A taste for living: Life, reinvention passion projects for southwest interior decorator

Lisa Escobar talks a lot about passion. In 2011, she did something about it.

Escobar, a southwest resident, was a successful nightclub supervisor with the Wynn/Encore organization. She had a good income and loved her sometimes 60-hour-a-week job.

But Escobar also knew life – and her passion — were passing her by. She said the epiphany came when she was on vacation in Spain, floating in the Mediterranean Sea and thinking clearly.

“I realized that my life had gotten so busy, I was losing touch with me and the people I cared about,” she said. “ I needed to slow down and live a life where I made the rules. I loved the Wynn organization and learned a lot there, but I knew I had to leave.”

For six months, Escobar lived on her savings and reoriented her life. She changed her hours from nighttime to daytime. She spent time with her family. She looked to her passion.

From a young age, Escobar had been interested in interiors and decorating. At 6, when she wrote to Santa, she didn’t ask for a doll or a toy train — she asked for lavender sheets and a lavender comforter. (Her parents kept and framed the Santa note.)

Escobar was born in California but spent her school years in Las Vegas. She attended Clark High School, which was just beginning its emphasis on math and science. Although she had always been interested in decorating, when she decided to attend UNLV, the classes for prospective interior designers didn’t appeal to her.

Studies in science seemed the practical choice, so Escobar pursued a degree in kinesiology, initially planning to be a physician’s assistant. An aunt who was a physician warned her at graduation, however, that if she ever wanted to have a family, work in the medical field would make that difficult.

So Escobar instead sought employment on the Strip, spending the next decade doing everything from front desk work to nightclub management.

And her passion? It became a sideline pursuit when and if she had time.

In 2011, Escobar began making her own rules. During her six-month reorientation period, she decorated family residences, slowly building her portfolio. She learned that although she had never had a social media presence, her work demanded a website, Facebook and Instagram pages. She particularly credits her Instagram for giving prospective clients an idea of her work.

“I began getting calls from friends and former co-workers wondering what I was doing now, and some of those calls also resulted in clients,” she said. “Word of mouth spread, and the business grew.”

Her friends knew her real age, although new clients often thought she was younger.

“I find it’s actually a plus to let clients know I’m 37 and come from the Wynn/Encore organization,” she said.

Escobar also has a memorable last name. Her father is Filipino, and her mother is Irish and German.

Her portfolio now includes photos of work she has done at residences such as the Mandarin Oriental, as well as new-build designs. Her clients these days are spending between $50,000 and $425,000 with her company. Her website lists one client comment that she particularly likes: “Lisa perfectly executed my vision.” She said her greatest joy as a decorator is seeing a client’s smile when they first see the finished project.

She prefers to meet with clients in the spaces to be designed to determine the final feeling to be achieved, although some meetings are at a favorite local coffee shop, Sambalatte, 6555 S. Jones Blvd.

Often, her designs include custom furniture, though she said once she was asked for a video game console combined with a beer tap, which was a design she was eager to decline.

Escobar works with a design assistant, Austrie Messer, and she tries, when possible, to use Las Vegas sources for custom work. Encore Upholstery & Design and Hayley Hunter are examples of local companies on her contact list.

”I think a key element to Lisa’s success is her ability to provide a positive experience for the client,” said Messer, “whether the client wants simply to state a liking for beige tones and wants Lisa to take the project from there, or if the client wants to be deeply involved in all the design decisions, visiting the Las Vegas Market with Lisa, etc.”

Though new on the decorating scene, Escobar has been recognized as a style maker by the Las Vegas and High Point furniture markets.

“I have learned a great deal attending both these markets over the years,” she said. “I’m thrilled now to have my opinions valued there.”

Escobar was also recently a finalist for HGTV’s Fresh Faces of Design in the “Big City Digs” category.

And what about that advice long ago about a family? The very private Escobar said that is still in her future.

In the meantime, she said she will continue to work for charities that have meaning to her, in particular the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the American Cancer Society. She’s also a season ticket holder at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and wishes it had been around when she was growing up in Las Vegas.

As for career goals, she said, “If something comes along that allows me to continue with my work, my family and expand my audience, I’ll consider it,” Escobar said. “All I know is that we should all pursue our passions when it comes to work. I truly love what I do.”