Interview with Roxann Lloyd
Photography by Susie Brenner Photography

Roxann Lloyd of Red Chair Designs discusses her circuitous route to founding her firm along with a transformative project she did for a Denver-based couple.

Have you always been creative?
Yes, from way back. In elementary school, I would rearrange the living room furniture whenever I had to stay home because of my asthma. One time when I was five, my parents did so without me, so I ran away. But they always encouraged my artistry.

Was your design career straightforward?
Not at all! Within a few years of getting my degree, I wanted out because I hated what I was doing in commercial design: just “Dilbertizing” the world by putting everybody in cubicles. I literally threw my portfolio away and went into marketing. I then became a kitchen-and-bath project manager and worked at the Rocky Mountain News; I also had a side gig doing residential work for my friends and friends of my friends. When I was going to be laid off from the newspaper, I decided to venture out on my own and start Red Chair Designs.

What’s your philosophy on client relationships?
I call myself a collaborative designer. I’m empathic by nature, pay attention to people’s subtleties, and connect with them through humor. I am authentic, and so are my clients, who aren’t necessarily focused on trends but on their own value systems. In addition, if it’s a couple, I have to speak both their languages; I sometimes feel like a design therapist (which at one point made me consider becoming an actual therapist).

Over the years, I’ve developed a process for getting to know my clients. I ask questions about their family and history and do design-psychology exercises to help draw out who they are so their renovated home supports and resonates with them. I’ll even straight-up ask if they’re interested in paying for a brand name or willing to hold off and get something that’s truly right for them. When friends and family enter, I want them to say “This is so you” as opposed to “Your designer did an amazing job.” I’d rather be behind the curtain, leading them down their own paths. That’s also why I never have a big reveal like you see on TV.

You also stage houses. What percentage of your business is commercial design, residential design, and staging?
One-third each, which I never would have imagined. I originally didn’t want to do staging because, frankly, I was a snob when I started. Some friends who launched a real estate company at the same time I founded Red Chair asked me to stage their properties. My response? “I don’t do that. I’m a designer.” But I said yes anyway to help them and market my services. In the last five years or so, people have been calling me specifically to stage their homes.

That said, staging is completely the opposite of designing. When I do the former, I tell clients that I’m not their designer—my job is to make their presence invisible so potential buyers can see themselves living in the home. I feel like I’m an instant help.

The Foothill Drive project is quite a transformation. Was it an entire home renovation?
The owners, Kate and AJ, bought the house because it is very clean-lined and has amazing views of downtown Denver. The layout was weird, but they loved it and had a vision for it, some of which they wanted to create themselves. Because of that, they hired us hourly and not just with a flat fee—but then AJ’s business took off, so they both focused more on that.

As a result, we took over more of the project, which involved renovating almost the entire house: the kitchen, dining room, living room, powder room, upstairs bathroom, and master bathroom. We also oversaw the work they did in other areas—the flooring, stairway renovation, etc.—to make sure everything tied together.

How would you describe the original vibe?
The rooms were chopped up into sixties, seventies, and eighties design, as if each previous owner had represented a different time. Interestingly, the prior one stopped by right after we’d finished all the remodeling and asked to see it. She was so happy! She said it was what she and her husband had wanted to do with the house but weren’t able to. Kate specifically told me how grateful she was to hear that.

Walk us through how you made the main living area more functional:
This couple likes to have guests over and prefers a more casual entertainment style, so they wanted to take down the walls to the studs and start over because of the choppy galley layout. To highlight the get-together-focused vibe, we opened the entire space by completely redoing the kitchen, making the dining room an eating area with a skylight, and relocating the living room, which is now a self-contained space on the other side of the entry door.

The kitchen’s new cabinets were built by a custom cabinetmaker to fit perfectly in the space, as was the huge, uniquely shaped island, which has its own sink and items like bowls and chopping boards so they can whip up a taco bar or sundae bar for company. We made the kitchen space light, bright, and airy, primarily for AJ: he doesn’t like chaos, so he was adamant that the surfaces had to have a clean look. For instance, the backsplash is colorless herringbone glass and the countertop is a white quartz that lends a quiet ambience.

Plus, the fireplace originally had a slab of exotic granite that was ugly as sin. Kate and AJ hated it, so we put in a new insert that is more modern and added chairs that swivel for easy conversation. Next to that area, we made the sliding door entryway—the main entrance of the home—more welcoming.

How did you improve the primary bathroom?
Originally, the room had a cavernous, dark, and creepy vibe. Kate and AJ loved the shower’s glass block, though, which they thought was meant for the house. So we kept it but took the carpet out (yes, carpet), then added a luxurious shower, a bench where they can sit as the room fills with steam, and a light that emits a relaxing, warming glow. Now it feels just like a spa.

What was their reaction when you finished your work on the house?
They loved it. Kate told me that every day she comes downstairs, looks at the kitchen, and thinks, “I can’t believe this is mine.” That’s why I do this work. From childhood, I have been keenly aware of how my surroundings impact me, and I want to help others enjoy theirs. So when she said that, it just made my day.

For more info, visit redchairdesigns.com