DESIGNING DREAMS

High-end luxury interior designer, LESLIE BOWMAN, is making dreams a reality as the design director and owner of Leslie Bowman Design and her retail showroom, The Design Bar. Named one of Chicago’s top 30 interior designers, she’s sought out by both builders and homeowners alike. Mixing her signature flair of organic and glamorous elements, she makes design dreams come to life.

What are you most proud of doing and what’s the greatest risk you’ve taken as a professional? The greatest risk has been to venture out on my own. It is also one of the things I am most proud of. I think as a woman, sometimes it’s easy to fall into the trap of doing what everyone else thinks you should do, or better yet, what society thinks you should do. It took me a while to understand that in order to be truly happy, I had to do what mattered to me. Realizing that has made it much easier to love my job and have passion for my work.

What is the most important characteristic of an effective leader? To empower others to be confident and strong in their decisions. To let others know that even if mistakes happen, it’s okay as long as you learn and grow from it. I always tell my employees it’s my job to train them to take over my job, therefore I want them to grow alongside me.

What was the turning point in your career? Being awarded one of the top home accent stores in the nation and then subsequently nominated as one of the top three interior design studios in the nation by a body of my peers.

For more information, visit thedesignbars.com.