Sylvia T Designs, the Gulf South’s premier decorative arts and plaster firm has been “honoring tradition and progress” for nearly 30 years. Since the company’s inception, it has proudly been a woman-owned and operated business. Sylvia T Designs has been recognized and certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) through the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nation’s leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women.
Sylvia Thompson-Dias started the business as a “one-woman-show” and a true bootstrap operation bringing skill, talent, grit, and a desire to expand her knowledge of the decorative arts.
“When I started the business, it was just a passion for decorative finishes that was born out of my experience earning an architectural degree from LSU. As my reputation grew around the New Orleans area, I worked to learn and increase what services I offered so that the business stayed relevant. With frequent changes in trends and tastes in décor, this was a critical component for the company’s growth,” said Sylvia.
Over the years, Sylvia T Designs continued to evolve, regularly expanding the services and techniques offered to clients in keeping with the times. This includes significant growth in delivering exquisite functional and decorative plaster options, beautiful and durable microcement selections, gorgeous mural work, elegant gilding, stylish classic and custom stencils, modern and traditional looks in furniture and cabinetry refinishing, inspired interior design, and much more. Projects range from small to large, commercial and residential, and cover anything from historic spaces to new construction.
“As our projects increased in size and frequency, we needed to grow our team. We also saw a real need to build careers for women in the trades and decorative arts. This was not really happening anywhere,” Sylvia added.
This led to significant developments in the company’s progression, all based around the importance of education. Two significant faces of what Sylvia T Designs does beyond application have come to the fore – our Artisan Trajectory Program and decorative arts and plaster education aimed at professionals such as architects, interior designers, general contractors, and others.
From day one, employees work through various levels acquiring skills, experience, as well as product and management knowledge along the way. Beginning as “Artisan Assistants,” the next phase is to become an “Artisan Apprentice.” The final step is achieving the title of full “Artisan.” Through the process, specialties and areas of focus – largely driven by passion and aptitude – are identified, filling important needs and roles within the company and furthering our team members’ abilities.
Continuing to advance our dedication, mission, and passion for being a woman-owned and operated business, today, Sylvia T Designs boasts a highly skilled, full-time team of all female applicators who, along with Sylvia, deliver the finest decorative arts work found throughout the entire Gulf South region and points beyond.
Sylvia T Designs partners with organizations, businesses, and professionals to deliver educational seminars on the world of plaster and microcement – the various options and what they can achieve, spec’ing the right material and application for the project’s vision and budget, understanding proper substrate requirements, and a lot more.
Another major step was taken in late 2023, Sylvia T Designs started a sister business – Gulf Coast Plaster Artisans (GCPA). This company serves as a product distributor offering a wide range of products and top-notch education and support. GCPA is the exclusive US distributor for Stucco Italiano plasters and decorative arts products. This Italian-based, family-owned company offers unparalleled quality at a terrific price point. GCPA is also the exclusive Gulf South distributor for Topcret, the world’s leading microcement manufacturer out of Barcelona, Spain.
“I am beyond proud that our business has earned the WBE certification. It is validating that all our hard work over the years has led to this,” said Sylvia. “We look forward to making even greater strides with both Sylvia T Designs and Gulf Coast Plaster Artisans as we move forward!”
Let us know how we can make your space a work of art!
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