Today we’d like to introduce you to Maxine Snider.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Maxine. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In my active Interior Design practice, I would often create new designs that suited the needs of the project. Once, when I was working on a very large residence, it was necessary to design several pieces to respond to the architecture and the client’s wishes—more than what the marketplace offered. At the completion of that project, it struck me quite clearly that my heart was really in the object rather than the environment, and at that moment I impulsively set about to create a small furniture collection. I had already planned an extended stay in Paris, and my excitement led me to the archives of the Musee D’Orsay and the Musee Des Arts Decoratifs. Poring over the many brave works of the early 20th century, when French furniture began to morph into something clean and new, I was inspired by their modern sensibility. I began to draw and produce my first 10 pieces, aptly named “The Paris Series”, and signed on to exhibit them at Chicago’s (first)Modern Furniture Fair. An esteemed San Francisco showroom approached and asked to represent me, then connected me to my first New York showroom, who in turn connected me to my first Chicago showroom. I was off and running! I think of those early moments as “the honeymoon”, because they were so pure. Now, the complexities of business compete with the creativity, and the constant challenge is to keep things in balance—to be successful, to stay original, and to have fun!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think we have been fortunate as a company because we grew so gradually and so organically. When I reflect on the toughest struggle, it was assembling the best artisans to make the product, to keep them, and to keep that consistency year after year. Without them, there is no product, and it is they who make it superior. The other struggle was assembling the right team of representatives.
They are your sales force, your marketing team, and part of your brand. They reflect your product so you better be happy with how they show it and sell it. It’s a relationship that we nurture and appreciate.
Maxine Snider Inc. – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We design and produce an ever-expanding line of classic modern furniture, which our clients—architects and designers—seem to covet for its enduring design and meticulous details. Our nimbleness with custom work has also become a niche for us and clearly distinguishes us from companies for whom “custom” is a burdensome process. As I’ve watched our company evolve, our success is in the relationships I’ve built with my own office team, our artisans, our showrooms, and our clients. I’m proudest of letting all those persons know how much they are respected and appreciated.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I had so many generous mentors as a designer. In the early days, I worked for Ford and Earl Design Associates and the distinguished firm of Minoru Yamazaki. Walter Ford was a great pal of the top CEO’s in the country and we were the lucky recipients of a weekly phone call that went something like, “Wally, can you send one of your designers over to New York next week to work on our offices (at RCA, Rockefeller Center). It was at Ford and Earl that I learned everything about wood species, sourcing fabrics that could pass commercial testing, space planning and model-making. It was there that I learned about staying until midnight to get the work done and making presentations even when your knees were trembling. Yama, on the other hand, taught me that no detail was too small to be considered, that everything should be “modeled” in full size, and speaking VERY softly at a presentation could get your audience to listen. When I struck out on my own, that first showroom from San Francisco, Enid Ford, really launched me, and further along the way, Frank Rinker convinced Holly Hunt that I should occupy a generous part of her showroom—against her protestations. From then on, it was hard work but clear sailing.
Contact Info:
- Address: 116 W Illinois Street,
6E, Chicago, IL 60654 - Website: www.maxinesniderinc.com
- Phone: 312.527.4170
- Email: info@maxinesniderinc.com
- Instagram: @maxinesniderinc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaxineSniderInc/
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