Meet five designing women
Cleveland agency favors 'the creative, wacko stuff'
By Cynthia Hoover

Kay Trimmer built a staff of Ohio University graduates by design, not coincidence.

Trimmer, BSHE '63, is president of Interior Design/Kay Trimmer Inc., a Cleveland-based firm that specializes in the design of facilities used by the health care industry. She and the firm's other principals - interior design graduates Jennifer C. Blaha, '91; Viviane C. Herbert, '97; Jamie Barstow, '98; and art director Denise Ivey Telep, '75 - refer to themselves as the "Designing Women of Ohio University."

Building a business that helps women succeed in interior design has been a priority for Trimmer.

Bill Webb The Interior Design/Kay Trimmer staff includes (from left) Denise Ivey Telep, Jamie Barstow, Kay Trimmer, Jennifer Blaha and Viviane Herbert.

"My style of running a company is about hiring people who can do a job and then letting them do it," she says. "We are a spiritual company - connected by mind, body and soul."

That theme seems to echo through the agency's office in Cleveland's Historic Warehouse District. Natural light streams through a wall of windows overlooking West Sixth Street. A waterfall pours tirelessly. Flickering candles emit heady aromas.

Despite the serenity, this clearly is a business that requires brawn.

"There's a saying in our business that you have to love it with all your heart or you have to be crazy," Trimmer says. "This is not just about picking carpet, color and paint. We're responsible for everything from the ground floor up."

ID/KT - as the firm is known for short - has completed a 10-year master plan for Akron General Medical Center as well as designs for several Ohio retirement centers and hospitals in Michigan and Illinois. The designers continually strive to leave a stamp on the hearts of patients and others using the facilities.

"We only do the creative, wacko stuff," Trimmer says. "We don't want to do gray walls, blue carpet. It's not us. We're about changing lives."

Indeed, Trimmer has changed a few lives all on her own.

Barstow worked for the agency while in college, sleeping in a back room of the studio throughout her internship. Herbert recalls fellow students being unnerved by Trimmer's critiques of their projects during campus visits. Blaha credits Trimmer for sharing a wealth of design knowledge.

"Kay's always astounding," Herbert says. "She knows your weaknesses and she knows when you're going to need help. She helps you grow."

Now a partner and vice president of design, Blaha appreciates Trimmer's reliance on staff members' insights.

"I have come to really appreciate her style of management," Blaha says. "She gives you the freedom to use your brain and your talent."

Trimmer's commitment to finding talent has benefited Ohio University immensely through the years.

"I will take any OU intern who wants to take an internship," she declares. "I gave that pledge to Ohio University years ago."

Her conviction, she says, can be traced to the dedication of her mentor, Director Emerita of Residence Services Margaret Davis.

"When I graduated from Ohio University, Maggie Davis selected me to be trained by her," says Trimmer, who worked for Davis for a short time. "We did everything from selecting dishes to designing spaces, picking the furniture to flower arranging."

Trimmer and her husband, Terry Trimmer, BBA '64, have served on several university boards through the years and Kay continues to advise the Interior Design Department.

One recent ID/KT project has helped comfort youth in Dyer, Ind. The adolescent residential treatment center is home to youngsters who have been in and out of juvenile courts.

A picture of hands adorns the center's main room, and brightly colored walls and furniture lend to an upbeat setting. To bring out the children's creativity, Ivey Telep made stamps the youngsters later used to decorate the walls of their rooms.

In return, the children gave the designers artwork and poetry they created - the team's biggest reward.

"We're not just about designing," Trimmer says. "We're about helping people live a better lifestyle."

Cynthia Hoover, BSJ '91, works for The Cleveland Orchestra and is a freelance writer in Cleveland.