Berwyn woman launches interior design business

BERWYN – While many other 20-year-olds are immersed in college, Berwyn resident Rachel Mautner is getting ready to launch her own business, Luma Interiors.

The interior designer, who graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School in 2014, designs private residences and commercial properties. Her website goes live Aug. 13, which is when she will share it on various social media platforms.

“I found a passion for design as a sophomore in high school. I took interior design and architecture classes and had a great mentor who encouraged me to pursue design as a career,” she explained. “I just ate it up; it was amazing.”

Mautner, who took business classes at a community college in Florida and has taken classes at the Art Institute of Chicago, loves creating something that’s not only aesthetically pleasing, but also functional. She said she enjoys working with her clients and collaborating on ideas to make a space that’s beautiful and works with their lifestyle.

“Things like decluttering, organizing, moving plants or a couch really make a difference,” she said. “If someone wants to design a room, I have a lot of knowledge on what products sell and what company sells what.”

Mautner is a full-service interior designer. She works with her clients on the ideas, purchases the furniture, wall art, window treatments and accessories, and is always there for delivery to set up the rooms. She said the client gives her a budget, and it’s her job to be respectful of that while being creative.

“I like the challenge of working with a smaller budget, so there’s no budget that’s too small,” she said. “Interior design is a luxury service. It’s nice to have someone come in and pick everything out and install it for you. A lot of trust goes into this. It’s an investment clients make for 10 to 15 years.”

Mautner started out designing the interiors of homes and spaces for free. One of her first paid projects was a million dollar house in Chicago. From there, she got new clients through word of mouth.

Lupe Ramirez connected with Mautner through Craigslist. Maunter designed Ramirez’s Chicago apartment, and Ramirez said she was very impressed with Mautner and her work.

“She’s great at listening to clients’ needs, and she’s very creative,” Ramirez said. “She’s very patient and very good with people. She’s young, but I think that young people are so creative. She’s confident and knows what she’s talking about. I’d go to her again and will seek her out when I move.”

Mautner said she’s very proud of launching her own business at 20 years old. She hopes to motivate others to begin their own businesses.

“I’ve had people messaging me saying that I’m an inspiration to them. I want to empower young people,” she said. “But a lot of people my age can’t relate to me, and they don’t understand my ambitions.”

One person who does understand Mautner’s entrepreneurial spirit is her father, John. He is a co-owner of Oliver’s restaurant in Berwyn and has owned other businesses. He said he encouraged her to pursue her dreams and begin her own company.

“A lot of parents might not support that idea and encourage their child to pursue a more traditional path,” he explained. “Rachel is very passionate about what she does, and she has a vision. So my attitude was, why not? Let’s try it, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll try something else.”

John said even though she’s very young, he’s happy to see owning the business has made her “grow up” and become more mature.

“I think this is great for her. I just want to make sure she’s doing the right thing as an entrepreneur,” he said. “But she’s attracting a lot of buzz, and I hope she can do this for the rest of her life.”

Rachel Mautner has already hired an intern and hopes to one day have her business grow to where she can hire other people to work with her.

“I feel very proud. I worked hard to build a portfolio of my work,” she said. “But once people respect your portfolio and your work, then there are no limits on what people ask of you.”

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For information on Luma Interiors, visit lumainteriors.net.