Meet the Designer: Lindsey Robinson

HGTV.com: How was working with an actual homeowner/room different from the classroom setting and how did you hear about the opportunity to participate?
Robinson: What was so different about Designer Finals and working with a homeowner is that with school, you never get to work with a live client. It's typically a client made up by the instructor or me. The show gave me the opportunity for the first time to work with real clients that had real needs and challenges. Also the opportunity to implement a design that exists on paper and apply it to real life was an experience I had not yet had the pleasure of carrying out.

I heard about Designer Finals through my instructor in one of my classes and I figured it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up!

HGTV.com: What was your inspiration for the design and how long did you spend on it before presenting it to the homeowners?
Robinson: The inspiration came from the homeowner's love of the color red and her need for an "uncluttered space." I also used the colors from the adjacent dining room to create flow of color from one space to the next.

I actually spent quite a bit of time on this project. The homeowner had a real problem with the layout of the kitchen and the size of the refrigerator. My expectations were unrealistically high for what I could accomplish in two days and I did have to revise my original design in order to reasonably change the space. I wanted to remodel the kitchen, but I realized I could only give it a makeover and hoped that the homeowners wouldn't be too disappointed. Kitchens are very complicated spaces and the design problems within this particular space couldn't have been rectified in such a short period of time or with a $2,000 budget, so we gave the Rileys a beautiful "makeover" instead.

HGTV.com: What did you learn from your experience on the show?
Robinson: Before I decided to go back to school I was pursuing a retail career where I thrived in the fast pace and the many challenges that I was presented with as a manager. Being in school for two years and not working, I slipped into "student mode" and wasn't sure if I would still be the same confident and driven leader I was with my other career. After Designer Finals, I realized my organizational skills and leadership abilities were still there after all. There was incredible pressure to stay on schedule during the two days and to make sure the team was doing exactly what they needed to. I thrive on that pressure and kept a cool head the entire time and loved every minute of it.

HGTV.com: Is there any fun or interesting behind-the-scenes information to share?
Robinson: I feel so incredibly lucky about my experience with the show because someone was able to fix every problem we ran into right away. When I went into this project, I wanted to do something bold so I decided to paint the cabinets red and was very confident with my decision. When I told others about it, I got puzzled looks and a few people said they just couldn't imagine red cabinets in the kitchen. That scared me a little, but I stuck with my original decision and ended up loving it!

The only thing that almost got me in trouble was the counter grout stain. No one had every heard of staining grout and I had never personally used the product so it was really a hit or miss experiment. When I think back about it, I can't believe I risked that on television, but you never get anywhere unless you stick your neck out. The product worked great, but it almost didn't make it in time. When I didn't receive it as expected, I found out it hadn't been shipped. I was temporarily panicked, but the package actually arrived in the afternoon on the first day of the makeover!

HGTV.com: From this experience, do you think you're prepared for the real challenges an interior designer faces? Robinson: This experience gave me the confidence I needed to go out there in the real world as a designer. I don't think I'll ever be fully prepared for the many challenges an interior designer faces, but that all takes time and experience. There is going to be so much for me to discover and all I can do is to just watch and learn from the people who have been in the business for so long.

HGTV.com: What made you decide to study interior design?
Robinson: My husband and I bought our first house three years ago and the curiosity about what was behind every wall and how things worked got the best of me. My stepfather also happens to be a successful architect and he provided me with a glimpse into how rewarding the design world can be. I think that as an interior designer there is nothing more humbling than to be asked to come into someone's home to help them create their dreams. It's an exciting and ever-changing field and I'm looking forward to what the future holds for me!