Local designer’s career began when she entered a magazine contest in her teenage years

A Delco Lofts apartment was designed by Sharon Bledsoe and David Flair for the Dayton Philharmonic Showhouse in 2015. CONTRIBUTED

A Delco Lofts apartment was designed by Sharon Bledsoe and David Flair for the Dayton Philharmonic Showhouse in 2015. CONTRIBUTED

When Sharon Bledsoe was a teenager growing up in Huber Heights, she dreamed of a career in design. She was 15-years old and a sophomore at Wayne High School when something happened that inspired her to take her interest to the next level.

“I always had an interest in color and furniture,” Bledsoe said. “When I was 15, I entered a contest sponsored by ‘17 Magazine’ called ‘Plan a Dream Room.’”

Sharon Bledsoe

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She put together her entry and sent it to the designated design firm located in Columbus and ended up being chosen for the national competition. She had already been redesigning her own bedroom, so she simply described what she was doing.

“I learned I had won second place when the Dayton Daily News called my house to schedule an interview.” Bledsoe said. “This was the first of many interviews. I got to be a celebrity for a little while.”

Bledsoe’s teenage dreams turned into reality as she discovered not only that she thought she was good at design, but that many other people thought so, too. When she graduated from high school, she went on to college at Wright State University and then Baylor in Texas to study art.

While living in Texas, Bledsoe and her husband started a family and ended up having three children. Bledsoe interviewed for her first job with a design firm in 1980.

“At that time there were still a lot of design firms,” Bledsoe said. “You learned the ropes and all the practical stuff.”

Bledsoe worked at that firm for three years and loved it. After a change in ownership, she decided to move on and decided to take the risk and start her own design business.

“We had our third child, and I started the business in 1983,” she said.

Over the years, Bledsoe, who now lives in Pleasant Hill in Miami County, turned her love of historic houses into a passion. She became a member of Preservation Dayton and worked to save some of the local area’s historic old homes.

“I was fortunate to help with a major renovation of Johnston Farm in Piqua,” Bledsoe said. “This is a fascinating place with a great history, and I was able to help make all the choices of what we were doing. I learned a lot.”

Besides her passion for old houses, Bledsoe is devoted to community involvement and mentoring young people who are interested in careers in design. She is a member and past president of the Dayton Society of Interior Designers – a 32-year-old organization dedicated to promoting professionalism in design. The group is working with the City of Fairborn this year for its 75th anniversary.

Bledsoe loves mentoring future design professionals. Bledsoe (R) is shown with Sinclair Community College design student, Meg Rogers. Students are invited to join the Dayton Society of Interior Designers, where they can meet other designers and get help transitioning from school to careers in design.

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“Our designer showhouse is going to be a focal point of the celebration,” Bledsoe said. “There will be a lot going on, but the focus will be on the arts, and we are very excited to be a part of it.”

Helping ensure that young people have support and encouragement to build a career in design is also important to Bledsoe, who serves on the Sinclair Community College design department advisory board. She evaluates student portfolios and helps make decisions on acceptances.

“This is a calling for me,” Bledsoe said. “Helping to get the next group of young people into this profession is important.”

Meanwhile, Bledsoe’s business continues to flourish. Sharon Bledsoe Designs was the company she built from scratch out of her home shortly after having her third child.

Today, her business is housed in an 1850s commercial building in Pleasant Hill.

“Marketing my company was different when I first launched it,” Bledsoe said. “I advertised in the Yellow Pages and did public speaking.”

She jumped on opportunities to showcase her work, like volunteering to be part of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra’s Designers’ Showhouse fundraisers. The jobs started coming in.

Bledsoe worked in the restoration of the Jonston Farm in Piqua. Her grandmother was a Johnston and her family shares an ancestor with Col John Johnston. Materials she used in this dining room were historically accurate.

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Bledsoe specializes in residential design and helps homeowners choose products for their homes — whether brand new or older.

“The key skill to have is listening,” Bledsoe said. “That’s what I do the most during the initial meeting because every person is different. I come up with designs that are both pretty and practical to meet individual needs.”

This one skill is so vital to the process that she emphasizes it above all else to her student mentees.

Show House sunroom designed by Sharon Bledsoe with David Fair. CONTRIBUTED

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“It’s really important not to come to the door with all the answers,” Bledsoe said. “It you do it right, you have solved problems and given them exciting things to look at.”

And Bledsoe said that turns out to be the best part of her job — seeing customers light up when she brings them suggestions and ideas they actually want.

With the internet now the center of most people’s lives, Bledsoe admits her job has changed over time. People now have research ability at their fingertips.

“My goals are to continued mentoring students and being that bridge for them and the job market,” Bledsoe said. “My business is going just the way I hoped it always would.”


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For more information visit sharonbledsoe.com.

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