Renowned Interior Designer Returns to His Utah State Roots

Passion creates success.

"When you discover that passion, you have no choice but to run with it," said Darrin Brooks, Utah State University graduate and interior design lecturer at Utah State.

Brooks found his passion and has never stopped running.

After graduating from Utah State, Brooks pursued a career in interior design on the East Coast and spent the first three years working for a design firm before he started his own business. Alongside business partner Clare Sturtevant, the two established an interior design firm called Brooks-Sturtevant: Design, Decoration and Antiques.

The firm's success seemed to take off immediately. "We never had to do any advertising," said Brooks.

The success of the business was rooted in the trust Brooks and Sturtevant developed with their clients. The business' publicity was created by word-of-mouth. That well-known success extended to a national level after the duo was featured in several magazines, namely The Greenwich Home Magazine and Time Homes Illustrated.

And even now, while working at Utah State, Brooks' work is still popping up in national magazines.

Brooks was featured in the Spring 2003 edition of Better Homes and Gardens Bedroom and Bath. According to the magazine article that featured a Brooks design, "The room was a breathtaking creation of a master bedroom filled with the essence of tranquility, simplicity and soothing enchantment. With the aid of his interior design partner, the team was able to transform a basic, white-walled bedroom into a masterpiece of elegance by combining textures, patterns and neutral-toned hues."

Though Brooks may have left his business back east, his interior design career will continue. He is now using his talent to teach others the tricks of the trade.

"My goal [as a lecturer] is to show my students how to build the knowledge that will inspire them to be passionate about what they are learning," said Brooks.

"He is the best teacher I have ever had," said Mia Israelson, a junior majoring in interior design at Utah State. "It is so incredible to have someone at Utah State who is as accomplished and skilled in the field of interior design as professor Brooks."

The experience and success Brooks gained after graduating from Utah State far exceed what many current students ever expect to accomplish.

"I knew I had to be the best," said Brooks. This admirable dedication and determination is what drove Brooks to his success.

A well-designed room can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $200,000, said Brooks. He has designed rooms where "the cabinetry costs more than a car." Even so, Brooks focuses on stretching people's budgets.

"Interior design is not about price; it is all about a look," said Brooks. "I could find the perfect fabric for $300 per yard, and then find one that closely resembled it in style and quality for $30 per yard."

He loved what he did back east. He loved seeing the reactions of his clients after they saw the finished product. "I had people scream with joy, some would hug me and others were brought to tears," said Brooks.

So why leave all this success and come back to Utah? After Sept. 11, the economy dropped and people weren't as willing to spend money on things like interior design. When the position opened for a lecturer at Utah State, Brooks decided it was time to take his wife and two children and relocate, a change Brooks has never regretted.

However, this dramatic switch in careers does not mean Brooks has taken on a less hectic lifestyle. "I am frequently here [on campus] until late in the evening," said Brooks.

Teaching 20 credits is a stressful job. Nonetheless, Brooks loves change and is excited to be back at Utah State. "I have the same goals of success here as I had as an interior designer."

Brooks hopes to open his students' eyes and inspire them to develop that same motivation. "I have been where my students are now, and I have been where they dream to be."

Utah State is excited to have such an influential and knowledgeable addition to its program, said Tom Peterson, professor and program director for the interior design program. By infusing the passion Brooks has for interior design into the program at Utah State, the students' drive to succeed and the overall accomplishment of the department will undoubtedly increase, he concluded.

Writer: Debra Crowther, 797-1350, debraann@cc.usu.edu
Contact: Maren Cartwright, 797-1355, maren.cartwright@usu.edu