Today we’d like to introduce you to Mayra Perez.
Mayra, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Some years ago, at 39 years old with two small children, life was really hectic, juggling between professional and motherhood responsibilities. Everything happens so fast on the long road of life that we rarely step aside our daily routines to question and consider… Am I going in the right direction?
But sometimes life-changing events are that wake-up call that makes you reassess your priorities and analyze your life in perspective. With a breast cancer diagnosis, my whole world came to a complete stop. It hit me like a tidal wave. After treatment and while feeling very grateful for having a second chance to start over, all sorts of questions came to my mind… Do I feel happy with my life? Is this how I envisioned myself 20 years ago? Do I feel empowered with what I do?. All the answers translated into the same conclusion… my real passion is an interior design and I needed to start taking all the necessary steps for a mid-career transition.
Since I remember I always felt drawn to interior design but never considered it as a way of making a living. I’d been in the banking and real estate industry and even though the income was always good and stable, my heart wasn’t in it. Looking backward, I was always somehow doing something related to Interior Design, either remodeling and furnishing my houses or giving my input to my real estate clients on the potential and possibilities on a particular property. For a few years, I had a company that offered upgrades to new construction condos (flooring, window treatments, painting). But this time I wanted to go a step forward; so, I went back to school and enrolled in interior design courses and 3D modelling software like Revit Architecture (BIM) and Lumion for renderings.
The feelings I have when I go into a Designer Trade Fair, like a kid at Magic Kingdom, or the excitement when I receive new samples from vendors, feeling the textures and colors, with hundreds of ideas running through my mind, are just priceless. Fueled with inspiration, different design schemes start floating in my head. Designing a kitchen layout, the satisfaction when it comes to life in a 3D rendering and seeing the client’s reaction is overwhelming. For the first time, it is all about the journey not the destination.
Today, with my new company Ecdysis Interiors by Mayra Perez, my career path in the interior design industry will not come without financial risks, problems, lifestyle changes or uncertainty. When you have to start over, the financial implications of a career change weight heavily on anyone’s mind. But it’s a price I am willing to pay in order to wake up every morning to do what I love. Sometimes we have to make short-term sacrifices in order to reach our long-term goals. I have no time to spare doing nothing else but what my real passion is.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I specialize in residential interior design. Each project is unique, and each client is different with his/her specific sets of requirements and priorities. I believe once of the key ingredients to success in this industry is to carefully listen to your client. After having a clear understanding of what a client wants or does not want, the design process starts on the right track.
Nowadays, technology is one of our best allies with 3D modelling software allowing designers to present a client with a visualization of the final outcome before execution. Any change of mind, materials, or finishes can be implemented at that time without compromising the budget. Aside from a material board, I always present a 3D rendering for client approval. I also attend Design Trade Fairs in the US and Europe always looking for the latest trends and newest collections for my clients.
What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
I had the opportunity to design, furnish and style a country house in the North of Spain. Surrendered by nature, the main idea was to maintain a harmony with the local environment and climate for the exterior while emphasizing the mountain views within the comfort of modern living in an interior full of natural light. It was an amazing experience and opportunity to participate in that project.
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