In this Behind the Blueprint episode, we sit down with Jay Reyhons, a Registered Interior Designer at CMBA Architects. Jay shares his journey into the field of interior design, his passion for creating functional and aesthetically pleasing spaces, and his role in the design process. He discusses the importance of collaboration with architects and other team members to achieve successful project outcomes.
(Skyler): Welcome to another episode of Laying the Foundation. All right. Welcome to another episode of Laying the Foundation. We're here today with another Behind the Blueprints episode, and I'm with returning guest Jay from our Des Moines office. Jay, welcome back to the show.
(Jay): Hello. Thank you. Glad to be back.
(Skyler): Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Last time we talked about tech within the architecture world and all that kind of stuff. But today we're going to talk about you. We're going to talk about what brought you to, well, the architecture world, interior design specifically. And then you also have your IT side that you handle a lot for CMBA, and that all kind of fits all together into one, hopefully fun and exciting career.
(Jay): It's all exciting. Yeah.
(Skyler): Yeah. Okay, good, good.
(Jay): It's always new challenges.
(Skyler): That's true. True. That keeps you on your toes.
(Jay): Awesome.
(Skyler): Well, first off, Jay, tell me a little bit about yourself. You know, where you came from, how you got to CMBA, and how you wanted to do interior design and that whole world.
(Jay): Oh, let's see. Growing up, I was probably like everybody else in this office who grew up wanting to make stuff, build stuff. I'm sure it was the same. I used to build with Legos, those kinds of...
(Skyler): How many of you got started with Legos?
(Jay): Oh, man, honestly. A majority have said that.
(Skyler): Yep.
(Jay): That's good. That's a good springboard into the design world.
(Skyler): It really seems to be. Yeah. I wonder if Legos, like the company, realizes just how much.
(Jay): Oh, I bet.
(Skyler): Yeah.
(Jay): Yeah. This was before all the technology, before anything else; this is before computers or anything else. So that's what you had to play with. And it was something fun. But yeah, it was that creative side that started coming into things. Went to Iowa State, actually. First in architecture. It is a hard program to get into. I didn't make it the first year. I think it was mostly based on a few classes that I wasn't quite that attentive to.
(Skyler): Sure.
(Jay): But, you know, it's your first year in college, you're kind of, you learn the ropes of where you can go and what your limits are.
(Skyler): Yeah, absolutely.
(Jay): But after that, I was like, okay, do I try again? Are there other programs you can look into a little more? A little bit different aspect of the design world for someone with the creative side, lots of the must-haves, the techie side. At some point, that makes sense. So I got my interior design degree in four years. Graduated in '98.
(Skyler): Okay.
(Jay): And from there, I went on to my first job up in Minneapolis. That's actually a unique story. I got the job there from, I was doing interviews that summer after I graduated from college, and I had set up a couple in Minneapolis, and I was trying to get a hold of this one gentleman who lived up there, and couldn't get hold of him. I went up to Minneapolis, showed up in Fargo for a few interviews. I came back home, and he got hold of me and said, "Oh, you sure you'd like to come up for our interview? Well, you're out of college. You really can't afford multiple trips to go do interviews."
(Skyler): No.
(Jay): So I said, "Okay, we'll make plans." But he's going to go on RAGBRAI. He was a big RAGBRAI guy from Iowa.
(Skyler): Oh.
(Jay): So he was a big RAGBRAI enthusiast. So the week we were going to go up there, he said, "I'm going to be in RAGBRAI," right? So I said, "Okay, well, when you get back, we'll set something up." So while he was on RAGBRAI, my mom had the unique suggestion of saying, "Hey, you've got nothing to lose. Why don't you go up to.." It was going through Anamosa that year, and she said, "Go up there and just, maybe put up a sign or something. Just, you know, be there. Go out there and just be something unique that maybe he'll stop by." So I went up there, set up a sign with his name on it. "Dick Daniels. Hi, Dick." If you're listening. And I put up a sign, waited there probably most of the afternoon, late afternoon as I was getting up to move around, because people were moving in, because people are all watching the bikers, right? Dick shows up on his bike and says, "Hey, someone's looking for me?" You know, one of those, like you're watching all day. The moment you look away, that's when you know, watching the toaster to pop kind of thing. So we met, and he went and parked his bike and got cleaned up. We met on a park bench and had an interview. He said he went back to the camp that night, and the people at his camp said, "If you don't hire him because he did all this, you're a fool."
(Skyler): That's a lot of initiative to take. Yeah.
(Jay): So thanks to my mom for getting me to do that, because I say we're great with Minneapolis. Did interior design up there for about three years?
(Skyler): Sure.
(Jay): And this was back in the early 2000s, when the economy was kind of getting a little iffy and a lot of firms were downsizing.
(Skyler): Right.
(Jay): At the time, I was engaged and my then fiancé. We decided. Okay. Who was going to move? She was living down here in Ankeny. I was up in Minneapolis. Or deciding how we're going to do logistics. Well, okay. I got laid off, as did several dozen other people. So like, okay. So I looked down here in Iowa. Got a job with architect Smith Metzger, working with Robin Darrell. Previously, worked there all through until doing just interior design. I was, at the time, the only designer in the office. So when you're the only designer, you've got to get your fingers in all the little details. But every project has some sort of interiors that give this project a little something. So you kind of bounce around a lot.
(Skyler): Yeah, as it should.
(Jay): And then, obviously, we merged with CMBA in 2015, and I have been here ever since.
(Skyler): Nice.
(Jay): Obviously, the changes there were that went from being the sole designer to now one of, I think, we're eight or so.
(Skyler): Right.
(Jay): Or nine designers now. So it's kind of nice to have somebody else to bounce ideas off of and just share knowledge, both what I've learned, but also what they've learned, and how we all can help each other with what we do each day.
(Skyler): Yeah, absolutely. That's awesome.
(Jay): And then in the past year, I took on a second hat of now managing the IT, technology, for the company.
(Skyler): Yeah!
(Jay): It was just one of those opportunities that I've always been big in technology. I always like to help out where I can. And it's, for the most part, it's answering simple questions, getting software set up. And then if something's over my head, then it goes on. Worst case, you go ask Google.
(Skyler): That's true.
(Jay): It's always there, but don't tell anybody listening because they don't know. But so it's been an interesting ride along the way in different ways, that's what I've done has changed.
(Skyler): Yeah.
(Jay): You know, the design itself, you're still designing differently for every client. But the way you do it, the technology it's done with, the methods you use, and the materials that are available have changed over the years.
(Skyler): Oh, absolutely. So it's kind of interesting to ask the question of what you feel like is your specialty, per se, or what kind of areas you tend to lean towards because you have the whole IT side as well. But I'd say within interior design, do you have anything in particular that you either particularly enjoy or kind of tends to be the something that you feel like you maybe know quite a bit about, compared to other people, or something along those lines?
(Jay): Starting, it was a lot of corporate work. I mean, I can lay out a couple of hundred workstations, do a big corporate office layout, no problem. Working with Smith Metzger, we did a lot of banks and financial institutions, which were kind of corporate.
(Skyler): Yeah.
(Jay): But the same genre of projects. When we merged with CMBA, we started getting more into the K-12 schools, medical, which were areas I never really... never really got into. So it's interesting to see schools are a whole different aspect of different sizes, different requirements, those kinds of things. And then the medical world is more of a technical aspect. It's not just, okay, what looks good for the space, but is it going to be sanitary, is it cleanable, is it durable, is it going to work functionally for the doctors and patients? So, it's a lot more of that versus just, Does it look nice?
(Skyler): Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And then I'd say with the IT side coming in, how do you balance the work that you're getting for the interior side, but then also the work that you're getting for the IT side?
(Jay): Like I mentioned, it kind of varies from day to day.
(Skyler): Sure.
(Jay): Some days might be okay. Not doing a single thing. There hasn't been a question across my desk of, hey, where's this? Hey, how do you get this installed? That kind of thing. So that's mostly interiors, regular day-to-day projects. And then some days that's heavier on technologies, so that the interiors projects don't take a back burner for a moment, and then move on to answer a few questions, and then get back to it. So it's always been, even with interior design. Just because you are in so many different projects, some designers try to be on a certain type just because they like to.
(Skyler): Right.
(Jay): I think just the nature of the profession is that, you know, yeah, you can try to be in just the medical realm, but unless your company really just focuses on that, you're going to be in every single, oh, every single style. So you've got to know different styles, you've got to know different functions, all those. But yeah, it varies. I'm kind of a kid who's always joked it's kind of akin to the old guy doing the spinning plates on a stick. You've got all these plates spinning in the air, and you've got to keep stopping and fixing this one. You got to go over here and work on this one a little bit and, and it's, it can be, it can be, it can be challenging sometimes when you get a lot of projects. So, okay, now what project was I working on?
(Skyler): And right, right.
(Jay): And also with the technology, sometimes you get a good head of steam, work on our project, and then someone comes with the questions. You've got to pause what you're doing, help do something, and come back to what you WERE doing.
(Skyler): Then another question comes up because, obviously, if they are stuck on some kind of technological issue, then they can't get their stuff done. And so there's that, "I need to get them so that they can keep going."
(Jay): Yeah, and I'll jump back over to what I was working on. So that makes sense. Knowing a lot more of the, not just the computer side, but the technology AV side, conference rooms, and classrooms are now all digital. So, having a little background in that, then, okay, we've got to accommodate these types of features to make the classroom technology function. You make sure there are enough outlets, make sure there's access everywhere, and that kind of thing. So it does help.
(Skyler): Yeah, absolutely. And with a lot of the remote stuff anymore, and all that kind of stuff for the conference halls, and all the kinds of stuff that came out of COVID, like just heightened.
(Jay): A lot of conferences have gone from the big, old-school executive boardrooms to now it's all individual little meeting rooms and phone booths, and we’re not doing big group meetings anymore. It's more about how we do one-on-one meetings online. So it's more of those kinds of spaces.
(Skyler): Absolutely. Jumping over to your interior work that you do, what kind of stuff goes into that? Just for those that are listening, who might be looking into it as a career, what kind of work do you do? Whether that be throughout the day or the week, what kind of stuff goes into that?
(Jay): Really, it's gotten more and more involved early on.
(Skyler): Sure.
(Jay): You know, when you start a project, that's good to get in the front door to say, okay, in the architects' and project manager's meeting, what the owner's saying, "Okay, here's what we want function-wise that I'm getting in there." Saying, "Hey, what kind of spaces do we need to provide, what kind of look and feel are you trying to convey to both your employees and your clients?" So it's always good to get that first start. Then it's the usual coming up with spaces, computer modeling, and getting more involved with it. I talked on our last discussion about the 3D modeling.
(Skyler): Yeah
(Jay): You know, the old days where we'd say, here's this black and white plan. Now kind of picture that these walls are, white, blue, or yellow, or something like that. Now we can model a full space that's designed and coordinated, and they can walk through it and see what it looks like. Then it's a lot easier to explain to them and convey, here's what we're suggesting for a design. And also, we can get their feedback on, "Okay, can we change this?" Can they respond more easily to it versus having to try to understand because they're not from...
(Skyler): Oh yeah, they're not from the design world.
(Jay): Not really. You know, they can't just say, okay, this, this piece of carpet is supposed to be this spot on this plan.
(Skyler): Right.
(Jay): But if they can see it in the real world, then yeah, easy enough. Approve. Moving on.
(Skyler): Kind of thing, put themselves in the scene, say, I like it. I mean, I'm one of those people, and I've said it before on the podcast, I'll say it again. I'm one of those people who can't go to a clothing store and pick up a shirt off the rack and be like, yeah, I think I'd look good in this. Like, I've got to go try it on. You know, it's kind of one of those things. Got to see how it feels and the abilities that technology really gives us that sense, it's pretty incredible to be able to, like you said, have those clients put themselves into the space, get a feel for it, say, "Yeah, I like this," or "Ooh, can we tweak these things here a little bit?" And then that way we don't design an entire space for them and then put it all together and get the construction crew on top of it and everything like that, only to find out, this doesn't work as well as we thought it would.
(Jay): So yeah. And it helps us as design professionals to, you know, you know, as a design tool we can go through and say, let's, let's adjust these colors, adjust these materials, adjust this space to see how it feels, how it functions. You know, removing casework to see. Okay, does that feel too tight for the, you know, receptionist behind the desk or those kinds of things? And we can, you can again, it helps us as well as helps the clients understand. But there's also the usual finding materials, ordering samples.
(Skyler): Right.
(Jay): Because you always want to see the real, you know, as real as we can get it, without seeing the actual real product.
(Skyler): Right.
(Jay): Sometimes it's, you know, there's only so close you can get to the reality as you can.
(Skyler): Yeah, that's true.
(Jay): So it's, you know, going through dozens and dozens and dozens of product websites and books. That's been one of the biggest changes over the years since I first started. We had a wall, probably about as long as our conference room wall here, of just flooring and carpet, books and sample books, and just a huge, huge library. I think the company, before that, we actually had an in-house librarian that managed it all because there were no reps coming in, updating their products, while they, you know, designers couldn't always meet with them. So the librarian kind of met the reps, say, here's your new stuff. Update your binders and that kind of thing. Now, it's all basically online. So we can say I need a sample of this, order me a sample, and, you know, the FedEx or whatever drops it off the next day.
(Skyler): Perfect.
(Jay): It's way easier than having a mass surplus of all your materials. Sometimes it's, sometimes it's handy to have some things live just so easier to flip through stuff. But for the most part, unless you're doing a last-minute try to find something, you have a little more time, and it works just fine.
(Skyler): That's true. Wow. To have a whole position just for somebody to...
(Jay): Yeah.
(Skyler): ...kind of show you outside of the dealers obviously, data in a house show you the catalogs and the things in the catalogs.
(Jay): We also do specification writing. You know, just like you do the drawings. Designers always get in and call out what those materials are in the specs.
(Skyler): Yeah.
(Jay): This computer modeling, the resources, meeting with clients, and presentation are always a key part of it.
(Skyler): Oh yeah.
(Jay): You know, expressing your design intent to them so they understand it, and you getting back to working with them and getting that feedback. Rather than saying, "This is your design, why don't you like it?"It's always that back and forth with them, of here's what we’re suggesting. What do you like, and don't like, and what can we adjust and make it work for them?
(Skyler): Yes, get the final, the best, final end goal for the client rep. They're not giving us anything when we bring something to them, that's kind of what a pointless endeavor. Right. Like you’ve got to help me so I can help you.
(Jay): Exactly. It's all about my design. I'd say my design theory is that I always try to make spaces that function for the client and for their clients. You know, if a space looks really nice, but you know, it doesn't meet their requirements, doesn't meet how they can work with their customers, then it's not going to work for me.
(Skyler): No.
(Jay): So it's always key to kind of get the function first, and then you. It makes it look great. Even better.
(Skyler): Even better. Absolutely. Has there ever been a particular project that you worked on or were a part of that just really stood out for some reason or another? Whether it be like, "Oh, this is one of my favorites!" Or, maybe, something that you got to put into that space that just was something different. Something, I don't want to say "obscure, or "weird," but you know, just something different.
(Jay): Yeah. I was thinking, but I've asked myself this question before. My favorite project was the first project where I almost got the lead on the project. Oftentimes, designers are almost part of the team, but may not necessarily have been a project manager once you get to a certain age, or a certain amount of experience. I got a project for Bankers Trust downtown at the Ruan Center. And it was just something as simple as coming up with a front entry, like a mini vestibule. Like a one-room entry, vestibule wall.
(Skyler): Yeah.
(Jay): For their space. It was the first one where I got to lead the meeting with the clients, come up with the design, start to finish. It was that first project where you think, you feel like it's your project. You always feel like you're part of the team. This is that first "my project" kind of thing. Then, later on. I think we're just walking past the other day, and as my old boss would say. "You don't feel old until you get to the point that you're finding your projects are now being remodeled, or being torn down." That project they've run has moved out of that space, and they've already torn it out and made something else.
(Skyler): Gotcha.
(Jay): So you are coming around again to some projects and remodeling them, or drive by one day and go, "Hey, where's that. Where's that cool building I did?"
(Skyler): Yeah.
(Jay): Years ago. Now it's gone.
(Skyler): That is a bummer.
(Jay): You know, they all have that kind of special feeling when you get those memories, good or bad, depending on the project. But you always have those memories of each project.
(Skyler): Absolutely. They all had a part in you being the designer lead on that. Gotcha. You know it's funny because, like my dad, he does contracting, and that's always kind of that bit that, like, you're sitting there driving, your dad's driving you somewhere, and he's like, “Oh, I did that.”
(Jay): I do that all the time.
(Skyler): Yep.
(Jay): See this bank? I did the flooring in this bank, and yes. Office over here. And I did something on that building.
(Skyler): Absolutely.
(Jay): He was like, "Okay, okay. Yeah, alright. They're cool."
(Skyler): No, that's awesome, though. For those out there who might be looking into interior design or design as a career path, is there any advice that you might give them, or anything that you might tell them to focus on, or anything along those lines?
(Jay): It has changed a lot over the years, where I think just the interior design profession has been more recognized. Profession.
(Skyler): Yeah.
(Jay): Early on, it was always, there was architecture, then there was interiors, and they're kind of growing. But I think. I think it's grown to where it's an important part of any design team.
(Skyler): Absolutely.
(Jay): You know, each team needs a specialist who, in whatever area you are focusing on. Yes. One person can do the whole thing, but it helps to have people who are a little more specialized, each section working together. Yeah. I know, like, design colleges are growing in numbers, enrollment of people going into the design profession, knowing that it's an opportunity. And it's not saying you only have to be an interior designer. We have several here that are interior designers who either have or are going on to get their master's degree, and do architecture also. Yeah. It's just a matter of, you know, how far up the ladder and how far you want to get into the design world, and there are certainly different paths. Different areas you can look into.
(Skyler): Sure. Lots of different paths to consider. Yeah. Decide what works best for you. So.
(Jay): Awesome. Awesome.
(Skyler): Well, that's everything I got for you, Jay. I mean, if there's anything that I missed, don't hesitate to stop me, but sure. Yeah. No, I really appreciate you sitting down with me and chatting with me and sharing your story. With everybody.
(Jay): Me too. That's. It's good to. I like to let students know. I think we have some Iowa State students coming in here in a few weeks.
(Skyler): Oh, right on.
(Jay): Of course, just sharing. Here's what we do. Yeah. You know, whether you do it here or somewhere else, just know, here's what you know your life can be. Here's what you can do.
(Skyler): Yeah.
(Jay): The one thing I always tell them is, you know, if there's ever, ever a question, you have, always ask questions. That's always the key part of whether you're in school, whether you're at work, or whether you're. Even if you're the CEO, if you have a question about something, ask it, you know, never hurts to ask, absolutely.
(Skyler): Nobody knows everything. And the top it off, that's awesome that they're coming in here because there really is only, there's a limit to what you can learn in the classroom. It really helps to go to like an actual firm and do a job shadow or get to meet with the people that exactly looking for.
(Jay): And it's an opportunity that hopefully we might find a future intern or a future employee.
(Skyler): Absolutely. That'd be amazing. So awesome. Well, Jay, thank you again. I really appreciate you being on the show, and Sharon, so. And of course, thank you too. If you're listening, be sure to check out our website in case you are one of those students that Jay was just talking about, who might be looking for an internship, or maybe you're already into the full-time, design career path, and you're looking for a firm to partner with. Be sure to check out our webpage for possible employment opportunities and, of course, to see all the amazing projects that we have put together as a firm, including those that Jay has worked on. And of course, you can hand over to our social media, see a lot of the pictures of stuff that we've worked on there, as well as other things that our company is involved with, whether that be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. And finally, don't forget to follow like and subscribe to the podcast Laying the Foundation. Anywhere that you can find your podcast, whether that be Spotify, whether that be iTunes, Google Podcasts, and everywhere else. I'd love to make sure that you're able to hear the rest of our episodes and hear about Jay and other architects and interior designers that we have at the firm, sharing their experience and their knowledge as well. So once again, this has been another episode of Laying the Foundation.