By Donna Heiderstadt

Abigail Stojke almost gets as much joy from seeing her clients’ reaction to the photorealistic 3D renderings she creates at the beginning of a project as she does from the look on their faces when they step into their new space for the first time. In her Designer/Sales position at South Bend, IN-based Peacock and Company, Inc., where she has worked for six years since graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture, Abigail has been an integral part of some of the company’s largest design-build projects, ranging from kitchens, baths and historic home remodels to whole-house projects.

“My favorite part of my job is probably developing close and trusting relationships with my clients,” 29-year-old Abigail said. “This is a defining characteristic of my work. I recognize the profound impact that our surroundings can have on our well-being. I really try to infuse each of my projects with personalization to reflect how each client lives in and utilizes their space.”

As for her own design preferences, Abigail loves looking to the past. “My favorite historic design styles are Art Nouveau and Midcentury Modern,” she said. “I would say my personal design preferences have touches of Midcentury mixed with cozy florals and plants, vintage and antique elements, or anything that feels straight out of a rustic cottage in the northern Midwest. I love earthy colors, autumnal oranges and reds, yellows, natural greens and blues and warm neutrals.” 

Abigail said her proudest accomplishments, however, have more to do with function than style. She loves helping older clients with designs that allow them to age in place.

No matter what the project, you’ll always find music-lover Abigail drawing floor plans or brainstorming design details with her headphones on. She grew up around music, began playing the piano at age six and loves attending live concerts. Lately, her childhood love for crafting has been usurped by nurturing a “plethora of houseplants” and thrifting on weekends. She also adores anything that can be done outside (including running, hiking, skiing, kayaking and camping), and she’s often accompanied by her five-year-old pitbull-American foxhound mix, Juniper, who has even been known to join her for a kayak paddle.

Outdoor destinations continually inspire her, with her favorite vacation spot being Zion National Park in southern Utah. “The feeling of arriving there and driving through the 1.1-mile tunnel and emerging into a hauntingly beautiful array of earthy colors, monumental structures and beautiful textures is something I will never forget,” she said. “The natural world has always been my first creative inspiration. When everything is quiet it allows my mind to just be, recharge and make room for new things to come.”