Portrait
March 16, 2022
Susan Chang, co-founder of Shimoda Design Group in Los Angeles, is known for her breadth of experience in workplace, retail, and residential projects and has served clients including Steelcase Inc., TOMS, and Bloomberg LP. Chang shares with us everything from favorite project to her guilty pleasure.
Where do you live? What’s your favorite part about your city?
Los Angeles – the ability to drive from the beach to a snowy elevation of 5000-6000 feet in 2-3 hrs (traffic permitting)
Could you share a bit about yourself and how you got into the field of design? Was this always a career you saw yourself in?
At an early age—maybe 9 or 10 years old, my brother and I would turn all the furniture sideways and upside-down to build fortresses to our “kingdoms”…so we can battle for control of the entire Kingdom Realm. Recalling this bit of play, I have to say that I have always been acutely aware of my surroundings and the fascination with creating and changing the space around me for play, for comfort etc. I did not think about a career in design seriously until my first year of college when I took introductory courses in architecture history and interior design…declared my major in architecture soon after.
What is a project that especially stands out to you? For what reasons?
TOMS Shoes. We met Blake Mycoskie (founder) during the infancy of his company. We did pro bono work to help him get organized because his operation was a modest yet energetic start-up and growing exponentially by the minute. His philanthropic business model was a game changer and arguably, developed into a “movement”. It was terrific collaboration to work with Blake and his team of entrepreneurs, product designers, manufacturing technicians, and managers and many, many more. It stretched our design prowess.
TOMS Shoes HQ by Shimoda Design Group.
What is your favorite city in the world?
One of my favorite cities is Tokyo—it is a perfectly balanced cocktail of Zurich, Las Vegas, and Sushi
Photo by Matteo Colombo / Getty Images
Where can we find you on a Saturday afternoon?
On a golf course (pandemic-borne golfer)
Guilty pleasure?
Jane Austen books & movies
Design trend that you would like to see go away?
The obligatory patch of green wall.
Favorite purchase for your own home?
“Ring” door bell
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