Name: Meghan McDermott

Business: Blue and Blanc Design

Instagram: @blueandblancdesign

Designer Who Inspires Me: Paloma Contreras 

Once all four of her kids were in elementary school, Meghan McDermott decided it finally was time to pursue her passion. 

“My passion was always houses and interior design,” she says. “I grew up in a family of home builders, so for my whole childhood, I was always exposed to homebuilding.”

An Upper St. Clair native, McDermott moved back to Pittsburgh from Chicago in 2012 and designed her home in the South Hills. Inspired by a request from a friend, she started Blue and Blanc Design in 2018. 

“A really close friend of mine was building a new home, and she and her husband had asked me, ‘Will you help us with our house?’” McDermott says. “They were really serious about me helping them, and I figured this was a perfect opportunity to create my business.”

Although Blue and Blanc Design has expanded its business since then, McDermott says the couple’s house, where she selected everything from the lighting to the artwork and the furnishings, will always be one of her most memorable projects.

“Their house is like my baby because it was like my first real project,” she says.”I used some blue and white, but I loved how in their living room, we used berry colors. The lighting was definitely paid attention to, and the commission art creates a very unique, special element to somebody’s space.”

In addition to having a blue-and-white signature on the houses she designs (hence the company name), McDermott says she loves transitional style.

“I think it’s very important as a designer to challenge myself with other projects and clients that aren’t my usual style.” she says.

McDermott, whose pool house design won Best Space in this year’s Best of Design contest, adds that when beginning a new project, she takes care to work with the client to understand how they live in their home.

“It’s about helping a client navigate towards what’s going to really create the final product that they’re going to love,” she says. “Just being in their home helps because you kind of see how they’re currently living.”

McDermott also enjoys customizing each client’s home with one-of-a-kind details. 

“I love mixing patterns and using wallpaper. I love custom furniture and working with all the little details,” she says. “I tend to source from higher-end companies that allow you to create customized furniture and I have worked with artists doing commissioned artwork, down to accessories and custom lampshades.”

She adds one of the most important elements in a space is quality lighting, which can determine a home’s mood. 

“Lighting is kind of like a necklace to a dress 一 it plays a key role in a space. You also want to invest in a quality piece of furniture for sure,” she says.