Associate Designer Chelsea Tutt is known on the Acampora Interiors team not only as a talented designer, but also as a star team-player who is ready for anything the day brings.

This week, we went one-on-one with Chelsea to learn more about what drives her as a designer, why she loves installation days, and how a fabulous family tradition has helped shape her eye for design.

1. Tell us about a day in the life as an Associate Designer. What does your job entail?

As an Associate Interior Designer, my job is to establish an understanding of our clients’ personal aesthetic and functional requirements. Once I build a firm grasp of that vision, I design with those two critical elements in mind.

From there, my job is to manage a design project from start to finish to ensure that everything keeps moving forward successfully. That may be a kitchen remodel, a home office installation, or a custom new construction project.

3. When it comes to styling, what’s the one item you can’t be without?

I’m a sucker for books, especially coffee table books, because they can be used on a variety of surfaces: coffee tables, side tables, book shelves, etc. I also opt for different types of baskets and even faux plants. They really help fill voids when styling bookshelves.

4. How would you define your own interior design style?

I’m inspired by such an eclectic mix of styles and sources that I’m not certain my personal aesthetic can be easily categorized. That said, I recently read an article on modern farmhouse style, which described designer Joanna Gaines’ personal style in a way that really resonated with me:

Joanna Gaines’ style can be described as updated rustic enriched with details and accents of different styles determined by the preferences of homeowners. We see her very often combining rustic with industrial or farmhouse with vintage. Of course, modern or even glam accents aren’t missing from her designs too.

Growing up in the Hudson Valley in New York, my family always went to yard sales and flea markets. My grandparents’ annual tradition was to host a huge yard sale every 4th of July weekend — and that tradition still exists! From this, I always appreciated decorative objects, furniture, mirrors, etc., as well as layering in vintage pieces or even refinishing antiques. I also love natural materials and their warm, neutral color tones.

6. Tell us something few people know about you.

I took a welding course in high school and loved it so much I went on to become a certified welder. I mainly liked welding as a medium for creating custom sculptures and art. I hope to have a studio one day where I can house all of the machines and tools I need to create amazing sculptures — and begin selling my work!

Something else that people might not know about me is that I absolutely love live music. I’ve seen over 75 concerts to-date! I’ve lost track of all the artists I’ve seen over the years, but it’s mostly country artists that I’m drawn to. I’ve even been to a three-day country festival where up to 20 artists would perform. It was such an incredible show that I visited the festival three years in a row.