and experiences all contribute to our designs and make them exponentially better. When you have many different experiences and people with different backgrounds, they can all use their past experience to give our designs the best possible outcome.
This is interesting because you made an important point that I think is almost liberating for anyone running a business. That is, you hire based on talent. Talent is talent. It’s like when you come to sports, ballers ball. If you’re a baller, we want you on our team. That delivers us from superficial diversity and leads us to diversity that is able to produce excellence. It sounds like what you are driving for is that type of excellence.
You have to have talented people in what you do. You can’t have pencil pushers or paycheck picker uppers because what you’re trying to do is difficult. It’s interesting because, in construction, what people are trying to do is difficult. If you have that philosophy and outlook that I’m looking for talented people, and I don’t care who they are and where they come from, that’s going to have such a tremendous benefit. It makes diversity natural as opposed to forced. It makes it business-focused as opposed to some other agenda.
I got a lot. I’m a woman in the industry. Our team is diverse. People do ask me. I say, “When it’s forced, it is almost defeating the purpose.” We’re looking for the best people out there. We’re not looking at anything else. We do have an incredible team. It’s only because of our team that our work is at the level that it’s at. They’re passionate and driven. They care about the work that we’re doing. Our work speaks for itself.
You think about your opportunity to have a broader impact on the folks that you influence. It would be interesting for you to think about how you can bring that particular perspective you have to a broader audience. It would make a tremendous contribution to the whole discussion around diversity, which, for many people, is an awkward or uncomfortable conversation to have. When you frame it in the way that you frame it, it makes it way less awkward and uncomfortable.
I’m here to bring it to whatever audience I can. Anyone who’s worked with us or seen our work sees the value. What we’re trying to do is bring value.
I’m on your website, and I’m looking at the people who you have here who work for you. I don’t see anyone over 40.
We are a younger team.
When it comes to what you’re doing, if you have talent, it doesn’t matter how old you are. Whether you’re young or old, talent is talent.
We could have older people. It’s who we have right now to someone older being part of our team.
It was an observation because there are many places to find talent. Every company has the ability to attract and repel people. Good marketing attracts and repels. Some people will say, “I never want to buy that thing.” Other people will be like, “I want to buy that.” It’s interesting how each company has an impact on the people who work for them. What is cool is keeping that focus on talent and knowing that what we have to do is difficult. We are focused on making sure that we get the right people in the right positions who are able to do that difficult thing.
We don’t even look at it as difficult. That’s an interesting point because I always say that it’s a challenge, but we love challenges. That always gets us to the next level. Anytime there’s been a challenge, we have to think differently. We have to be innovative. That makes our work that much better. I say that even in my personal life. Anytime I went through something or there was a difficulty or challenge, that’s when I was able to grow as a person. We’ve almost taken the word difficulty out of our vocabulary because difficulty has that negative connotation. We look at it as a challenge, a way to learn, grow, and be better. That’s how we look at things.
We know this intuitively. We may not always apply it, but the only way for us to grow as people is through challenge. You don’t grow through comfort. You grow through being challenged. It’s a fundamental aspect of life that you will not grow in a place of comfort. You must be in a place of discomfort if you’re going to grow.
I find that interesting because we look at growth as such a positive thing, but it has to come from something that’s not always easy to experience. As long as there’s a good outcome, it is a good thing. It lends itself to design because there are many challenges when it comes to construction. You have this idea that there could be this pipe in the middle, zoning issue that you can’t get past, or ceiling heights that are because of certain load restrictions, but that pushes us to think creatively and come up with a solution that we would’ve never thought of before. It’s interesting how it works.
We look at growth as a positive thing, but it has to come from a difficult experience. Click To TweetLearning From Everyone
When it comes to design, who would you say are some of your biggest influences?
There are many different influences. What I like to do is take every space that I walk into and learn from it. I’m not crazy. I don’t walk into space. I extend and look around, but it’s the way I feel when I walk in. That’s why I love it. I’m always learning from every day and every experience that I have. I could walk into a restaurant and say, “I love that about this space.” I could walk into a doctor’s office or when I travel.
In traveling, there’s inspiration there. I’m learning from the different cultures and seeing how people live in different climates and demographic areas. Depending on the weather, social norms, religion, or background, I find that to be inspiring. I don’t have one specific designer that I would say has influenced my work. It’s more of everyone. I try to learn from everyone always. Even in my team, I always tell them, “I learn from every single one of you every single day.” Each of them brings something unique to the table. We have to keep our eyes open to it and learn from everyone. There’s so much to get inspired by.
Design Approaches
How do you take what is intuitive and make it tactical, practical, or visible?
What we typically do are 3D renderings and material boards. We’re moving fast in the VR world. We’ve done many virtual tours. We have headsets. People can experience the spaces that we’re designing. That’s been amazing. There are many ways to use that. People use it from a marketing perspective, where they want people to experience the space before it’s built, and from a collaboration side, where everyone who’s part of the project weighs into it and gives their opinion.
We were working on a school, where we were invited to the dinner that they were making for the parents. We did one of these tours where the parents could experience the space before it was built. It was a private school. They were looking for donations from parents to make it a reality. After they were able to experience this space, they got many more donations because people were able to visualize what the board had in mind and what ownership wanted to do. They were excited about it. As soon as there was something tangible for people to understand and visualize, that got them on board quickly.
We’ve been exploring our TDG Tech Hub, where we’re working on all of these technological advancements that we believe are important and are the future of design. That brings me to AI. I spoke at an AI conference in Vegas. I spoke at one in the Java Center as well in New York. As a design firm, are we incorporating AI into our design processes? There’s so much that AI can help with. It’s never going to replace what a human can do, but it can help us. We’re leveraging that to make our designs as innovative and forward-thinking as possible and to give our clients the best results in the end.
Artificial intelligence cannot replace what a human can do. But it can help us create better and more innovative work as forward-thinking as possible. Click To TweetClosing Words
Tell us more about how people can get in touch with you and the types of people that you like to work with.
We like working with everyone. If you have a great project that you believe we can make a difference with, we’re here. We’re on every social media platform. We’re The Designers Groups. Our website is TheDesignersGroup.com. On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, we’re The Designers Group. We’re everywhere. You can Google The Designers Group, and we should show up.
Blima, I appreciate your time. I enjoyed this conversation very much. I do wish you the best.
Eric, this was great. I appreciate your time. I look forward to staying in touch.
Thanks a lot.
Thank you.
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That was a great conversation. Thank you for reading. I enjoyed that, particularly the part about diversity and how Blima has achieved that in her company almost unconsciously. Think about how you are doing that in your business. One last thing before you leave. Many companies that are in construction have technically skilled people who move into leadership roles and struggle when they become leaders. They don’t know how to communicate and hold people accountable. They tend to micromanage. Perhaps their communication style is a bit rough and ready. They struggle to build teams.
If that sounds like anyone in your organization, they might benefit from an executive coach. That’s what I do with my clients. I’m not cheap. I don’t work with everyone because there’s not a fit. I don’t want to waste your time and money working with an executive coach who’s not fit for the organization or the person who you want coaching.
If you have someone and you’ve read the blog and you’re thinking, “Eric could help them,” go to my website, ConstructionGenius.com/contact, and put in your details there. I’ll get pinged and respond to you within 24 hours. We can set up a short call to figure out if or how I can help you. If there is a possibility of me working with you, we can then set up a longer call to dive into more details as far as that’s concerned. I could perhaps help you to develop the people in your organization through some one-on-one executive coaching.
Why get an executive coach? The main reason is this. Your people don’t need someone to tell them what to do. They need a sounding board to help them get clarity on what they need to accomplish to be successful. They need someone to hold them accountable for the initiatives that they need to execute.
They need someone outside of the organization to vent sometimes and say, “This is an issue I have with someone that I report to or someone who reports to me. I need to work through this issue. It’s not something I want to tell other people about, at least not right away.” That’s why you get an executive coach. Reach out to me. I love working with contractors. I’ve done it for many years. It is my expertise. If I can help you, I’d love to. Thanks for reading, and we’ll catch up with you in the next episode.
Important Links
- The Designers Group
- Blima Ehrentreu – LinkedIn
- Facebook – The Designers Group
- Instagram – The Designers Group
- Twitter – The Designers Group
- TikTok – The Designers Group
- ConstructionGenius.com/contact
- https://www.Amazon.com/Construction-Genius-Effective-Hands-Leadership/dp/B0BHTRDY1T
- https://10minuteswitheric.youcanbook.me
About Blima Ehrentreu
Her passion and leadership showcasing the transformative power of purpose-driven design in creating a better world earned her a spot on Globest’s Women of Influence in 2020 & 2022 and Crain’s Notable Leaders in Real Estate 2023.
She is also recognized as WBC’s Next Generation Woman by the Women Builders Council, TIAW World of Difference awardee by The International Alliance for Women in 2023, and also won the ‘Woman on the Rise’ award in Design+ Construction summit hosted by Commercial Observer in 2022.
The Designers Group’s diverse project portfolio spans the residential and commercial sectors, and Inc. Magazine ranked The Designers Group no.15 among the top fastest-growing private companies in the New York Metro Area in 2021. As a key industry leader, The Designers Group is at the forefront of cutting-edge interior design, specializing in high-end interior spaces for commercial, residential, and healthcare portfolios.
Blima’s devotion to her work and community has positioned her as an unshakeable force within the industry. Her commitment to fostering a work culture dedicated to philanthropy led her to launch charitable initiatives such as TDG Gives Back and TDG Furniture Exchange. Blima’s belief that design is a tool that can build positive spaces and serve communities is a visible hallmark throughout her work.
