Close Proximity: An Interview with Interior Designer Betsy Soos
For our second annual By Design show, we connected with Arkansas-local Betsy Soos, the founder of the boutique interior design firm in Downtown Bentonville, Proximity. With the charm of a Southerner and a passion for blending timeless aesthetics with modern sensibilities, Betsy and her team create elevated commercial and residential spaces that reflect the unique personalities of their clients. Drawing from her years of corporate experience and inspiration from art, culture, and nature, it’s fair to say that Proximity has mastered the craft of collecting interiors that cohesively blend aesthetic range into one seamless and timeless look. Now, she’s drawing back the curtain to share her client-forward focus and process of curating environments that resonate on a deeply personal level.
M: How do you help clients with their art selections?
BETSY SOOS: Art is deeply personal, so it’s essential that we take the time to get to know our clients so that we can anticipate what they will be drawn to. I think that’s our secret sauce—making connections with our clients to produce both personal and authentic spaces.
M: How do you guide clients about the importance of original art as part of your design work?
BS: Choosing the art pieces for a space is one of my favorite tasks when approaching a project. Admittedly, I don’t always get to. Sometimes we run into budget constraints and decision fatigue at the end of a project. To counteract that, we highly advise that clients let us choose the art during the furniture selections process so they can see the total investment of the project upfront. It also allows us to create really unique spaces!
M: For this featured project, can you speak to your thought process behind the art and interior selections that you made?
BS: For this particular project, we knew the furniture shapes, material selections, and the large open rooms were going to be the focal point, so we focused on art with organic shapes and materials to help accentuate the theme. I had the chance to visit Leah Pollock’s studio, so to use her ceramic pieces in the dining area was kismet. For the homeowner’s office, we went with a very tonal color palette–it was the most beautiful blue/grey hue–and color washed the walls, ceiling, and casings, matching the drapes in the same color, and pairing it all with a cream for the furniture and art. The result was a striking, yet soothing environment so she can focus on work during the day, but still have a beautiful space to wind down (or hide in) from the rest of the household. When we placed the Matt Miller piece above the bed in the Primary room, everyone gasped—it was *chefs kiss*.
M: Any design or art related tips or tricks you can share with us?
BS: One trick we like to recommend is hiring an art installer. I don’t think we’ve ever had a client say they wanted to hang their own art (to keep any marital feuds at bay). On furniture installation day, we have a small team join us on site to hang every piece based on our elevations. They’re in and out, art is secured, and everyone is happy!
M: What do you like to do for inspiration?
BS: Travel! We recently returned from Venice where we were able to visit several art exhibitions along with the Peggy Guggenheim museum. It’s almost impossible not to find inspiration while standing amongst large-scale Picasso’s in a beautiful Palazzo.
I used to be self-conscious that I didn’t have a visual “look” or “style” to my designs that are easily recognizable like many other well-known designers. Now, I understand that it’s not about leaving my mark, it’s about creating a home specifically unique to our clients.
BETSY SOOS
M: Best business advice you’ve received?
BS: Early on in my career at Wal-Mart, I’ll never forget a leadership class that taught us to “eat the frog” first thing in the day. For me, that’s reviewing our numbers. I live in a world of color and get lost in spreadsheets. It’s a task I dread, but if I can get it out of the way, I can move on to the things I enjoy most.
M: Any important references you like to pull from?
BS: I used to be self-conscious that I didn’t have a visual “look” or “style” to my designs that are easily recognizable like many other well-known designers. It wasn’t until I discovered the work of French designer Albert Pinto, who designed everything from modern penthouses in New York to English countryside manors.Now, I understand that it’s not about leaving my mark, it’s about creating a home specifically unique to our clients. We want to create beautiful spaces, and we’ve now cultivated a portfolio of homes in a wide variety of styles. I love that every project is architecturally unique.
Special thank you to Betsy for sharing her practice with us! You can learn even more about her HERE.
Article Credits
Interior Design by Betsy Soos of Proximity; Imagery by Arno Frugier; Styled and Produced by Anna E. Cottrell; Words by Claire Ward; Featuring MIXD Gallery Artists Including: Leah Pollock, MaryAlice Carroll, Matt Miller, and Ana Buitrago.