Alumni Spotlight: Jill Traylor, BID 1998
As part of the “Design in a Pandemic” series, Jill Traylor, NCIDQ, IIDA, LEED Green Associate, director of interior design at EskewDumezRipple in New Orleans, shares about her experiences in the time of COVID-19 and beyond.
How has the way you work and operate changed due to the pandemic?
For now, everyone has the option to come into office or work remotely and we usually have about 40% of staff in the office. Our firm has adapted by providing more tools to work and collaborate virtually. Although our preference is to have face to face collaboration as much as possible in the future, we see the opportunity for some level of remote working to continue in a post-COVID world.
How would you say has the role of an interior designer changed?
Clients are looking to us for how they can alter their spaces in response to COVID and the post-COVID world. It’s involved a lot of research on our part into all aspects of interior environments including spacial layouts, circulation, furniture, materials, and air quality. Since information changes daily as more is learned about the virus, we have to stay on the pulse of best practices. I foresee some of these adaptations being the new standard in the future.
Any projects in 2020 that you would like to describe?
We are currently working on several co-working projects in Louisiana, as well as Charlottesville, VA and Salt Lake City, UT. It’s definitely a workplace trend we see growing and evolving. It’s quite different from corporate office design in that the amenities, programming and aesthetics are key for success. We work closely with our clients to help them explore opportunities and how to stand out in the marketplace.
About Jill
As Director of Interior Design, Jill brings over 20 years of national expertise in the design of commercial interiors, having practiced in Manhattan, Dallas, and New Orleans. She brings experience in a wide range of project types, with a focus on workplace, hospitality, and mixed-use. An integral leader in countless project success stories, notably The Shop at the CAC, Palmisano Corporate Headquarters, and Tsunami New Orleans, Jill brings a holistic outlook to the integration of interiors in our projects that is warm, welcoming, and ultimately exceptionally thoughtful. In recognizing the complexity of the spaces we create, Jill’s role as Director of Interiors cements not only the long-term growth of the firm and its work, but an investment in our team and the continued success of our interiors division.