Meet Tammy Carmona | Artist & Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tammy Carmona and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tammy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I wanted to have an outlet to my creative abilities while building a better future for my family.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’m an artist and designer with over 25 years of experience, working in over 30 countries. After battling cancer and going through major surgeries, I wasn’t physically able to continue with event production and other aspects of business that were heavily physically demanding. I realized that my prior work was essentially a “Boot Camp” for interior design – making the same event halls look completely different, with rigid budgets and timeframes, and no room for mistakes – and that my customer base included many developers and builders. So I used my skillset and connections to start an interior design business, focused on multi-family developments and high-end residential properties.

Over the course of a year, my reputation within the developer community grew significantly, even though I didn’t spend any money on advertising. I started receiving contracts to design projects numbering in the 100s of units and worth tens of millions of dollars – a trajectory that takes most design studios 5-10 years. To me, personal recommendations are the gold standard of professionalism, and I’m thrilled that my clients trust me to handle their big-ticket projects.

Of course, every business has its challenges, and mine is no exception. From clients who expect me to know what they’re thinking, to construction management companies who want everything done yesterday, and the usual government bureaucracies, there are plenty of things that can cause stress. But, being a mother of 5 kids has honed my mind-reading abilities, my experience in event planning has taught me to handle unrealistic expectations, and running my own business has equipped me to manage multiple projects simultaneously and lead my team efficiently. So, I’m not easily fazed by chaos.

I love interior design. It’s very gratifying to create beautiful and comfortable spaces, and use my wide-ranging skills to come up with unique decor solutions. With every project, I feel like I’ve made a tiny corner of the world a little nicer, and that’s a feeling that money can’t buy!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I absolutely love it when friends come to visit and I have the opportunity to drive them around and show them the incredible variety of lifestyles and architecture in this area. From the mansions on Las Olas and the Intracoastal, to the Art Deco hotels, to the Design District, there’s so much to see that it’s impossible to cover in a day, or even several. My husband is obsessed with history and architecture, he loves “talking trivia” about the various historical and economic factors that shaped unique areas like Golden Beach and Bal Harbour, and how the Art Deco heritage is preserved in various areas. Wynwood Walls is always on the list, and so are South Beach and Lincoln Road. As an artist who paints in oil, I love going to galleries and checking out the local art scene.

In terms of food, we thought we were going to miss the New York “cuisine scene”, but nothing could be further from the truth. There are so many excellent restaurants – shout-out to Chima (Fort Lauderdale), BJ’s Brewhouse and La Strega (Pembroke), Bellini Bistro (Weston), Asiatiko (Aventura), Capital Grill, Morton’s, Watr… the list goes on.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give a shout-out to my “adoptive kids”, the troubled teenagers my daughter befriended, who became a part of our family. I knew I had to show them that (1) failure is not an option, and (2) no matter where you come from, or what happened to you, you can always improve your situation with hard work and commitment. “Your beginning is not your end”. I also draw inspiration from strong people who stand by their principles, and whose work has influenced the world for the better – a diverse group that includes Elon Musk, J.K. Rowling, Candice Owens, and George Orwell. One of my professional influences was Chef Gordon Ramsay, for whom I designed a line of custom dinnerware. He impressed me by being a successful restaurateur who started from nothing, and who treats his staff with so much respect and support (unlike his on-screen TV personality!). One of the people I admire the most on a personal and moral level is Erin Gruwell, a teacher who went into a horrible school and changes the lives of her entire class from a probable future of crime and misery, into a bright college-educated possibility.

Website: https://carmona.design

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tammycarmonadesign/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammycarmonadesign/