Vicki O’Neal, ASID, CID, VSLD is the owner and creative force behind FORM & FUNCTION LLC. Vicki was fortunate to begin her career with exposure to high-level talent and mentors, and a collaborative team approach to design. In addition to involvement with every aspect of design, her extensive start-to-finish, or “turn-key’ project experience has proven to be an invaluable asset.
Planning and execution of all aspects of design for commercial projects were the focus of Vicki O’Neal’s post college career for some twenty years. During those years she had the rare opportunity to work on a wide range of project types and sizes from corporate, retail, hospitality, banking, and food service. Positions were held with architectural and interior design companies, and lastly with a fortune 500 retailer as a store planner.
Vicki’s creative and entrepreneurial spirit led her to strike out independently. The company was created in 1998 with the confidence and expertise that time, experience and focus brings. One of Vicki’s favorite architectural and design movements has been the iconic Bauhaus period. In the Bauhaus style, concept, materials, and function integrate seamlessly to produce designs of profound purity and transparency. The very name, FORM & FUNCTION, echoes those qualities and evokes the purpose, distinctiveness, thoroughness, authenticity, and integrity that Vicki prides herself on. Her design career spans more than thirty years, and has encompassed projects across the United States and abroad.
Because Vicki has a lifelong love of nature and gardening, the incorporation of landscape design as a service offering was not far behind the formation of FORM & FUNCTION. Responding to the fact that a high percentage of our time is spent indoors, Vicki creatively endeavors to integrate the interior with the outdoor environment. She embraces that concept as a major inspiration and an important design intention because of its multi-faceted positive impact. The continuum of interior to exterior, both visually and functionally, is also reflective of and an extension of the harmony of design that is sought for all spaces. Vicki combines inventiveness with extensive personal experience and knowledge of space planning, horticulture, and exterior materials to produce exceptional landscapes and outdoor living spaces.
A unique collaboration in 2008 afforded Vicki the opportunity to begin an editorial endeavor. Contributing and writing articles for local and regional publications on topics of interior and landscape design has become a great way of conveying her enthusiasm and communicating expert information. “I have also been an avid photographer, and seized the opportunity to take those skills to the next level as well to support my writing. Over many years of writing, my purpose has always been to bring impartial information to the consumer: to inform, entertain, and inspire.” Recognizing design opportunities literally everywhere, you could say she lives and breathes design, and loves to share her passion for the things that mesmerize and fascinate her.