This week, on the first regular Chaise Lounge episode of the season Nick chats with Michigan designer Jean Stoffer. Stoffer is another designer who found out about design as an adult. She grew up in a cozy home that was never intentionally designed, and got a business degree. She discovered the craft of design when she got a job as a business administrator at a design firm where the designers turned her interest into an informal apprenticeship, teaching her how to draft and why choices get made. And one day, a friend of her mother’s called looking specifically for her to help out with her house now that all her kids were off at school. And, through word of mouth,  empty-nesters kept seeking her out.

After a couple years and a couple kids, Stoffer reevaluated her business to balance out her increased motherhood responsibilities. So she started to only accept repeat clients. But one day a repeat client asked her to design a kitchen for a new build, which set her on the path to designing custom kitchens habitually. Now, Stoffer has her own branded line of cabinets made by the “moderate-sized Amish shop” that has made all her custom cabinets since that first kitchen 25 years ago.

On top of that, Stoffer also runs Stoffer Home, a retail location in Grand Rapids for curated accessories.

To see more of Stoffer’s portfolio and what Stoffer Home looks like, visit Stoffer online at JeanStofferDesign.com and on Instagram @jeanstofferdesign and @stofferhome.