When most Georgians of a certain age think about interior designers, they’re likely to think Julia Sugarbaker (played by Dixie Carter) of the legendary 1980s “Designing Women” television show — a high maintenance, not-a-hair-out-of-place, meticulous woman of extraordinarily good taste and refinement.
But some interior designers are down-to-Earth, nice guys who you’d like to have a beer with at the end of the day.
Mike Siewert, aka “Signature Mike,” of Signature Interiors, is one of those guys. He has managed to burst the Sugarbaker stereotype and create his own mini-empire that now includes home decor, clothing, jewelry and shoes with his down-to-Earth manner and his own flourish…er, signature.
When Siewert moved to Evans from Washington D.C. in 2005, he was intent on slowing down and decided primarily to work from home, but as his reputation grew, so did his business, which now occupies an entire plaza at 3505 Professional Circle just off of Fury’s Ferry Road.
Siewert found his niche and has not looked back since.
“There was obviously a need, and I took advantage of it and have been growing the business ever since. We built the big retail store here two years ago, at the end of 2020, and we’ve outgrown this space already,” Siewert said.
A large part of Siewert’s success has been his weekly appearance on The Dish and The Jennie Show on WJBF television. Host Jennie Montgomery says that Signature Mike appeals to viewers because he presents himself as a relatable fellow with really good taste in fashion and décor. She says his personality is not an act; he is the real deal.
“He grew up poor, but he had creative parents who allowed him to grow up to be Michael, and that is what everyone loves about him. It doesn’t matter if your budget is Neiman Marcus or TJ Max, he can work with you,” Montgomery said.
While Siewert enjoys managing his retail business, his first love is designing space that is livable and tailored to his client’s lifestyle.
“When I was a kid, I was always into crafts and decorating my room. As a boy in the ‘70s, I was into floating furniture before floating furniture became a thing,” Siewert said.
Siewert says he really enjoys helping new homeowners who are at the beginning of the construction phase of their homes. By looking at architectural drawings, Siewert says he can identify natural light sources that need to be highlighted as well as specific functions such as traffic flow.
“Some people entertain more than others, and some people are more homebound and more family oriented, so all those things come into play as far as flow of the house, and some people want a ‘show hous,e’ so we have to make sure there are structural elements we can play off of,” Siewert said.
Siewert credits his creativity as originating in participating as a youth in theater and says that his theater upbringing eliminated any fear of speaking in public, which he often does on home and gardening shows as well as on television.
“I have fun with what I do, and I have fun with my clients. I have some clients who are fussy and want to spend a lot of money, but I really like the clients who want to have fun and create spaces they will cherish for years to come,” Siewart said.
