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What I Was Always Supposed to Do

Nureed Saeed '99

Author J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, “Not all those who wander are lost.”

Although her route may have been a bit circuitous, fashion merchandising graduate Nureed Saeed ’99’s strong belief in herself and where she belonged led her to an award-winning, celebrated career in interior design.

“I think the reality is that most of us don’t live linear lives,” she says. “We have these very up-and-down paths, or sometimes circular paths that lead us back to exactly where we started. Interior design is what I was always supposed to do.”

While Saeed’s route to interior design was not a direct one, she credits her parents with being an influential part of her career journey.

“My mom was always redecorating,” she shares. “She was a meticulous, particular person. I don’t think you can be an interior designer unless you grow up around somebody like that. And I loved helping my dad with DIY projects. He influenced my love of midcentury modern design and architecture. He took me to the Gateway Arch when I was six years old, and to his mod, midcentury retro office building. I remember it all with such fondness.”

Saeed loved math and art from an early age. “I always had the idea of spatial recognition in my mind and a design eye,” she says. “I graduated from high school and told my dad, ‘I want to put a portfolio together and try to get a degree in interior design.’ He laughed and said, ‘That’s not a job, that’s a hobby. You have to do something else.’”

While at first Saeed complied, studying science and business at two other universities, she did not find her true calling there. “I thought, ‘I know what I know, and I’m going to prove him wrong,’ and I did,” she says.

It was her mother who gave her the impetus to alter her path and permission to follow her dream. “My mom is my unsung hero,” she says. “She was the one who said to me, ‘Do what you want to do.’” Saeed finally transferred to the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, which became Philadelphia University the year that she graduated. Having already completed a number of business courses, she majored in fashion merchandising at the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering, and Commerce.

Following graduation, Saeed joined the fashion world in New York City, where she was able to utilize all the facets and skill sets of her degree while furthering her business and design skills. “I was a buyer, product developer, and merchandiser,” she says. “In my last full-time role, I was the vice president of global licensing for golfer Greg Norman. It was an amazing opportunity.”

After 15 years, when travel became difficult with three small children at home, Saeed and her family moved back to New Jersey. “I pivoted to what I always wanted to do and was meant to do, interior design,” she shares. “All of these skills and experiences led me here, and my degree is a big part of that.”

Saeed’s first project was designing the interior for her own midcentury modern home. With encouragement and referrals from her architect and contractor, she business, Nu Interiors and never looked back. Five years later, when her husband got a job in San Francisco, the family moved west. Today, Saeed’s business is not only booming but also bicoastal and will celebrate its 11th anniversary this year.

“Most of my business is renovations,” she says. “How do we merge what’s old and new and bring people’s worlds forward versus totally starting from scratch? Someone’s home is a very personal experience, and if you don’t go into it with that thought and that love, you will inherently miss something along the way.”

Saeed continues to use her experience in and passion for interior design to make a difference not only for her clients but also the industry. Honored as the 2023 Kitchen & Bath Business Person of the Year, she currently serves as president of the Northern California Chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association, a role she has held for four years. Additionally, she obtained a Certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Cornell University’s IRL School, and she advocates and leads the charge for diversity and inclusion in the design industry.

“Throughout my career, I’ve realized that I’m maybe the only one at the table who’s like me, and I’ve used that as a pathway to make space for other people,” she explains. “Some people walk into spaces with inherent privilege and some with inherent bias. I think we have to acknowledge that so that we can create a space where everybody is seen, heard, and brought to the table.”

Family remains top of mind for Saeed. She and her husband are parents to an 11-year-old daughter and 12-year-old twins, a boy and a girl. While her mother remains living in the house she grew up in, sadly, her father passed away before she created her interior design business and soared to success.

“I think he was proud,” she says. “When we went through his things, we found the newspaper clipping from Women’s Wear Daily where I was announced as the vice president of global licensing for Greg Norman. I didn’t know he had clipped and kept it, but it was on his bedside. I remember first showing him the article and joking, ‘Not bad for a hobby, right?’ He laughed and said, ‘Yes, you got me. It’s not a hobby.’”

Even 3,000 miles away, Saeed flies Jefferson’s flag proudly. “Every year, my family and I look forward to the Jefferson alumni Phillies game against the San Francisco Giants,” she shares. “I’m involved as much as I can be from across the country. I’m Team Jefferson, and I love it!”

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