COMMUNITY & CULTURE
TAKE IT FROM ME…
with Susan Block
ARTIST. COMPASSIONATE SOUL. DRAMATIC CREATIVE.
By Diane Kline
S
usan Block is somebody who sets style trends, not someone
who follows them.
Whether she’s designing home interiors, making
remarkable centerpieces for charity events or discovering
unique items to feature in her store, The Designing Block,
her name is synonymous with dramatic creativity.
A painter and photographer, she earned a degree in fashion design
from Washington University, and worked as a fashion coordinator at
Famous-Barr, dressing celebrities and meeting fashion icons like Edith
Head. With an eye for design, she began her interior décor business in
1980, without formal training or a business plan.
Block has been married for 41 years to Terry, retired president of
Nestle Purina Petcare’s pet food division and COO of Post Holdings.
Their meeting in college was something out of “When Harry Met
Sally.” They were on a double date with other partners, but switched
places when they felt a spark for each other. This year on her Valentine’s
Day card, he wrote, “You’re the best decision I ever made.”
An involved mother of two adult children and a busy philanthropist,
Block is on the board of 10 organizations, including the Saint Louis
Zoo, Fashion Fund and the Saint Louis Art Museum. She was named
a Woman of Achievement in 2009, as well as a Washington University
Distinguished Alumni, among other honors. She’s done everything
from bringing hearing aids to deaf people in Vietnam to taking art
classes in New Zealand - and here are a few things she’s learned along
the way.
At age 6, I spent months in a hospital bed, which taught me
empathy.
I had a hip disease that forced me to stay in bed for months, and I even
had to be carried to the bathroom. They’d take me to Cardinal Glennon
Hospital, and strap me down on a big metal table in order to take
X-rays. After going through that, you care what’s happening to people,
especially children in wheelchairs.
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GAZELLE
My dad told me I’d flunk out of college by Christmas, so I had
to prove him wrong.
In high school, I was at the bottom of my class. Even teachers called
me stupid. As it turns out, I wasn’t dumb - I had a learning disability.
Thankfully, I found professors who figured out how to help me. Even
though I had to take algebra five times, I made the Dean’s List!
I just had a knack for designing and putting things together.
I always loved collecting “stuff” and displaying it. A designer friend told
me I had a good eye, and I should go into the business. In 1980, I got my
first client and started The Designing Block. In 1996, I opened my store
in Clayton. There was no business plan; just a belief I could do it.
Just because it’s expensive doesn’t mean it’s good.
Clients can confuse price with style. I’ve seen people spend millions of
dollars on decorating homes that are ugly as sin, and I’ve also seen a
repainted piece of furniture picked up on the street that looked like a
million bucks. I teach clients to shop their home. You can find easy fixes
just by rearranging the furniture. I don’t believe in trends. The essence
of good style is that you feel comfortable with it.
People worry about the wrong things when they entertain.
They won’t invite people until everything is perfect. Just relax. I had a
party once with a roll of carpeting in the middle of the living room. No
friend is going to come to your house and say, “Your kitchen counter is
messy. I’ve got to leave.” If your friends are like that, you need to find
new friends.
The measure of success is not how much you sell, but how
much you help others.
As a child, I would read about the Women of Achievement in the
newspaper, and was inspired by what these women were doing. Today,
I sit on its board. What makes you happy is if you’re good to people
and use the talents God gave you. That’s why I’m always asking myself,
“What’s next?”