Day in the Life of an Interior Designer

An interior designer makes each room in a house come to life. Learn what it’s like to work as part of Sundae’s team.

You know the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover?” In many ways, real estate is the complete opposite.

A home’s appearance, both inside and out, matters when it’s time to sell. Potential buyers and casual observers alike prefer aesthetically pleasing houses. Even if it’s a feature that can be changed easily, first impressions go a long way in real estate.

Many people lack the imagination to envision what a home could be, they only see it as it is. An interior designer’s job is to create something that appeals to buyers and maximizes the property’s potential.

As an interior designer, Dalas Dodd knows a thing or two about transforming her vision of a home into reality.

Meet Dalas Dodd

Dalas’ interest in interior design and architecture started early. Growing up, she lived in seven different houses. She was always fascinated when her parents took on a remodel project. It wasn’t long before she was helping her mom pick finishes for their homes and contributing to the end results of a redesign.

She recounted that “it was a really fun process each time, but I never thought of it as a career until after college. I got the chance to intern at a real estate development company, got started with the design team, worked my way up, and never looked back.”

Why Sundae?

Early in her career, Dalas worked at a company that purchased properties in foreclosure. From there, she would help remodel them to be resold. She felt like something was missing. Though she was doing something she enjoyed, it felt very transactional.

Enter Sundae.

Dalas knows the ins-and-outs of Sundae’s organization better than most. Not only has she worked as an interior designer, she now works in marketing. Even after her promotion and transition to a new department, Sundae’s values remain apparent. She went on to say:

“It’s no secret that Sundae is growing like crazy! I feel lucky to have a seat at the table and being a part of a company with such a strong mission is incredibly rewarding no matter what facet of the business I am in. Sundae has already provided me with incredible opportunities and I look forward to capitalizing on those while helping an amazing company grow.”

What does an interior designer’s day-to-day look like?

At Sundae, through careful design choices, Dalas makes sure homes reach beautiful status before they’re ready to sell. This happens through a variety of tasks from overseeing existing projects to creating new designs.

“A good portion of my day is spent either revising floor plans or visiting a new property to determine a game plan,” says Dalas. When on site, she takes her time, walking through homes to get a feel for the space before reconfiguring rooms and mocking up a new design. “It’s all about getting our rehabs to the finish line looking gorgeous.”

Choosing the right design

As the former Interior Design Team Lead at Sundae, Dalas oversees each rehab. “We pay close attention to detail to ensure that the properties shine at every level.”

Many homes purchased by Sundae undergo renovation. For Dalas, assessing the scope of her work begins with looking at comps in the area. She studies the trends local buyers are gravitating toward, and researches sale prices. Then, it’s about creating an interior design that is appropriate for the neighborhood.

All of this keeps the property on budget, with appropriate resale value down the road. “By taking the time to give each home a unique and custom design, I’m giving the future homeowners and their family a beautiful home they will be sure to fall in love with.”

The new homeowner can feel good about their purchase because it’s easy to see the quality work and care put into the home.

Adding a Sundae touch to every home

Spending so much time rehabbing homes has given Dalas a lot of confidence in her choices. “Knowing where to splurge and where to save is key,” she says, but the ultimate goal is to ensure homes look amazing once she’s done with them. “I’ve gotten good at value engineering over the years, and can get pretty creative with my material selection.”

Dalas does all this in a unique way that’s important to Sundae’s mission. She works with the natural elements of the home, making sure to create a finished product the previous owner would be proud to see if they were able to come back for a visit.

What was your favorite project?

Sundae has completed renovation projects in a multitude of locations. Given her vast experience, Dalas couldn’t pinpoint one. Instead, she decided to highlight homes in Palm Springs because of the Mid-Century Modern architecture that’s so commonplace there. She went on to say that “there are so many Mid-Century homes in the desert, and the clientele out there embrace unique design.”

Any project where she can showcase her creativity and use the already existing characteristics of a house appeals to Dalas. As an interior designer, you’ll encounter a variety of properties, each with their own unique features and charm.

How do you achieve success as an interior designer?

As mentioned previously, Dalas has held multiple positions at Sundae. Each requires different skills, however there are common attributes across the board. Whether you’re an interior designer, a marketer, or something else, there are three things you need to succeed. She noted that her secrets are:

“To be unafraid of failure, trust your instincts and ask questions. When entering a new space it’s easy to get intimidated by your lack of knowledge, but if you set your ego aside and ask questions you’ll be amazed by how much you can learn in a short period of time.”

This advice has held true for Dalas as she continues to ascend through the ranks.

Learn more about what it’s like to work at Sundae

Working at Sundae gives Dalas a chance to get creative everyday. Not only that, but she’s able to play a huge part in the collaborative process that goes into a home rehab and the marketing behind the business. “I have amazing coworkers,” she shares, “and it really takes a lot of teamwork to pull off these transformations.” According to Dalas, it’s that combination of collaboration and creativity that makes the end product that much sweeter for everyone involved.