I started Miss Erin’s Design Studio in 2010 to create an artistic design studio world that would touch our children while still being a contract interior designer. I hope my world of creativity will bring you insights into residential design, hospitality design, senior living design, and art topics while exploring the products that make it possible. Design is all around us in our homes, in our offices, in our classrooms, etc.
Who is Miss Erin (AKA) Erin O’Reilly Mason? I am from Las Vegas, Nevada born and raised (yes, not many can say that). Since I was in the 6th grade, my dream was to be an interior designer to work on hotels and casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada. I went to Woodbury University in Burbank, California where I earned my Bachelor of Science Degree in Interior Design. Before graduating college, I studied architecture and art abroad in Paris, France, and traveled around Europe which was very brave of me considering I was the only child out of four that never went to summer camp. When I graduated college I moved back to my hometown Las Vegas, Nevada, and worked for Yates-Silverman, Inc where I worked on several hotels including the Paris Hotel. After working in the hospitality design world for several years and earning my NCIDQ license I decided I wanted to go back to school for a Master’s of Fine Arts degree in Product Design at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, Georgia.
Yes, I went almost the farthest distance from home to earn my Master’s degree, a social change coming from Las Vegas, Nevada. The southern hospitality was very inviting but it seemed like people in the city were in slow motion coming from Las Vegas, Nevada. SCAD did not let me slow down to earn my degree because I worked day and night on projects. I did meet my next-door neighbor by chance and now he’s my husband. We were two kids adulting and talking about the future and kids. We decided if we ever got married and had kids we would have a little girl with strawberry blonde hair, and blue eyes, and we would name her Savannah. Well, our dreams came true!
My future husband and I moved back to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2002. We lived there long enough to buy our first house and get married. We then moved back south to Atlanta, Georgia because my husband needed more trees around him and to be closer to his family. I continued to work remotely for Yates-Silverman, Inc. until I changed jobs to work with a local design firm CMMI which is now C+TC Design Studio in Atlanta, Georgia designing four and five-star hospitality resorts.
In 2010 the recession made the hospitality design world hit rock bottom. I started working at Ethan Allen, my daughter was four years old and my son was on his way into this crazy world. In 2011 my whole world changed when my mother became sick with esophageal cancer. I gave birth to my son and ended up resigning from Ethan Allen to be with my mother in hopes of helping her fight for her life. We lost the fight in 2012 when she passed away. I can’t explain how hard it is to lose your mother who is also your best friend. We learn to move on and make our world work in different ways. I carry on with my mother flying by as a yellow butterfly to keep me going.
Today I am working as a contract interior designer with amazing groups of people on some dynamic projects. I worked on hotels for most of my career until I was given the chance to change my interior design focus again to design high-end Senior Living communities. Senior Living design is similar to Hospitality design but also adds Residential Design so our loved ones feel like they are at home. I feel like Senior Living can be very rewarding when the residents love their new home. Contract Residential and Commercial Interior Design is my focus at Miss Erin’s Design Studio and studio fun events!
I am excited to share more of my experiences with you and the products that make our design world exciting.