Eleanor Cummings grew up one of five children in Columbus, Georgia. You might say her family had been there for quite some time... actually her grandfather used to own much of the land that makes up the Ft. Benning Army base. Indeed, what is today the Commanding General’s house was built by her grandfather.
Her passion for design came from her aunt - also named Eleanor - who worked with the city of Columbus in the 1960’s and 70’s as they sought to revitalize their communities. In particular she worked on trying to preserve the historical nature of buildings in everything from their architecture to their original paint color.
The younger Eleanor got her start in design working at Collins and Huff Interiors in Columbus. Eventually she decided that it was time to leave the town she had called her home most of her life. At the time one of her sisters was living in Texas and invited her out… and she’s been there ever since.
After taking a job at Houston Home and Garden Magazine she finally hung up her own shingle in 1986 with the launch of Eleanor Cummings Interior Design. Although it was Texas, her first clients weren’t oil men or wildcatters… actually they were doctors, as they were the only group not sent reeling by the energy bust of the early 1980’s.
Her very first client however was not a doctor, but rather a single investment banker who was setting up her first home. Today the single investment banker is married and not only has Eleanor designed four houses for her and her husband, but she is currently designing the house of their daughter! That’s what you call keeping things in the family.
And that is exactly what the world of design is for Eleanor… family. That’s always been true for her and it dovetails with something someone told her about interior design many years ago: “The first 10% of the time you spend talking about dimensions, decorations and design and the last 90% is spent talking about friends, family and life.”
And that’s the key to successful interior design… it’s not just a business arrangement, although it is that. It’s a relationship… and usually a two or three year one at that, if not longer. As such, while Eleanor obviously looks at the basics of the job, such as the timeline, architecture, budget etc. when deciding which clients to take on, her single biggest priority is determining whether the prospective clients will mesh with her and her team and be a pleasure to work with. If not she passes, as a rough fit would not be helpful for either her team or the client.
One of the great evolutions she’s seen since she first struck out in the design world deals with teamwork. When she first started doing design the roles of the players was quite distinct, particularly between architects and designers. At the time architects very much set the tone, and designers were left to design to whatever space they were given to work with. Today, thankfully, the model has changed and designers and architects work very much hand in hand. Whereas previously a designer was told, here are the dimensions, this is where the kitchen island stops and these are the arches, today there is a great deal more coordination and consultation resulting in projects where the design and the architecture seem to complement one another, rather than exist despite one another.
Although Texas is big – bigger than France and a GDP that would rank it #10 in the world – and most of her work is there, she does from time to time venture outside the Lone Star state. She’s not only worked in her native Georgia, but she’s recently done work in California, Montana and Massachusetts as well. In addition, she regularly travels to Europe to find pieces for current or prospective clients. Her most recent foray into the Old Country was a trip through France and Belgium looking for fireplaces for a project that may end up with over a dozen. The beauty of these kinds of trips is that not only is she able to buy for whatever current project she’s working on, but at the same time she can keep an eye open for pieces that might be perfect for some future project or ones that might offer the opportunity for repurposing to fill a need that’s hard to fit.
This current project - with the 12 fireplaces - is a template for her favorite kinds of projects, those starting from scratch or those doing major renovation. They give her an opportunity to see all the potential the project holds and imagine the different ways it could proceed.
A designer’s job isn’t to just fill a room or a house with whatever they like. A designer’s job is to work with a client so that when the project is finished the client has a house that's not only functional, but at the same time is sufficiently comfortable that it feels like a home. And the reality is, clients don’t always know what that house / home combination looks like or even exactly what they want! It might sound strange, but Eleanor is quite clear about her role as a designer… in order to help the client get everything they want out of a house... and get a home in the process… sometimes she has to educate them about design and the various strategies that go along with drawing out a space's potential.
Some designers are sticklers for style or period or price. Not Eleanor. There are pieces that are original and unique and expensive and other pieces that are… shall we say, more economically priced. And that’s OK. She likens the design of a room to a little black dress. If you’re wearing a simple, inexpensive dress, and that’s all you’re wearing, people will likely notice. If however you adorn that simple, inexpensive dress with an elegant necklace, smart shoes and an eye catching clutch, then everyone will look at you and see your style and it won’t matter – and likely they won’t notice – that your dress came off the rack…
Today, Eleanor seems to have found her sweet spot. She has her team of four designers – really three designers and an architecture student – and her two support staff. Together they stay busy, but not so busy that she or they lose focus on what makes the business a great place to be in the first place: working to help bring out the beauty in whatever project they happen to be working on while exceeding client’s expectations. It sort of reminds me of a quote from Michelangelo… “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” If Eleanor said it, she might put it this way: Every house has a home inside… it’s the task of the designer to discover it.
Below are pictures from some of Eleanor's extraordinary work as highlighted in three different publications.
Her passion for design came from her aunt - also named Eleanor - who worked with the city of Columbus in the 1960’s and 70’s as they sought to revitalize their communities. In particular she worked on trying to preserve the historical nature of buildings in everything from their architecture to their original paint color.
The younger Eleanor got her start in design working at Collins and Huff Interiors in Columbus. Eventually she decided that it was time to leave the town she had called her home most of her life. At the time one of her sisters was living in Texas and invited her out… and she’s been there ever since.
After taking a job at Houston Home and Garden Magazine she finally hung up her own shingle in 1986 with the launch of Eleanor Cummings Interior Design. Although it was Texas, her first clients weren’t oil men or wildcatters… actually they were doctors, as they were the only group not sent reeling by the energy bust of the early 1980’s. Her very first client however was not a doctor, but rather a single investment banker who was setting up her first home. Today the single investment banker is married and not only has Eleanor designed four houses for her and her husband, but she is currently designing the house of their daughter! That’s what you call keeping things in the family.
And that is exactly what the world of design is for Eleanor… family. That’s always been true for her and it dovetails with something someone told her about interior design many years ago: “The first 10% of the time you spend talking about dimensions, decorations and design and the last 90% is spent talking about friends, family and life.”
One of the great evolutions she’s seen since she first struck out in the design world deals with teamwork. When she first started doing design the roles of the players was quite distinct, particularly between architects and designers. At the time architects very much set the tone, and designers were left to design to whatever space they were given to work with. Today, thankfully, the model has changed and designers and architects work very much hand in hand. Whereas previously a designer was told, here are the dimensions, this is where the kitchen island stops and these are the arches, today there is a great deal more coordination and consultation resulting in projects where the design and the architecture seem to complement one another, rather than exist despite one another.
Although Texas is big – bigger than France and a GDP that would rank it #10 in the world – and most of her work is there, she does from time to time venture outside the Lone Star state. She’s not only worked in her native Georgia, but she’s recently done work in California, Montana and Massachusetts as well. In addition, she regularly travels to Europe to find pieces for current or prospective clients. Her most recent foray into the Old Country was a trip through France and Belgium looking for fireplaces for a project that may end up with over a dozen. The beauty of these kinds of trips is that not only is she able to buy for whatever current project she’s working on, but at the same time she can keep an eye open for pieces that might be perfect for some future project or ones that might offer the opportunity for repurposing to fill a need that’s hard to fit.
This current project - with the 12 fireplaces - is a template for her favorite kinds of projects, those starting from scratch or those doing major renovation. They give her an opportunity to see all the potential the project holds and imagine the different ways it could proceed.
A designer’s job isn’t to just fill a room or a house with whatever they like. A designer’s job is to work with a client so that when the project is finished the client has a house that's not only functional, but at the same time is sufficiently comfortable that it feels like a home. And the reality is, clients don’t always know what that house / home combination looks like or even exactly what they want! It might sound strange, but Eleanor is quite clear about her role as a designer… in order to help the client get everything they want out of a house... and get a home in the process… sometimes she has to educate them about design and the various strategies that go along with drawing out a space's potential.
Some designers are sticklers for style or period or price. Not Eleanor. There are pieces that are original and unique and expensive and other pieces that are… shall we say, more economically priced. And that’s OK. She likens the design of a room to a little black dress. If you’re wearing a simple, inexpensive dress, and that’s all you’re wearing, people will likely notice. If however you adorn that simple, inexpensive dress with an elegant necklace, smart shoes and an eye catching clutch, then everyone will look at you and see your style and it won’t matter – and likely they won’t notice – that your dress came off the rack…
Today, Eleanor seems to have found her sweet spot. She has her team of four designers – really three designers and an architecture student – and her two support staff. Together they stay busy, but not so busy that she or they lose focus on what makes the business a great place to be in the first place: working to help bring out the beauty in whatever project they happen to be working on while exceeding client’s expectations. It sort of reminds me of a quote from Michelangelo… “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” If Eleanor said it, she might put it this way: Every house has a home inside… it’s the task of the designer to discover it.
Below are pictures from some of Eleanor's extraordinary work as highlighted in three different publications.
The following images are from a piece in House Beautiful called A Texas Home, Straight out of Italy. Photos by Eric Piasecki.
The below images are from a piece in Traditional Home called
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| This is the bedroom... before and after Eleanor's magic touch! |
The below images are from the April, 2010 issue of Veranda as recounted by the Indulge Decor blog.
There are some army bases in Texas and along with them there are also military bases, air force bases and many more. You have to look in their website because there are other new information about them.
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