Beth Claybourn Beth Claybourn Interiors
Licensed interior designer and ASID member Beth Claybourn has been making homes beautiful for more than 30 years. She has a loyal client base across the country, but her design projects in New Orleans hold a special place in her heart. “It has been a lifelong dream of mine to own a business in New Orleans,” says Claybourn, who founded Beth Claybourn Interiors in 1985 in Baton Rouge and opened her downtown New Orleans retail gallery in the summer of 2015. “I’ve always loved this city, and I feel my job as a designer is to showcase New Orleans’ sense of class and culture.” Though she has only had a showroom in New Orleans for a few months, Beth Claybourn has been working with local clients for decades and has had the opportunity to work with several generations of a single family. “My clients come to me because I’m a little bit different,” says Claybourn. “I’m not trendy. My work tends to be more refined and elegant. Clients choose me for my ability to bring that traditional New Orleans look to life, but make it comfortable and make it their own.” While Claybourn certainly has her own signature style, she knows that to be successful as a designer, she has to be able to bring her clients’ tastes to life. “My job is not to impose what I want, but when I do a home, I am the tool that helps my client to accomplish their goal,” says Claybourn. “People want a trusting relationship with their designer, and I’ve been blessed to work with so many wonderful clients and maintain those clients for 20 to 30 years!” In that time, Beth Claybourn has built a full-service design firm with locations in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Miramar Beach, where she and her knowledgeable team offer a comprehensive range of design services. Her philosophy of serving as the design project coordinator who guides her clients through the creative process has contributed to her success. Clients have come to trust that the merchandise they purchase from Beth Claybourn Interiors will be of the finest possible quality offered at a fair price. Part of that process involves bringing clients’ visions to life with pieces from her carefully curated collections of furniture, antiques, artwork, home decor, linens and
more, showcased in her 12,000-squarefoot Baton Rouge showroom and 5,000-square-foot New Orleans retail gallery. While these offerings span many tastes and styles, Claybourn says her clients choose her designs because they offer a return to traditional Southern elegance. For Claybourn, this signature look is more than just aesthetic, it’s a lifestyle. “I’ve always been passionate about preserving culture,” says Claybourn, who is also a member of The Historic New Orleans Collection. “Getting back to that class and culture that makes New Orleans great is very important to me. Now that I have a business here, I’m seeing where I want to invest my time and determine where my efforts are needed most.” Outside of her skills and passions as a designer, Claybourn has always had this strong work ethic, to which she credits much of her success as a businesswoman. “It takes a lot of responsibility to be an entrepreneur,” she says, “but it also takes effort! You have to be honest and true to yourself and to your client. It’s a commitment in this business.” Claybourn recalls the challenges she faced as a woman starting her own business more than 30 years ago, when she says “people didn’t think of women as being entrepreneurs.” Today, with decades of hard work and accolades under her belt, Claybourn says that she is most proud of the recognition she has gained in the industry. “My biggest accomplishment has been earning the trust and respect of my clients, as well as of the contractors and craftsmen committed to our standards of excellence.”
Beth Claybourn Interiors is located at 401 Tchoupitoulas Street, next to Mother’s Restaurant, 342-2630. bethclaybourninteriors.com. Women IN Business 29