Michelle Bradley
AH&L: Where does your inspiration come from?
Michelle Bradley: I spend a lot of time looking at the trends in magazines, and it’s easy to predict where they’re going. I can see movement happening, and I go from there. It’s always a collaboration with me and the interior designer or client. Everyone has their own style, and everybody can be stylish. And that’s what I love about working with someone else on designs.
AH&L: You and your staff work as a team. Do you think that’s the best way to work?
Bradley: I’m really into creative freedom. I think it’s fantastic. I think the most successful people are the ones that have creative ideas and aren’t afraid to express them. I really think that everyone has their own style, and when we work as a team, it works. No one’s creativity should be squelched.
AH&L: What do you enjoy most about being on Miami Circle?
Bradley: We’re one of the only shops on the street that isn’t an antiques store. We’re a bit more edgy with our custom ironwork, acid mirrors and custom furniture, but we also do a lot of traditional work. It’s good for me not to be with some of the other places in town, because here I stick out among the shops.
AH&L: What keeps driving designers into Bradley Hughes?
Bradley: It’s really a place where people go to create things. We have our book of ideas and of our own designs, but if a designer comes and has a drawing of a concrete basin they want, we execute it for them. Some designers will like our sofa design or seat depth, as well as our capability and pricing, so they’ll do a piece with us, whether it’s a mirror, custom ironwork or whatever. We work with lots of people to execute their designs with our capability for ironwork and concrete work. And that’s where our strength lies. People want to be treated special, and even the average person is getting more creative and more contemporary. It’s fantastic; I love it.
AH&L: What’s on tap for 2007?
Bradley: The store now is still evolving, but I’d love to add some antiques into the mix. I’ve also been approached about doing retail store versions of the pieces we do, tailoring them down to fit into an everyday home. I’m working on narrowing it down to around 10 sofa designs and 10 mirror designs to sell in the store. And I have several more designs in my head that’ll probably be coming out later this year.
Bradley Hughes, 652 Miami Circle,(404) 814-9595, bradley-hughes.com.