Story & Lesson Highlights with Cheryl Stauffer

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Cheryl Stauffer. Check out our conversation below.

Cheryl , so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is a normal day like for you right now?
My mornings are sacred. Before the house wakes up, I sit in my sanctuary space in my living room and meet with myself. I meditate, read, pray, and enjoy the quiet. That time is how I reset. I ask myself two simple questions: Who am I going to impact today? and What am I going to learn?
A few mornings a week, I follow that with time at the gym with my trainer, caring for my physical and mental health is non-negotiable for me as a leader.
My workdays have a rhythm. Mondays and Tuesdays are inward-focused: internal meetings with my leadership team, marketing, and creative teams. Wednesdays and Thursdays are outward-facing. I’m in the community, meeting new clients, selling work, and building relationships.
About ten years ago, I made Fridays sacred. That’s my “work on the business, not in the business” day. It’s where I think, write, read, strategize, meet friends for lunch, or take care of personal appointments. It’s also the day I take my kids to school and pick them up. I’m fully present and that presence matters to me more than anything.
Creatively, I’m most productive in the mornings and on Fridays, when there’s space to think expansively. My work environment reflects that: calm, layered, intentional, a place that feels like a sanctuary, not just a workspace.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Cheryl Stauffer, founder and CEO of Crimson Design Group. At our core, we are in the business of creating beauty and encouraging people to live a life well lived.
We design homes, communities, and large-scale residential projects, but what we’re really designing are stories. We tell the story of the people who live within the spaces we create. Every project begins with timeless pieces, elements that endure, and then we layer in color, texture, and pattern to bring personality and life into each space.
Above all, we design for people. Our work reflects real lives, real families, and real moments. Whether it’s a private residence or a large apartment community, our goal is always the same: to create a sense of home and sanctuary.
Crimson was founded 23 years ago after I stepped away from another firm to pursue my dream of building something of my own. I intentionally named the company without my own name because I wanted it to have the freedom to grow beyond me. Crimson, the color red, represents passion, boldness, and being unapologetically grounded in your values. That’s who we are.
What makes our work unique is the depth of relationship. We don’t just design homes, we design life alongside our clients. We know their families, their routines, their milestones. I’ve had clients for over 20 years. This is a business of trust, intimacy, and long-term connection.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Recently, my mother found a note I wrote when I was nine years old declaring that I was going to be a fashion designer. While that didn’t become my path, the creative instinct was always there.
I was the oldest of four children, and after living overseas, my family returned to the U.S. during a very difficult season. My father was sick, money was tight, and as the oldest, I felt a deep sense of responsibility. I started working young, babysitting at ten, taking care of families by twelve, and I knew early on that I wanted to own my own business.
Watching my mother sell cookware door-to-door to support our family shaped me profoundly. I saw her grit, her resilience, and her refusal to give up. That was the beginning of my entrepreneurial spirit and the belief that I could create my own opportunities and build something that gave others the same freedom.
Hospitality was my first real training ground. I started working in a restaurant at fourteen, and learning how to serve others has carried through my entire career. I eventually studied business before realizing I missed creativity and interior design brought everything together.
Before the world placed expectations on me, I was curious, determined, creative, and deeply motivated by freedom. I still am.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes – about two years ago. It was one of the hardest seasons of my career.
The pull between what I personally felt called to do and the responsibility of leading a growing business felt unbearable. I was burned out and seriously considered selling the company or walking away altogether. Internally, things weren’t aligned, and I felt like I was slowly being pushed out of the business I had built.
That season required deep soul-searching and very uncomfortable decisions. I had to take my power and voice back to rebuild leadership, reset culture, and surround myself with people who truly believed in the vision of Crimson.
Two years later, I can see how necessary that moment was. We rebuilt our leadership team with people who are more experienced than me in key areas, people who say, “I’ll make that happen. Let’s do it.” That gave me the ability to dream again.
I’ve always believed that if your dream doesn’t scare you, it isn’t big enough. Today, my vision is to create impact in 30 countries through design, micro-loans for women, helping orphaned children, and creating sanctuaries where people can reset and heal. Our legacy, to me, is people, not buildings.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Freedom. Family. Integrity. Culture.
My friends would tell you that I care deeply about how people feel in their homes, in their work, and in their lives. I’m committed to creating environments where people feel safe, empowered, and inspired.
Outside of work, I invest my time in my family, my health, meaningful friendships, and causes that open doors for others. I believe culture matters, in business and in life, and that when people are empowered rather than fearful, real magic happens.
The legacy I want to leave isn’t about what I built, but who I helped become possible.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I would stop doing spreadsheets 🙂
More seriously, I would protect my time even more fiercely. I want more moments with my girls and with Louie. One of our biggest dreams is to live overseas for a year before they graduate high school. We were given that gift as kids, and it changed our worldview forever.
I would simplify my professional life to focus only on the work that is meaningful, creative, and impact-driven. I’d spend less time managing and more time mentoring, dreaming, and creating.
And I would start saying yes boldly to experiences that deepen connection, curiosity, and global understanding. Because at the end of the day, life isn’t about how much we produced. It’s about how deeply we lived.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://crimsondesigngroup.com
• Instagram: @crimsondesigngroup
• Other: Pintrest: crimsondesigngroup

Image Credits
Addison Jones