A Conversation With ... Michelle Clifton

Job Title: Designer

Education: Bachelor of Science from Drury University with majors in art and art history; studied interior design at Missouri State University

A big decision: The company isn’t going to be building speculative homes, which Clifton calls “a big step in faith”

Tell us about Millstone Homes.

My husband, Sam, and I have been building homes on our own for five years, but he’s been on a construction site since he was born, basically, so he’s always been in construction, and I’ve been doing interior design for the last 15 years, either in commercial or residential. It’s just the two of us at Millstone. … Most of our homes are $500,000 and above. We can do anywhere from five to 10 houses a year.

What’s your role with the company?

I work on architectural and interior design elements of the homes. Normally, we do work with an architect to draw the homes, and then, I will add some details on the outside, as well as the inside, working with the client to maybe make the home (have) more of their own look. We offer my services for free (to clients), so if they want a designer, they have a designer. I choose to be at all meetings when the client chooses lighting, plumbing, floor finishes, stain colors, wall colors – I’ll even help with brick colors, stone colors (and) the way they blend. I like to mix things up a lot.

What types of homes does Millstone build?

We do a lot of Tuscan-style, it’s still really hot. And we’re still doing French, which is still hot in this area. I see the next trend as being craftsman-style homes, or Colorado-style, which is more cabin-looking on the outside. With craftsman, you’ll see a lot of woodwork, and a lot of natural materials like slate and stained glass. We try to put stained glass in most of our houses.

We’ve built in Rivercut, Millwood, Eaglesgate, and we build just on (clients’ land). I think Millstone is headed toward being a totally custom builder. I don’t know how many more spec homes we’ll be building down the road. That’s probably our next big step, and it’ll be a big step in faith, because you never know that you have the job until the contract’s signed.

You’re also a Realtor with Pellham Residential. Do you list Millstone Homes properties exclusively?

So far, I’ve really tried to focus on Millstone. I got my real estate license so that I could be the most knowledgeable person for our business on the real estate market. I like to help my husband find new areas to build, and it also helps us to buy our own lots and investments. We do list our properties. It’s to our advantage to have them on the (multilist service). Pellham’s been a really good company to work with. I’ve gotten my staging degree, so if a client were to ask me to help them (sell) their house, I could help them stage their house so it would sell better.

What trends do you see in new homes?

My husband just got certified as a green builder through the Home Builders Association. People are really concerned about green building. … Something I’m really excited about is that they’re doing a lot of recycled materials in flooring.

The biggest thing that we’ve become known for is having your outside living spaces become part of your inside living spaces. On our last (HBA Parade of Homes) house, we really focused on that, and we had an outdoor kitchen in it that had a range, a sink and a refrigerator. Outside fireplaces are big, and people are even putting pictures outside now. They have artwork that’s been treated so that it can withstand the outside spaces.

Another thing I’m excited about … are the new advances in kitchens. A lot of people are doing separate pantries that have maybe a freezer, an extra oven and an extra dishwasher so they can prep in there, and then, when they have company, they don’t have a mess. Master bathrooms are getting focused on again (with) coffee bars and wine coolers in those. Drawers that used to be used for warming food are now being used for warming towels. … Workspaces in garages are huge. People are really looking at organization.

What about popular color schemes?

In the color palette … you’re seeing a lot of deeper rusts, reds and greens. Then you’re also seeing blue. People are loving that. And a lot of black and white. Black you have to be really careful with, so that you don’t overuse it. Black’s great in any room as an accent, but you have to be really careful if you’re using it as your main color. Metallics are hot – all kinds of metallics.

Tell us about the rest of the family.

Sam and I have been married for 15 years. Taylor’s 14, Dustin’s 11 and Nathan is 7. Nathan wants to be a builder, but Dustin wants to design video games. We go to Ridgecrest Baptist Church.

Interview by Features Editor Maria Hoover. You can e-mail her with suggestions for future installments of this feature at mhoover@sbj.net.[[In-content Ad]]