As a young girl, Susie Prince loved art, so it’s no surprise that Susie is now owner and lead designer of Susie Mae Design in Chamblee.
Susie grew up in an old farmhouse built in 1880, where she says her parents always had a DIY project going on. “It had all of these beautiful historic details,” she says about the old farmhouse. “But it had become derelict and in disrepair. They lovingly and slowly restored it throughout my childhood.” Growing up in that environment, she got the design bug at an early age. And after majoring in Fine Arts while attending college and then learning the ropes while working with others, Susie branched off on her own.
Susie says she’s not a trend follower. “I want my projects to look like my clients and have my stamp on it,” she says. “I do a lot of pattern mixing and use a lot of color. And I never want a project I lead to need to be redone in five years. I want people to be happy with the choices they make.” She also says she tries to create designs that are exciting, different, interesting, colorful, and bold, and not like the designs everyone else is doing. Susie’s goal is to help her clients find their own unique style, so the home is an extension of their personality and stands the test of time. Each design project is unique, and she says she likes to keep her designs within the architectural style of the home.
Susie finds inspiration in nature and travel. When she travels, she says she usually takes a hike wherever she goes, and she takes her cues from the colors she sees in the nature around her, like the unique colors of a pigeon. “The colors of a bird – you can’t get any better than those combinations,” she says, talking about the pigeons. “They look almost like an oil slick with all of these tan colors. It’s just an incredibly beautiful combination of colors and textures.”
Susie recalled a recent trip to Greece. “Everything in Greece is covered in this beautiful plaster, and it’s so soft with a texture that’s unlike anything that I’ve seen around here,” she says. Since that trip to Greece, Susie says she’s used plaster in different ways in some of her recent projects. Whether it’s the velvety plaster of Greece to the bright, colorful tiles of Spain. Susie is inspired by it all.
Running her design business in Chamblee, Susie says it’s been great. In dealing with the city, she says there’s a friendly human she can always speak with. “I really love the city of Chamblee. We have all the big city stuff right here, but it's also cute and has a small town feel,” she says. But perhaps one of the best things for Susie is the number of design resources located the city. “I use a rug vendor on Broad Street,” she says. “I use an upholstery person on Broad Street and the countertop supplier is in downtown Chamblee.”
Projects that stand out for Susie include the ones that helped clients who had recently lost loved ones. Susie says mindfully incorporating subtle, small things can honor and keep the memory of the client’s loved one close. She also has a heart for furry family members and is always willing to design and incorporate special places for pets. Over last few years, Susie says she has had the pleasure of working with a number of great clients, and she added she’s particularly thankful to those early clients who trusted her and allowed her to work with them. “I could never thank them enough for trusting in me and letting me get that foothold.”
Susie says she loves having her own design business and would one day like to design a line of small space, multifunctional furniture. But for now, she’s happy with things just the way they are. “Each day is unique and different,” Susie says. “There’s always a new challenge. There’s always something interesting to do. I get to interact with a lot of different types of people, and I love to meet new people. I love that I get to do what I do.”
For more information about Susie Mae Design, visit susiemaedesign.com.
"I want my projects to look like my clients and have my stamp on it." Susie Prince
"I really love the city of Chamblee. We have all the big city stuff right here, but it's cute and has a small town feel. Susie Prince, owner and lead designer," Susie Mae Design