Phyllis Harbinger FASID, NCIDQ, CID – Age 60
Professional Interior Designer, Strategy Coach, Author, Speaker, Educator
About me
Phyllis Harbinger, FASID, NCIDQ, CID, is a Professional Interior Designer, Strategy Coach, Author, Speaker, and Educator. She has successfully run her award-winning firm, Design Concepts/Interiors, LLC, (DCI Studio), which services both commercial and residential clients worldwide since 1993.
She is NCIDQ certified, NYS Certified, and a Fellow and Professional Member of the American Society of Interior Designers, serving as President of the ASID NY Metro Chapter in 2014-15 and in leadership roles on the National level as the Chair of the ASID Chapter Support Team from 2016-17 and two task force committees since 2018. She has also been a member of the Decorators Club since 2012.
Phyllis is a mentor and a tenured Adjunct Assistant Professor of Interior Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), her Alma Mater, where she has been teaching Design Studio and Professional Practice for twenty-five years.
In 2014, Harbinger embarked on an editorial journey with Wiley Publishing and launched an exciting book The Interior Design Productivity Toolbox, which streamlines the processes and systems for Interior Designers, Students, and the Design/Build community. The book is available on Amazon.com, Wiley.com, and Barnes & Noble bookstores. As a direct result of the success of the book, Phyllis launched her business strategy and coaching business to further her work with Designers, Architects, and the Design/Build Community, providing a unique set of tools with which her clients can grow and manage their roles in the corporate world or as principals of their own firms.
Phyllis has been a guest host of The Chaise Lounge and the Student Lounge, critically acclaimed and globally recognized podcasts serving the design community. She can be heard discussing a wide range of topics from branding to best business practices to resume and portfolio tips, with the founder and owner, Nick May and Trish Elliot.
In addition to her service to residential clients, Phyllis is also available for speaking engagements on a wide variety of topics and has presented globally to architectural and design firms, design business conferences, and associations. Her offerings include IDCEC-approved CEU presentations: Toxic Clients and Representing Your Brand, Client Communication Skills, Contracts, and Fees, and Getting Organized and Streamlining Your Work Flow, her signature talk based on the teachings in her book.
What do you do and why do you do it?
I actually have three work purposes in life. I teach to empower young designers with knowledge and conceptual initiatives.
I coach and strategize to lift people up to achieve their highest goals and live their best lives.
I design to bring joy, comfort, and beauty to my clients’ enviroment. I am deeply honored to be able to do this as it brings me joy!
What changed for you after age 50?
I honored the first half of my life and was excited for the second to begin. Fifty was cool. I felt great, on top of the world.
What would you tell the 20 or 30-year-old YOU?
Never stop learning and doing. You truly have no idea the impact that your work will have on people’s lives.
What do you think you’ll tell yourself in retrospect at the end of your life?
You did as much as you could to mentor, teach, inspire, and create beautiful environments but there is always more to be done. I had a life well-lived.
What impact do you think increased visibility can have on your business?
I can gain more exposure for what I do, serve more people, and change lives.
Who or what inspires you and why?
Water has always been my inspiration. Being in the presence of a body of water has always moved me to the core. Doing yoga by the beach is one of the most powerful mind/body connections and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to enjoy this wonderful experience at my second home in Florida.
Something else I’d like to share
As a creative, I am here to inspire people to live, work, and play in a way that makes their hearts sing! I coach my clients to do their best work in the design world and I strive to be of service through mentoring, coaching, and strategy.
