Biggs Powell has an eye for interiors, and now, five years into his solo practice, the designer is taking on more work and bigger projects as his business grows.

    Starting as an assistant to Memphis designer Bill Eubanks, Powell knew he wanted to pursue a career in design.

    After completing his degree at American College of Art in Atlanta, he returned to Memphis to work for Roland Gerhardt.

    Following five years with Gerhardt, Powell decided to strike out on his own with Biggs Powell Interior Design & Antiques.

    "I could tell I wasn't growing as fast as I wanted to," Powell says. "I wanted to have a space where I could showcase what I could do."

    Powell, a Memphis native, now has his interior design and antique showroom in the heart of Midtown, in a restored house at Monroe and Belvedere.

    He stripped it down to the 2x4s, managing the whole project himself.

    "It was definitely a learning experience," he says, adding that he's now much more empathetic with clients who are in the midst of renovations or additions to their homes.

    Powell says things started to click after he finished renovations to his showroom and started to bring in antiques.

    "I was doing a bit of advertising and my name was out there," he says. "Even though this business is based on referrals, you still have to have your name out there."

    Five years after branching out on his own, Powell has grown his business and antique collection, bringing in two containers each year from Paris.

    He has also embraced his side business of selling pieces on the Internet at 1stdibs.com.

    Powell estimates that he sells 85%-90% of his pieces online, unless he's placing them in a client's home.

    Aside from residential clients, Powell is doing some hospitality work, with projects at Germantown Dental Group and the Memphis Hunt and Polo Club.

    At 35, Powell was selected as one of House Beautiful magazine's Top Young Designers in 2003.

    "That was a big deal for me," he says. "Of course, afterwards, everyone thinks that people will be knocking down your door after that, which is not the case."

    But business is good. In 2005 Powell hired Louise Andrews to help manage business operations, allowing him to focus on what he does best.

    Andrews says they're working on a number of projects at present. The work can range from recovering a pair of chairs to a full interior design.

    A referral landed Powell a recent design job for Memphis couple Penina and Elliot Wender's condo in the Shrine Building.

    Penina Wender was approaching a deadline to choose floor, cabinet and counter finishes and she called Powell for what he thought would be a quick consultation.

    "We had to get it ready for a 100-person party they were having," Powell said one afternoon in the condo, sliding marble feet under giant planters atop an antique chest.

    Powell points out a number of objects from his shop that Penina Wender picked out for the space. Two red chairs were the jumping off point for the whole living room, he says.

    Penina Wender says Powell was easy to work with and accessible.

    "He's very accommodating," she says. "I was rushed and he was responsive to that."

    Powell says client satisfaction and solid referrals are of the utmost importance, but there are misconceptions about interior design being glamorous.

    "Of course you get the occasional difficult client," he says. "And you never want to tell them that a piece of furniture which has been in the family for years has to go. It doesn't happen very often, but it does."

    His mark is on homes in Arkansas, Mississippi and a recent home design project in Monteagle, Tenn.

    The best projects are the ones where clients give you carte blanche, he says, but more often than not there's a heavy opinion weighing in on your work. Powell says it's important to leave nothing up to interpretation or assumption.

    "The intangible asset is the creative side," he says. "I'd rather you not be able to walk into a room and say 'Biggs did this.'"

    Things have all come full circle, he says, referring to his shop and the home he and wife Neely share.

    "We both grew up on the street we live on now," he says. "Putting the shop here in Midtown was a no-brainer."

Biggs Powell
Owner, Biggs Powell Interior Design & Antiques
Age: 35
Education: University of Mississippi, B.A., History, 1994; American College of Art, Atlanta, B.A., Interior Design
Personal: Wife Neely
Hobbies: Tennis, water skiing, snow skiing