Brandon Smith has been with Design Elite since 2006 and serves as Senior Designer and Director of Marketing. Brandon holds a bachelor’s degree in Interior Design from West Virginia University, studied architecture at Virginia Tech and is a member of AIBD (American Institute of Building Designers) and ASID (American Society of Interior Designers).
What is your favorite style of house to design?
I have enjoyed designing a wide range of styles—two of my recent favorites are opposites style-wise—one very traditional and one quite modern. But they have in common a certain balance and orderliness which I find very appealing.
What would YOUR dream house be like?
I think people are surprised that I wouldn’t want some ultra-modern “sculpture”. From the street my dream house would be a symmetrical brick box with nice proportions and beautifully designed details. It would be “just right” sized, cozy, with a lot of built in bookshelves and useful little nooks and crannies. I’d want it to have a nice flow, but NOT an open floor plan. I would love it if no one was sure if it was new or old!
Is there a trend in design that you are ready to be over?
I’d like for ALL trends to be over. I think the best houses are timeless, and don’t need to be “updated” every time a fad runs its course. But I’m particularly ready for gray wood floors and the tendency to paint every brick white to be over!
What’s one feature you think no home should be without?
A porch! Especially in our climate, where we’re lucky enough to be able to use them for so much of the year. And the porch should be furnished the same way an interior room would be—with comfortable furniture, rugs and lamps.
Tell us a few interesting facts about yourself.
Some years ago, I designed a plan based on the iconic house from the movie “Home Alone”. The front looked just like the original, but it had a more up to date floor plan. The house got a ton of press on blogs and news sites that year. Even now, more than a decade later, I get a TON of emails about those plans each year when the holiday movie season starts up. In addition, I am a huge car addict and have bought at least one new car every year for the last 15 or so years.
What’s the best part about living in the upstate?
We have such a nice climate—all four seasons, but none of the extremes. A few hours drive to beautiful beaches, less than an hour to the mountains, and several wonderful lakes. We have a wonderful and growing food scene, great parks, charming neighborhoods, and friendly people.
What is the biggest change you’ve seen in design over your career?
Early in my career, people seemed to be much more worried about future resale value, so they’d add big tubs they never planned to use, formal dining rooms they’d never eat in—all for the next owner who probably didn’t want them either. Our clients now are much more willing to make their house truly custom and tailored to how they are going to live in it. We’ve done projects with hair salons, trophy rooms, two story libraries, virtual reality golf rooms. In today’s market, often times buyers care less about resale value because they expect to spend the rest of their lives there. Or perhaps because they realize that a house a buyer LOVES is going to sell for more than one that is merely just “inoffensive”.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Definitely the people! I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some great clients in my career. The design process takes months, and construction CAN take years. You really get to know each other over the time it takes a house to unfold. We get the opportunity to work with the same builders, suppliers, and subcontractors on multiple projects, so you get to know those folks pretty well also.
