Many of you probably remember our previous office space: a portion of the showroom in my friend Heather’s flex space, with beautiful floral wallpaper and cool taupe desks. It was a safe place to start as I made the initial move out of my home office. Being able to work from home when the kids were young was AMAZING! It gave me and my family exactly what we needed for many years, but my kids are older now and basically gave me an eviction notice so moving in with Heather felt like a sensible, safe step.  Heather is our cabinet provider so this merge was perfect- it made for easy collab meetings and cabinet sourcing. It worked out beautifully for a couple of years, but as my business (and the size of my team) grew, so did the need for more space and studio functions. So, in November of 2019, we decided that it was time to finally start looking for some new digs. We eventually stumbled upon a rental condo in a complex we liked that was available to rent or buy. Huh, available to buy? I’d never even considered that.  I didn’t think it was something that was attainable for me, and it definitely rang the giant fear alarm in my head. But when I started running the numbers I realized that if I found the right space it could be something that I should really consider. Even if we ended up outgrowing the space and putting it up for rent in a few years, it could be a great start to building my “empire” (haha – always gotta think big people!).

 

Deja Vu anyone? For those of you who don’t recognize this wallpaper, it’s what we adorned the walls with in our portion of the space we shared with Heather. We loved it so much that we had to use it again!

 

There were a few key elements on our list as we headed out on our search. We desperately needed a footprint that we could mold to fit our needs, a great central location, and tons of natural light. I wanted to find a space that gave us the flexibility to create various “zones” within. We needed some designated area to house a library (our resource room), a work area where we could design distraction-free, and a spot to hold presentations that invited our clients to escape the chaos of their own homes. We also needed a convenient location. We’re on the road so much, that we wanted to make sure wherever we landed had easy-access to all of the areas we service- we basically live on the Dulles Toll Road!! We also hoped to find something that provided loads of natural light: a must for any designer!

 

A little sneak-peak at our Resource Room. We went cabinet crazy to keep everything organized & tucked away in these rooms.

 

We found the winning unit in January of 2020. When we walked into the space it was an old, outdated, hot mess…but we saw the potential immediately! It’s a second-floor corner unit, so it gets natural light from three sides and the layout had the perfect base, it just needed a few changes. I also loved that it was a dated space that had never been renovated before. I didn’t have to pay for someone else’s upgrades that I would have wanted to change anyway.

 

BOOM!!! This feature is what sealed the deal. It used to be divided into two offices- split right down the middle of the window. Once I confirmed with my contractor that the wall could come out it was a done deal.

 

After some negotiating, we signed on the bottom line Friday March 6^th – one year ago today (wow time flies)! We wasted no time after that- we had the crew of guys onsite first thing the following Monday to tear the place apart, so that we could rebuild it to our liking! We were in a mad-dash to get everything done and moved in ASAP. But little did we know, COVID had other plans and lockdown started only a few days later.  To say I was nervous would be an understatement! We’ve all had those “oh sh!t” moments in our lives, and this was definitely one of them. We had no idea how the economy would fare, let alone our “little business”, so it’s safe to say I was walking around with a pit of worry in my stomach.  But in the end, my mentality has always been to push through the hard times, so that’s exactly what we did. I also found comfort in knowing that we had survived the downturn of 2008, so with the proper adjustments and openness to adapting to whatever may come, we could surely survive this too. Lucky for us construction was deemed “essential”, so we carried on.

Another bonus to buying rather than renting was the remodel flexibility it provided. No need to ask the landlord for approval cause I AM the landlord now (my husband likes to say that’s his title, but we know the real story, right? haha)! We wanted the studio to have an intimate, boutique feeling; a place where we could put on some good music, whip up a cocktail or an espresso (whatever your pleasure) and WOW our clients with all of the amazing ideas we have for their home.  We also have plans of holding intimate everts later down the road once we can all move about more freely- things like trunk shows, biz workshops for new designers, and social mixers for current and potential clients. We designed the space with a crisp white backdrop, allowing us to bring in our signature statement color and contrast through things like the cabinetry, drapery, upholstery and art. We worked with Heather on all of our cabinet designs – this allowed a good opportunity to show clients what all we can do. Ultimately, we wanted our surroundings to stimulate and inspire us to create on the daily! And boy does it do the trick! 

 

Check out our wet bar (aka mix station)! We incorporated local artisan, Stacy Tranter’s, amazing hand-painted, marble wallpaper into the design. We cut it into squares and hung it like tiles for a little added interest.

And here’s out little lunch counter. You will find us in here grabbing a bite while either checking in on emails, product searching on the laptop, or watching whatever action is going on down in the parking lot. haha

 

After a whirlwind renovation, we “moved in” on April 16^th. Sadly COVID regulations didn’t allow us to work in the studio until mid-May, but at least we could dump our stuff there for the time being. Once we were able to come back into work we made do with make-shift desks until our cabinetry and desktops could be installed. We were just thrilled to be in our new space, we knew the rest would take shape in-time. 

Like so many of you are doing now, for years I worked out of my home office. It was nice to have the flexibility when the kids were younger, but it also meant a lot of chaos in my house. From all of the stuff I drug in and out (sometimes even stealing things from our house for an install), to all of the staff meetings, and UPS deliveries; the chaos just got to be too much at home. When I started seeing my family’s discomfort dealing with all that came from me working at home, I decided it was time to go. We’d all outgrown that set-up and having an office space was going to be good for me too. It kept my work and home life separated, and quite frankly more balanced.  I thrive in a disciplined, structured routine. Heading out of my house and into the studio is what I need to do to keep the wheels on the bus. We have so many amazing projects going on and I need to do all I can to put myself in the most productive head space possible. This does the trick for me! Nevertheless, making an investment in yourself and in your business can be truly terrifying, but had I never left that home office I would never have been able to grow in the way I have. Sitting here now, I know that all of the steps I’ve taken over the years lead me to being here; owning my own studio and running a thriving business. Growing pains are hard and scary, but so necessary for the end goal. You gotta go after what you want, folks! 

Thanks for being on this journey with us! We (my incredible EBI team, who I can’t do all of this without) appreciate all of the amazing support from our clients who trust us with their homes, as well as all of our incredible trade partners who work with us to create magic. There’s never a dull moment in this industry, but I love every bit of it!!