IRVINE, CA—Erica Steenstra's experience at the Walt Disney Co. has helped inform her new role as for locally based Taylor Design. Steensta, a 25-year veteran in the interior-design industry, was recently appointed director of environments for the architecture, interiors and strategies firm, bringing with her a breadth of experience, including as interior design manager of corporate design for the iconic entertainment company. We spoke exclusively with Steenstra about her goals at Taylor and how she sees her previous positions contributing to her success at those goals.

GlobeSt.com: What are your goals in your new position with Taylor Design?

Steenstra: My first steps are getting to know the environments team, their individual strengths, skills and goals so that we can give them opportunities to grow as professionals and best position them to support the needs of our clients. We put great value on curiosity at Taylor Design. Curiosity leads to learning and forming new ideas, so another goal of mine is to foster that characteristic in our team through exposure to other designers and their work, individual exercises, readings and group conversations. I believe strongly in being consistent and clear with your brand, and our environments group will be part of the plan to grow and strengthen Taylor Design's brand.

GlobeSt.com: How does your experience with the Walt Disney Co. translate to your new position, and what does coming from the entertainment industry add to that, if anything?

Steenstra: Having worn the client's shoes, if you will, while with Disney, it was important to understand the perspective and needs of a variety of stakeholders that likely were not perfectly aligned with the directives of corporate real estate on a project. My role, then, was to navigate all of these issues and help our internal clients understand their options and opportunities for achieving their goals within the constraints of the project. This experience of listening, understanding and finding creative ways to a solution that served everyone, built skills that are applicable to many aspects of a design leader's role.

In the entertainment world, the higher the people are in the organization, the faster they can fall—the industry is not very forgiving of failure. In an enormous organization such as the Walt Disney Co, a lot of people are affected by your decisions and actions, sometimes many paygrades above you. You learn a responsibility to all of them, to shareholders and to the brand of the organization. A company or institution's brand is their most valuable asset; therefore, protecting it is critical. Now, working with clients, the importance of helping them be successful within their organization and valuing their brand has even greater impact on me and my understanding of them.

GlobeSt.com: How is the role of interior design shifting within the corporate realm?

Steenstra: The landscape of the corporate work environment has clearly changed and will continue to do so. Demographics are shifting who the workers are, how they work, what they expect from their employer and how long they will stay with a company. More and more of us are living in urban settings, living longer, retiring later. Technology changes rapidly, and work is global. There are so many factors that have an impact on an organization that it is no longer enough for a design practice to create spaces that address a client's brand, vision and programmatic requirements. Upfront work needs to be done prior to design work that tests and challenges the assumptions and assesses all of the factors that have bearing on each unique client and their specific goals.

GlobeSt.com: How do you translate a firm's culture, vision and purpose to its interior image?

Steenstra: Taylor Design is a strategy-based design firm, which means that we use a methodical process with our clients prior to beginning design work to develop clear, actionable design guidelines. The first part of this process is to consider the goals for the project and factors affecting it to ensure they are in alignment with the vision and brand promise. A misalignment (a lack of readiness for change in the organization, for example) can throw the success of the project right out the window. The next step is a period of learning and discovery, using a variety of tools tailored to each client. Here we research and observe the users, their clients, their business environment and any other factors that will influence their success. This is the groundwork for developing design guidelines that are meaningful, intelligent and result in environments that create a valuable and powerful user experience.