Meet the Designer: DCOTA's 'Star on the Rise' Joe Fava (Part 2)

We're talking more with Joe Fava of Fava Design Group about his recent Star on the Rise award at DCOTA's Stars of Design Awards. Earlier this week, we learned about how Joe got started, and today Joe shares what the Rising Star Award means to him.

GDG: What was it like to be named one of DCOTA's Stars on the Rise?
JF: I was thrilled to have been chosen as a Star on the Rise, and I am proud to be recognized among such a distinguished group of my peers—what an honor! The DCOTA has always been such an amazing part of my career, and I have not only learned a lot in the building, but I have established so many friendships in the industry that are too many to count. The people in the showrooms who have helped me along the way are incredible, and I really appreciate Charles Cohen and his team for selecting me to receive such a tremendous award.
GDG: Can you tell us about a few things you've been busy with lately?
JF: I recently completed a large contemporary project on Jupiter Island, Florida, that I am very proud of. I think it is one of my best projects to date. The clients were incredible to work with: they had a vision and allowed me to use my creativity to make that vision a reality.
I was referred to them through some friends in DCOTA and was hired at our first meeting. We only had a few meetings from the time they hired me to the time they left for the season, and the look on their faces when they walked into their new home for the first time was priceless! I think what was so great about the project was that we had the same level of design taste and they had the means to carry out the vision. My favorite part of the space is the bar in the living room, made from a slab of semiprecious stone and backlit with LED sheets of light—it is stunning at night.
GDG: Can you share a fun fact about yourself?
JF: After interior design, my next love is fashion. I get so excited to see the new collections each season, and I am always inspired by the vision of my favorite designers. I have always been very particular about my wardrobe and am secure in my sense of style. I truly believe that when you feel confident with what you wear, it can directly impact how you feel.
When I was in junior high school, I went through a phase where I would only wear Ralph Lauren. Everything had to have a Polo pony on it, or I simply wouldn't wear it. My mother had to balance my obsession with all things Ralph Lauren with my father’s bewilderment with whom Ralph Lauren was and why [my father] had to pay so much for clothes with a stranger’s name sewn onto the label!