Michaela's Story

"I knew at 13 years old I wanted to be an Interior Designer. I pursued a degree in design from Murray State, where they focused not only on design, but on residential and commercial architecture, construction processes, and ADA requirements. I remember thinking that so much of what was required was unnecessary, and I wouldn't have much use for it as an interior designer. After all, I just wanted to make things pretty like they did on HGTV. My professor assured me that in order to design a space, you needed to understand how it was built.

After graduating, I began in custom cabinetry, designing high-end kitchens and bathrooms. I then began working for a local contractor, where I was very involved in the entire construction process from start to finish. I went back into sales where I not only specialized in cabinets, but also plumbing, lighting, and appliances. After the company I was working for was acquired, I took a job with another builder. I oversaw the design and estimating for both remodel and new construction projects, but my passion has always been remodeling. There is just something about taking a space that isn't practical, and making it functional as well as beautiful. 

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Behind the scenes is my husband Austin, who has always been my biggest supporter. After the birth of our second child, I wanted the opportunity to be home more, so that I could watch our children grow up. Those early years are such a special time, and you just can't get them back. It Austin who encouraged me to go out on my own as a freelance designer in order to allow me to be home with our sweet babies, Weston and Delaney. 

It was out of that desire to find a balance between my role as a mother, and my passion for design, that M. Shields Design was born."