Susan Nilsson arrived at interior design by accident. A native of Hendersonville,
North Carolina, Nilsson's interest was in fashion. She attended East Carolina
University where she studied Home Economics. Her dorm room was designed in black
and white with zebra stripes going up the walls and orange accents. Susan loved
to stay up all night creating dresses but had no interest in physics or geometry.
After three years her parents decided she should find a job, which she did in
Asheville, North Carolina answering the phone for a construction company. She
excelled in the construction industry and at the same time designed a plan to
get a BS degree in interior design and take advantage of her construction experience.
She traveled across the mountains at night to attend classes at Western Carolina
University. Her professor, David Harrison, spotted her talent and helped her
work through her degree even though she had a tendency to loose interest (she
was single at the time) and abandon the plan. Along the way she ran into her
first boss (from the construction company where she answered the phone) and
they got married. She finished her degree, worked in several architectural firms,
then borrowed $10,000 and started her firm in 1987. Since that time, Susan Nilsson
has designed interiors for the most discriminating clients all over western
North Carolina. In addition, she travels to exciting places with her husband,
Jon, but, unfortunately, has no time for fashion design. Susan thanks you personally
for visiting her web site and for taking the time to read her story.