In the News: PDC Marketing Director Margaret Dunne Shares Her Story (Part 3)

Margaret Dunne may be only a month into her newly appointed position of Director of Marketing at the Pacific Design Center, but she's well into the swing of things. Here's more from Margaret and her personal taste in design.

GDG: How much has changed from your role at AD to your new role at the PDC?

MD: I honestly don't feel that too much has changed. This is because I am still very much in the design industry—an industry I really love.

Many of the people I got to know while at the magazine either have showrooms in the PDC or shop here because they are designers/architects we featured in the magazine—so there is a very close connection.

GDG: What is your personal design taste in your home décor?

MD: My personal design taste leans toward traditional, but traditional with flare! My husband and I particularly love Cape Cod/shingled homes that are open and airy. We love the older, historic look of houses with stone that date back centuries but have simple renovations that are beachy, comfortable, and cozy.

GDG: Can you share a fun fact about yourself?

MD: My husband and I love to renovate homes and have built two from the ground up—it's been our hobby for years. We have been married for 18 years; and even though we have stayed in the same area in Los Angeles, we have moved 13 times!

We love the fact that we can renovate or build something and work on our home over and over again. We never intend to leave a new place we move to, but we fill it up with what we love, live in it, and soon find our next project and move on!

In the News: PDC Marketing Director Margaret Dunne Shares Her Story (Part 2 of 3)

Newly appointed Director of Marketing at the Pacific Design Center and former Executive Editor of Architectural Digest Margaret Dunne continues telling us more about herself and what she's most looking forward to in her new role at the PDC.

GDG: What brought you to where you are today at the PDC?

MD: Architectural Digest had a relationship with all of the Cohen Design Centers, and I had worked on different events over the years at all of them. Because I love design and I live in L.A., coming to the Pacific Design Center has been a very exciting opportunity for me.

GDG: What are you busy with at the PDC these days?

MD: I am happily busy with so much! Right now we're concentrating on WESTWEEK, 100 percent. We want to make it as popular as ever by encouraging designers and design enthusiasts to come to the PDC and attend the programs that are being offered, visit the showrooms and see everything the PDC has to offer. We can’t wait!

When you're in the world of the PDC, you assume that because you live it every day, everyone outside the building in Los Angeles and even the country know too, but that's not the case. I'm excited to work on changing that and making it a destination even more so than it's ever been.

GDG: What has been the best part in the transition to the PDC?

MD: The best part has been how much I've learned. You can learn so much about design in these buildings. I’ve learned more in three weeks about the PDC just by being here and walking through this amazing building!

Stay tuned to GoDesignGo to hear more about Margaret and what she loves in her own home decor.

In the News: PDC Marketing Director Margaret Dunne Shares Her Story (Part 1 of 3)

Kicking off the new year with new faces, Margaret Dunne, former Executive Editor of Architectural Digest, began her role as Director of Marketing at the Pacific Design Center. Margaret now oversees the marketing, events, and public relations of PDC—and despite her hectic schedule, she spent an afternoon letting us get to know her better.

GDG: How did you get started in the interior design world?

MD: I graduated from college with a degree in business, but I always had a love for magazines. Fashion, shelter, cooking—I loved them all, so when I learned there was a publishing company in Los Angeles, I contacted them and landed my first job at Bon Appétit magazine. My first job with Bon Appétit was as the assistant to the business manager for two years. From there I transferred within the company to Architectural Digest, where I remained for 23 years.

GDG: Was there anything in particular that helped you fall in love with the design industry?

MD: So many people have the same story when it comes to their introduction to Architectural Digest—someone in their family had a subscription to it because it was their favorite magazine. For me that was my dad. He loved AD, and I learned to love and appreciate it too.

Once I started working at AD, Paige Rense was the person who taught me about design. Her approach was to see the magazine through the eyes of the reader. She would take the time to explain why certain projects were accepted and why others were not, and she emphasized the importance of learning as much as I could about design—so I did!

GDG: Were there any people in particular who helped you in your career along the way?

MD: Paige Rense was certainly a mentor for me. Paige was also was very interested in the business of design and how the business was evolving, and this helped speed up my learning of the industry due to my degree in business. Paige always encouraged me to propose ideas and was extremely constructive with her critique of those that were not exactly what she was looking for.

Stay tuned to GoDesignGo to hear more about Margaret and what she's most looking forward to at the PDC in 2012.

In the News: Former AD Editor is the Newest PDC Marketing Director

Kicking of the new year with new faces, Margaret Dunne, former Executive Editor of Architectural Digest, began her new role as Director of Marketing at the Pacific Design Center. Margaret now oversees the marketing, events and public relations of PDC.

Dunne started her career in 1987 at Bon Appétit before moving to Architectural Digest where she worked until last year.

"We look forward to Margaret’s positive contributions to the design center and welcome her to our organization," said Robert Contini, Vice President Design Center Division at Cohen Brothers Realty.

Stay tuned to GoDesignGo to learn more about Margaret when we interview her about her new job and her path through the design industry to her new post at the PDC.