If life was a colour wheel, Trisha Isabey could say she鈥檚 found success on both ends of the spectrum.

Trisha is the owner of , a luxury interior design firm, but before she walked the creative halls of home design, she worked in the very linear world of banking and investment.

鈥淚 was an investment advisor for 15 years. I really enjoyed my career, but I was always more of an artistic person than a numbers person,鈥� she explains.

As a women who throws herself fully into whatever she鈥檚 doing, Trisha knew the time commitment and pressure that comes with investment banking wouldn鈥檛 mix well with her style of mothering. When she was pregnant with her first child, Trisha sold her portion of the business to a partner and focussed solely on being a wife and mother.

鈥淚t was great for about five years. Then I got bored to the point where I was almost a professional baby food maker,鈥� Trisha laughs. 鈥淢y kids had a full menu of organic, pureed foods and I finally said to my husband if I don鈥檛 do something soon, I鈥檓 going to go crazy.鈥�

Trisha had always harboured passions for fashion and interior design. As she went back and forth trying to determine which one she could build into a successful part-time business, fate stepped in.

鈥淚 got asked by a friend, a commercial realtor, to design a space for him,鈥� she recalls. 鈥淚 said 鈥榶es鈥� and it was so much fun that when it was finished I said to my husband, 鈥榯his is what I鈥檓 going to do, this is it.鈥欌��

The business quickly took on a life of its own.

鈥淚t became a word-of-mouth thing through my circles and it didn鈥檛 stop.鈥�

The part-time job she had initially envisioned blossomed into a full-time, full-service design firm with five employees.

鈥淚 thought I would just do it from home,鈥� chuckles Trisha. 鈥淚t just kept escalating and then we were nominated for and Georgies, then I started working for CTV and writing for BC Living and producing a design video.鈥�

None of this is a surprise once you spend a little time with Trisha. It鈥檚 clear she鈥檚 not one to sit idle.

鈥淚 think I鈥檓 the type that you just can鈥檛 take the business person out of me,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 started carrying furniture lines right away because I couldn鈥檛 find what I wanted here. I started phoning up vendors asking if I could buy from them, then I started attending shows and really getting to know products.鈥�

Today, Trisha has a studio space at 484 Adams Road in 琉璃神社, but she鈥檚 also designed her own home as a showcase for potential clients to get a taste of what she can do and the products she offers.

鈥淚 have clients here three to four times a month. They can look at things, feel things. It also lets them see all the pieces together.鈥�

Trisha is invested in her clients. She believes a big part of her success is her commitment to getting to know someone before pulling out a single paint chip.

鈥淚鈥檓 very consultative. The first couple of meetings I spend getting to know the clients and their lifestyles 鈥� getting to know their tastes, their future plans. Once I get a real feel for what a client likes, I visualize and put it all together,鈥� she explains. 鈥淚 like to put someone鈥檚 personality into a home.鈥�

Throughout the six years she鈥檚 spent building her design business, Trisha is consistently amazed at its parallels to her previous career.

鈥淭he listening portion is the critical stage as I鈥檓 gathering information on so many levels,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 also like a marriage counselor because you don鈥檛 always have a couple on the same page, so you have to mediate. When I was in the brokerage industry it was exactly the same thing, we were trained to assess, balance and mitigate.鈥�

Trisha can and will (time permitting) take on clients with a variety of projects and budgets, but now with other trusted designers on staff she can focus on her preferred niche.

鈥淚 like luxury; it fits my personal style. My favourite kind of client is someone who鈥檚 not afraid to take a little bit of a risk and do things that are outside of the box.鈥�

Trisha is proud of what she calls her 鈥渄ream team:鈥� a shortlist of trades people and suppliers that she works with and trusts implicitly.

鈥淚鈥檓 particular. If I鈥檓 going to refer someone who鈥檚 going to renovate your home and it doesn鈥檛 work out, that鈥檚 a reflection on me. There has to be a great relationship between me and whoever I send to a client. I don鈥檛 feel comfortable otherwise.鈥�

Even with such a demanding work schedule, Trisha is never too busy for family time with husband Kevin and children Lauren and Matthew.

鈥淚f I need to do work in the evening, we鈥檒l all be at the table, the kids doing homework, while I may be working on a quote.鈥�

She picks up her kids from school each day and the family makes time for passions like golf, boating and travel.

Trisha doesn鈥檛 see herself ever fully retiring.

鈥淲hen you do what you love there鈥檚 no end date,鈥� she says.

She does, however, see her role transitioning into more of a mentor.

鈥淚 want to help build the careers of the girls who are working for me. I鈥檓 a big promoter of people with talent. I am the face of the business but I have no problem bringing people up however high they want to rise.鈥�

With a full project calendar and an award-winning business, Trisha is still on the rise. She has a good life built on the solid foundation of a loving family, a trusted team and, ultimately, very satisfied clients.

鈥淭here is nothing better than a phone call from a client saying 鈥業 love what you did.鈥� That to me is the whole reason I do what I do.鈥�

-Story by Toby Tannas

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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