A design concept rarely reaches its full potential without being challenged, explored, and refined. What begins as one person’s idea can take an entirely different direction when others bring their experiences, expertise, and ways of thinking into the conversation.

For Amy Bowdre, Associate Principal and Director of Project Management at Abel Design Group, collaboration is an important part of both the creative process and professional development. With experience as an interior designer and project management leader, Amy understands the value of bringing different perspectives together while maintaining a clear design direction. In this edition of Insights by Design, she shares how creative dialogue, shared experiences, and opportunities to learn from one another influence the way her teams approach design.

Throughout your career, how has working with designers who bring different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives influenced your own approach to interior design?

Amy: As a designer, I’m always looking for inspiration and new ideas. Working with a team helps spark that creativity because everyone brings something different to the table, whether it’s their professional experience, personal background, or something they’ve encountered while traveling.

I think designers are constantly observing their surroundings and finding inspiration, even when they’re not working. When those experiences are shared, they introduce ideas that someone else might not have considered.

It’s important not to design in a bubble. Having other people involved brings fresh perspectives and helps push the design beyond what one person might develop on their own.

Having worked as both an interior designer and a project management leader, how does your design background influence the way you approach collaboration and guide project teams today?

Amy: Having a design background helps me understand how designers think and approach challenges. I can help them evaluate different options, consider how something will be constructed, or draw from experiences on previous projects.

At the same time, I think there’s tremendous value in learning from younger designers. They often bring ideas that are completely outside the box. Someone with more experience might immediately start thinking about budget or constructability, but sometimes it’s worth exploring an idea before deciding whether it will work.

We also try to give our designers experience in different parts of the project process. Someone might focus on design for one project and coordinate with consultants on another. That exposure helps them become more well-rounded and gives our teams greater flexibility.

Different designers often approach the same challenge in different ways. How do those varying perspectives help challenge assumptions, introduce new ideas, or uncover opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked?

Amy: That’s one of the things I enjoy most about design. Everyone approaches challenges differently, and those perspectives can help take an initial idea further.

When you’re focused on one solution, it’s easy to overlook other possibilities. Someone else might suggest a different approach or draw from a similar challenge they’ve encountered on another project.

That exchange can help us identify technical considerations, refine an idea, or find a better way to achieve the original design intent. It’s one of the biggest advantages of having a team involved in the creative process.

As a project moves from initial concepts into design development, how does collaboration influence decisions around materials, finishes, furniture, and the smaller details that define a space?

Amy: As we move into design development, we’re taking the larger concept and figuring out how the individual details will come together. That’s when brainstorming becomes especially valuable.

We might have an initial idea for a feature, such as a bar, but need to explore how it will actually be designed. Sometimes we’ll organize a design charrette and bring in people from outside the immediate project team.

We’ve even involved designers from our other offices. Their experiences with different project types and markets introduce ideas that help us explore more possibilities before refining the details.

When multiple designers have different creative ideas or opinions about a particular direction, how do you help the team work through those differences while maintaining the overall design vision?

Amy: We typically begin a project by establishing a shared concept and vision. That becomes our reference point when different ideas emerge throughout the design process.

If we’re debating two approaches, we’ll ask how each one relates to the original concept. Does it support what we’re trying to accomplish, or are we moving away from the intended direction?

Collaboration generates a lot of ideas, but not every idea belongs in the final design. Sometimes we need to revisit the bigger picture to determine which elements work together and create the most cohesive environment.

Can you share an example of a project or design challenge where another team member’s perspective led to a different approach or ultimately improved the design?

Amy:: We recently brought together designers from different offices for a charrette focused on an executive bar and coffee area within a project.

The space needed further development, so we invited several team members to spend some time sketching their ideas. Afterward, everyone shared their concepts and explained their thinking.

Some of the ideas were more unconventional, but that was part of the value. It allowed the team to explore possibilities without immediately limiting the conversation.

Our project team then took elements from several sketches and developed a solution that supported the original design concept.

It was a great example of how bringing fresh perspectives into the process can help a team move beyond an initial idea and develop something more refined.

How does your understanding of the interior design process help you recognize where different team members’ expertise can contribute the most throughout a project?

Amy: Having experience with the entire design process helps me recognize where people naturally excel and where they have opportunities to grow.

At Abel Design Group, we encourage designers to experience projects from beginning to end. That exposure helps them understand how each phase connects while discovering which aspects of the work they enjoy most.

As leaders, we can build on those strengths while helping team members develop skills in areas where they have less experience. Regular conversations also help us understand what they’re enjoying, what challenges they’re facing, and what opportunities might keep them engaged and motivated.

What do you believe is the biggest advantage of approaching interior design as a collective creative effort rather than relying on one person’s vision?

Amy: I think the biggest advantage is that collaboration helps everyone grow as a designer.

If I had spent my career designing entirely on my own, I don’t think I would have pushed my creativity as far or developed the same perspective I have today.

Working with others encourages you to question your approach, explore ideas you might not have considered, and continue learning. Sometimes all it takes is someone asking why you made a particular decision to make you look at something differently.

I think that’s what makes a collaborative team so valuable. Everyone has an opportunity to contribute, and each person brings something that can influence the final design.

Ultimately, that collective effort creates a better project for the client while helping every designer involved continue to develop their skills.