Our Team
Susan Victor
Co-Owner/Interior Designer
“Great interiors are defined as much by emotion as they are by beauty. They make us feel happy, comfortable, inspired, and alive. A successful design in my opinion is one in which my clients and I collaborate to produce a space that reflects their personal style and delivers both emotion and beauty.”
As Owner, Interior Designer, and Director of Marketing, Susan wears many hats in our organization. However, the one that keeps her creative flame burning is Designer. Working with a team of talented and skilled interior designers reinforces her belief that great design often flows from a team effort. She finds that working with the creative crew at Nandina is one of the best parts of her work life – that and an unlimited supply of fresh coffee. She loves every aspect of the design business and feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to have been the lead designer on major projects that involved full scale renovation or ground up construction. Her design aesthetic is eclectic; she loves the purity of modern contemporary design but lives comfortably in her 1929 historic home punctuated with antiques and abstract art. Her four children, ranging from 18 to 26 years old, continually inspire her both in design and life. On her bucket list is a trip to Prague with her family.
Sue Shannon
Co-Owner/Interior Designer
“I have been influenced throughout my life by ordinary people of great style and exceptional places that exhibit beauty and serenity. Sometimes the inspiration for great design comes from a great renowned talent. Other times it is from something simple and unexpected – like the beauty of the woods on a crisp fall day.”
As Owner, Interior Designer, and Director of Operations, Sue’s ability to stay focused and produce has taken on epic proportions at Nandina. But it is her role as Designer that brings her greatest professional fulfillment. Helping her clients – aka “new found friends” – achieve the home they long for is well worth the often hectic juggling required to keep up with her many responsibilities. Sue’s ever-expanding experience with construction projects has made her one of the teams go-to kitchen and bath design experts. She is a lover of good space planning and a well organized home. Her own home is a place where she and her husband Tim enjoy the simple pleasures of her excellent design sensibility; an architectural accent, a cozy nook, an artistic use of light and art. As a new empty-nester who finds joy in watching her children’s lives unfold, Sue hopes to spend more time at her mountain retreat in North Carolina and take spur of the moment trips to faraway places.
John Ishmael
Interior Designer/Co-Owner Atlanta
“Because I am an artist, color, texture, light, and emotion have always fascinated me. These are all characteristics of great interior design. My inspiration and love for design has grown naturally from my love of art. Therefore, when I work with my clients I see myself as a conduit for their creations. The finished product for my clients should always reflect their personality and not mine.”
John joined the Nandina Atlanta team as an owner and lead designer with over 20 years of experience in the field of interior design. John holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is known for his creative use of textiles in his designs. Prior to Nandina, John owned and managed a successful custom workroom where he specialized in draperies, slipcovers, and custom furniture. His love of fabrics and his fascination with creating new spaces segued seamlessly into his successful career as a designer. He is also passionate about art and enjoys a successful second career as an artist. His powerful abstracts are often the jumping off point for some of his most memorable interior design projects. He and his partner Troy have recently renovated a downtown store front that had been a gallery into a private home for themselves and their three dogs. The best feature of the new home is a large living area with expansive wall space full of their art and photography – a nod to it’s previous history as a gallery. Frequently, they open their home for the once-a-month downtown art stroll called “First Thursday”.
Michele Merritt
Lead Designer - Aiken
“Life is crazy and filled with so many wonderful and unexpected surprises if you keep your eyes open for them. I like to bring this wonderment to my design projects and yes, a little surprise here and there too. Each of my projects evolves from the vision my clients have. All of my life experiences, surroundings, fashion and feelings converge and become a pool I pull from to help mold this vision. Boundaries, let’s just say I don’t mind stepping to the edge and even crossing over sometimes!”
Michele and her husband Steven moved to Aiken so that they could raise their daughter in a town with a true sense of community. She joined her Nandina family as her daughter’s dependence on her lessened and is today an Aiken lead designer. Michele graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Interior Design from George Washington University’s Mount Vernon Campus and her experience has encompassed yachts, retail spaces, commercial projects and residential. Michele, an avid horseman, has successfully weaned herself from her habit of collecting horses and presently lives on a farm with just one horse and an adorable donkey. Her home is an amalgamation of styles and her life…her love of the outdoors, of art and always a bit of whimsy. The ocean is her respite and summer often finds her traveling north to her family home on Martha’s Vineyard returning recharged for the next challenge.
JESSIE LA FALCE
Design Director & Lead Designer - Atlanta
“My inspiration for any design is the environment that surrounds it and the people that will be living in it. I experience design as an energetic flow, and I allow each room to tell me what it needs before discussing my clients’ functional and emotional needs for their space. Then I marry the two. What I bring to the table is a complete understanding of the principles and nuances of design, which enables me to translate these emotional & energetic needs into tangible form.”
Jessie is our Design Director and Lead Designer in Atlanta. Working within all aspects of the design industry for the last 25 years, Jessie has gained an unmeasurable amount of experience — from working with Italian design factories to teaching at the Art Institute of Atlanta. She even opened her own design school, Vanguard School of Interior Design, which has produced highly skilled interior designers. Having travelled around the world, Jessie loves researching societal trends and the evolution of design across different countries. When Jessie isn’t working she loves spending time in her home office, where she can paint, research design trends, and dream about making her Pinterest & vision boards become a reality. Her work has been featured in many publications including “The Today Show” and “Martha Stewart Living”.
Kate Donnelly
Junior Designer - Atlanta
“Watching a design go from a concept to an actual, livable space is such an incredible feeling! I’m constantly inspired by my surroundings. Color, texture, plants and travel all play a large role in developing my design aesthetic.”
Kate graduated from UGA with an Interior Design degree, and is originally from Radford, VA. She is now a Junior Designer with our Atlanta team and has helped design a beautiful space for a family in need with Dwell with Dignity. Meeting Jonathan Adler, who turned out to be hysterical in person, was one of the highlights of her professional career! Kate spends a lot of time outdoors hiking, biking, camping and enjoying the expansive Atlanta music scene. Her love of travel not only encourages her but brings inspiration and creativity to her designs. Some of her favorite experiences have been bathing elephants in Thailand, swimming in the Blue Grotto of Capri, and skydiving in Australia. Kate loves elephants and has collected elephant trinkets and printed fabrics during her travels. She’s excited for future trips to foreign places, and the inspiration that accompanies them.