Maegan Blau, Adaptive Design Consultant & Interior Designer
In this 1st ever friendpisode post, you’ll be learning from the personal and professional life of Maegan Blau, a friend to us OTPs. We talk about interior design, accessibility, the ADA, how it all relates to OTPs and so much more. She is an interior designer based in sunny Arizona. Her interior design career started with a personal journey to renovate and adapt her first home to fit accessibility needs while having a high level of style. In 2009 she incurred a C6-C8 spinal cord injury and has been a wheelchair user ever since. She is diagnosed with an incomplete C8 spinal cord injury which has obviously changed the way she lives in the blink of an eye. As a person with a disability, it seemed the majority of options to make homes accessible were straight-up ugly and very hospital-like. It got her thinking…we can do better than this! Combining her perspective of disability with her life-long passion for interior design fueled Maegan to find creative ways to make spaces beautifully accessible. In 2018 she started Blue Copper Design to elevate the world of adaptive design.
Q & A with Maegan:
Please tell us a little about yourself and a few favorite occupations.
Hi I’m Maegan Blau, owner and lead designer of Blue Copper Design. I live in Phoenix Arizona with my husband and 2 dogs.
What motivated you to contribute to this podcast series?
To help take some load off of the therapist’s plate and show other options. Often, I find that therapists become makeshift designers and that is a big job to have.
Please describe the work that you do and the setting in which you work, the population you serve, and the needs that you address.
I am an interior We advocate for our clients to ensure their home is perfectly specializing in adaptive, accessible, ADA, and Universal Design. Our mission is to combine door accessibility with beautiful interiors. We advocate for our clients to ensure their home is set up for their needs.
What inspired you or drew you to this type of work?
I was inspired to start Blue Copper Design because of my own experiences. When I purchased my first time I knew it was going to need renovation. I worked with a contractor and found myself advocating once again for my needs. I was adamant on keeping the aesthetic of the home beautiful while making it work for my disability. I found the people I was working with knew about ADA design and were pushing me into those specifications, but in my personal home, I did not need those guidelines. It took some time to get across that my needs were custom.
How did you get there? Can you describe your path?
After that renovation and I was really inspired to continue in a creative field. I wished that I could have the interior design experience that others have. My wheels got turning with applying this perspective of disability to traditional interior design. I thought about the concept for two years and then went to a design school. After I graduated, I worked for two different design companies but was constantly daydreaming about starting my own business. Blue Copper Design has been open for three years now and it has been a dream come true.
Please describe a typical day in your setting. What skills do you utilize?
Every day is so different! My weekly activities include: creating design plans, emailing with clients and vendors, ordering products, preparing for styling sessions, and business planning.
Can you talk about some recent highs (successes) and lows (challenges) of your current role?
A recent high is we have our first out-of-state client for Full-Service Design! Yay! A low is we are having a difficult time managing our social media channels. We had a social media manager which was a high for this year but we don’t have that anymore and the workload is getting to us.
How do you continue to learn in order to stay on top of things within your role?
I study up on past design trends through books and Pinterest. Being inspired is a big part of my job and I need to keep sharpening that tool.
Can you share a little bit about salary and compensation in this setting? How do the services you provide get funded?
We have an hourly rate and give our clients a quote after the consultation. For our virtual services, those are a flat fee.
Any career advice for our followers and listeners on how to get started on this path?
Become obsessed and take any courses or workshops you can. You don’t need a degree to do design and you can start with your own spaces.
What’s a common myth or misconception about your job/role you’d like to call out or demystify?
Interior design is only for the super-wealthy. It is so not! It is for those who value home design and want their space to function for them.
How do we find you, follow you, be in touch with you, and promote your unique work?
Instagram - @bluecopperdesign
As always, I welcome any feedback & ideas from all of you or if you are interested in being a guest on future episodes, please do not hesitate to contact Patricia Motus at transitionsot@gmail.com or DM via Instagram @transitionsot
THANK YOU for LISTENING, FOLLOWING, DOWNLOADING, RATING, REVIEWING & SHARING “The Uncommon OT Series” Podcast with all your OTP friends and colleagues!
Full Episodes and Q & A only available at:
https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/the-uncommon-ot-series
Sign Up NOW for the Transitions OT Email List to Receive the FREE
List of Uncommon OT Practice Settings
https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/transitionsot
For Non-Traditional OT Practice Mentorship w/ Patricia:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeC3vI5OnK3mLrCXACEex-5ReO8uUVPo1EUXIi8FKO-FCfoEg/viewform
Happy Listening Everyone!
Big OT Love!
All views are mine and guests own.
Be a Patron to support The Uncommon OT Series Podcast project via Patreon.
