Susan Grady
Like many other designers, Susan’s creative abilities surfaced early in life. She was named after a great-aunt who was a well-known and successful seamstress in Salem, Oregon. Susan’ mother, another creative force in her early life, nurtured her childhood hobbies of needlework and sewing. It was during Susan’s early teen years in San Jose, California, when she spent her free time visiting model homes, that she began dreaming of a future in interior design. When it came time to head off to college and declare a major, her decision was a snap! In 1981, Susan graduated from Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics with Professional Preparation in Interior Design.
Susan began her career working at the studio of an interior designer in Los Gatos, California gaining hands-on business experience and learning the importance of cash flow – or lack of! After a year, she left to create her own firm, Maxwell Interiors. To her surprise, the adults who had employed her to baby-sit their children began to hire her to design their interiors. Even the small church she attended commissioned her to redesign their sanctuary/multi-purpose room. To augment her new company’s cash flow, Susan represented a fabric distributor with a showroom in the Galleria Design Center in San Francisco. In 1984, Susan married her husband, Dan, and the young couple moved to Portland, OR.
After working at Parker Furniture, Susan established Grady Interiors specializing in residential and small office interior design. Projects have included homes in California, Arizona, and Oregon. Recent projects in Oregon have included kitchen and living room renovations in Astoria, Sandy, Oceanside, and Portland and furnishing a downtown Portland condominium and a new home in the West Hills.
In addition to helping her clients achieve their vision, Susan Grady is a Professional Member of the Northwest Society of Interior Designers, serving on the board of directors in various positions including President. She is a member of the Columbia River Chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association. Susan supports the local design and building community through mentoring interiors designers entering the field and by actively participating in joint events with Oregon Remodelers Association and HBA Professional Remodeling Organization.
Getting a Project Started
