At Modern Shelving, we take pride in our staff. We employ kind, compassionate, and talented individuals who help bring your shelving dreams to life. In 2021, Hailey Strange began working for Modern Shelving as a designer for our custom projects. We caught up with Hailey between projects and asked about her background, the work she does for Modern Shelving, and the massive renovation project she and her husband did on their own home.
Tell us a bit about your education and background.
I have a degree from Sacramento State in interior design. After graduating, I worked for an architectural firm on the architect team doing commercial interior spaces—mostly office spaces, warehouses. and retail.
What do you do at Modern Shelving?
I am now a lead designer working on many different projects with an amazing team. I tend to take on the larger projects, but that doesn’t mean I don't love a small residential project too. I talk to the clients to see what their needs are and design the units to give the client a beautiful unit that is functional for their needs.
What it is like getting to work with so many different customers on so many different projects and spaces?
I get to see the fun side of this job. I get together with many people across the United States and Canada, sometimes farther, mostly through Zoom. It's fun to talk about their space, have them show me around, and make their inspirations come to life for them.
Are there any specific projects you’ve worked on with customers that stick out?
I recently did a wine store in Florida that was a fun project. He didn't have an architect working on his project, so we worked very closely to get him exactly what he needed. Fred Segal was another fun project.
What feedback do you usually receive from customers?
They like that I am not a salesperson. I also give them ideas to save money and stay within their budget. I am easily reachable and make the process easy. People are pretty impressed with the quality of the product as well.
You recently designed your entire home on Sketchup. What was that experience like?
My husband and I wanted to live on land and in California. We found an amazing piece of property on ten acres near town. I knew Sketchup well, so that was the best program for me to use. I knew I could do this as I do have a background working in the field.
I designed exactly what we wanted, sent that drawing to the engineers, and that is what we sent to the county for approval. Then my husband and I started building. It took us three years, but it was built with our hands only, which was a lot of work, but we are very proud of. Even the kids were very involved.
