See the Creativity at Work in 4 Designer Studios
These design pros’ offices show why investing in your workspace can be worthwhile for your business
The decision to increase or improve your firm’s design space is a big one. It involves extra overhead, renovation costs and sometimes team expansion. These four design pros took the leap, whether growing from a home-based business to working in a separate space, increasing the square footage they were already leasing or building an inspiring shed in a tropical garden. Here are four pros’ design studio spaces and their thoughts on how the changes have enhanced their businesses.
She lucked into a space in the center of her town in an 1895 waterworks building. The ground-floor location at a four-way intersection of roads that lead to other communities gives the business great exposure. And the floor-to-ceiling windows made the 2,000-square-foot space just the spot. The fact that its last incarnation was as a paint-your-own-pottery studio makes it sound like it would have been an easy transition to a design studio, but it was anything but.
“When we first found the spot, we knew it was perfect — well, not really perfect. We knew that a lot of money and attention needed to go into the renovation,” McGuill says. “When we brought some of the tradespeople who we work with to take a look and give us their thoughts on the space and to see if our vision could be created, they told us they thought we were crazy.” The entire team — contractor, painter, flooring specialist — told McGuill to save herself a lot of trouble and find a space that didn’t need so much renovation.
“When we first found the spot, we knew it was perfect — well, not really perfect. We knew that a lot of money and attention needed to go into the renovation,” McGuill says. “When we brought some of the tradespeople who we work with to take a look and give us their thoughts on the space and to see if our vision could be created, they told us they thought we were crazy.” The entire team — contractor, painter, flooring specialist — told McGuill to save herself a lot of trouble and find a space that didn’t need so much renovation.
But McGuill knew she could make it work. She had the black-stained floors refinished, the drop-down ceiling removed, the walls painted white and the windows painted black. She took down a few walls and added lots of open shelving for display. “We brought in lots of tables for desks and client meetings, we added inexpensive lights from Ikea and Bob’s Your Uncle and we were done,” she says. “I find it’s a perfect place to try out new pieces, see if our performance fabric really works, have space for our team as well as our clients and, of course, Stella. The natural light inspires me — I love going to work.”
2. Clients Can Inhabit a Designer’s Work in Her Studio
Designer: Leigh Jones of The Very Thing
Location: Burlington, North Carolina
Size: 1,200 square feet (111 square meters)
Interior designer Leigh Jones adapted a residence in Burlington, North Carolina, to serve as a workspace, show house, sample library and warehouse for her company, The Very Thing. The show house portion makes clients feel right at home — it contains four rooms set up as a living room (seen here), dining room, sitting room and bedroom.
“By doing that, we are able to give our clientele examples of our abilities as designers,” Jones says. The other areas are office, work and sample-library spaces.
Clients can experience and soak in the designs during meetings. “What is important is that our customers and friends feel welcome and comfortable as we sit down to talk to them,” Jones says. “But most important is that we have a pleasant and visually pleasing environment in which to work. Our customers pick up on how comfortable we are in our own space.”
Designer: Leigh Jones of The Very Thing
Location: Burlington, North Carolina
Size: 1,200 square feet (111 square meters)
Interior designer Leigh Jones adapted a residence in Burlington, North Carolina, to serve as a workspace, show house, sample library and warehouse for her company, The Very Thing. The show house portion makes clients feel right at home — it contains four rooms set up as a living room (seen here), dining room, sitting room and bedroom.
“By doing that, we are able to give our clientele examples of our abilities as designers,” Jones says. The other areas are office, work and sample-library spaces.
Clients can experience and soak in the designs during meetings. “What is important is that our customers and friends feel welcome and comfortable as we sit down to talk to them,” Jones says. “But most important is that we have a pleasant and visually pleasing environment in which to work. Our customers pick up on how comfortable we are in our own space.”
This bedroom is part of the show house space. Jones redecorates twice a year, and also refreshes the space in between as the furnishings on display are sold to clients. “We redecorate [based] on how we feel and what we are craving, not by trends,” she says.
Caroline Warner, left, and Robin Violandi at the opening of their design studio, V+W Design Loft
3. Partners Connect Their Design Business and Retail Shop With a New Design Loft
Designers: Robin Violandi and Caroline Warner of Violandi + Warner Interiors
Where: Scituate, Massachusetts
Size: 500 square feet (46 square meters)
When a space between their Violandi + Warner Interiors design offices and their gift and home store The Welch Co. became available, Robin Violandi and Caroline Warner knew they had a great opportunity to expand their business. “We were looking to expand our studio to house our expansive design library of textiles, shades, tile and wallcoverings, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so,” Warner says.
The partners realized they had many retail store customers who wanted access to their to-the-trade items, as well as some design assistance, without having to fully engage their design services. “We both felt there was a niche in the market where we could create a bridge between the store and our interior design business. After we secured the additional square footage, we both agreed that it made sense for the new space to be retail,” Violandi says. They created a design studio space called V+W Design Loft to serve as a design library and retail space.
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3. Partners Connect Their Design Business and Retail Shop With a New Design Loft
Designers: Robin Violandi and Caroline Warner of Violandi + Warner Interiors
Where: Scituate, Massachusetts
Size: 500 square feet (46 square meters)
When a space between their Violandi + Warner Interiors design offices and their gift and home store The Welch Co. became available, Robin Violandi and Caroline Warner knew they had a great opportunity to expand their business. “We were looking to expand our studio to house our expansive design library of textiles, shades, tile and wallcoverings, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so,” Warner says.
The partners realized they had many retail store customers who wanted access to their to-the-trade items, as well as some design assistance, without having to fully engage their design services. “We both felt there was a niche in the market where we could create a bridge between the store and our interior design business. After we secured the additional square footage, we both agreed that it made sense for the new space to be retail,” Violandi says. They created a design studio space called V+W Design Loft to serve as a design library and retail space.
Why People Fear Hiring a Designer and How to Gain Their Trust
The studio space functions like a library, offering retail customers and clients a selection of products that can elevate a home’s style. Customers can look through thousands of well-organized swatches and samples in a beautifully designed and comfortable space.
The new design studio also helps convert retail customers who might be intimidated by or skeptical of hiring an interior designer into design clients. It allows them to dip their toes into the world of interior design and decide whether they can handle their projects on their own or would be more comfortable with a designer. If they opt for the latter, they can transition seamlessly to Violandi + Warner Interiors.
Adding the studio space was also an opportunity for the designers to expand their team. “The loft is staffed by a design-savvy team who can answer questions and offer guidance, and then place product orders,” Warner says. Working with the staff helps customers feel comfortable with interior design and fosters trust in the process.
The new design studio also helps convert retail customers who might be intimidated by or skeptical of hiring an interior designer into design clients. It allows them to dip their toes into the world of interior design and decide whether they can handle their projects on their own or would be more comfortable with a designer. If they opt for the latter, they can transition seamlessly to Violandi + Warner Interiors.
Adding the studio space was also an opportunity for the designers to expand their team. “The loft is staffed by a design-savvy team who can answer questions and offer guidance, and then place product orders,” Warner says. Working with the staff helps customers feel comfortable with interior design and fosters trust in the process.
The design studio also allows the designers to create vignettes that show off products in a room-ready way. This helps customers and clients envision how items would look in their own homes.
Adding the studio space has not only helped Warner and Violandi expand their client base, it’s also helped them make more productive use of their time. Their business is located about 25 miles south of Boston, and getting into the city to shop for clients is a time-consuming, gas-guzzling haul through traffic. “The added space has allowed us to expand our collection of product samples, which really streamlines the selection process for clients of Violandi + Warner Interiors,” Warner says. “The loft has turned a weekly trip to the Boston Design Center into a monthly trip, which gives us added time to meet personally with our interior design clients.”
Adding the studio space has not only helped Warner and Violandi expand their client base, it’s also helped them make more productive use of their time. Their business is located about 25 miles south of Boston, and getting into the city to shop for clients is a time-consuming, gas-guzzling haul through traffic. “The added space has allowed us to expand our collection of product samples, which really streamlines the selection process for clients of Violandi + Warner Interiors,” Warner says. “The loft has turned a weekly trip to the Boston Design Center into a monthly trip, which gives us added time to meet personally with our interior design clients.”
4. A Subtropical Garden Studio Inspires Interior Stylists
Designer: Vanessa Cribb of IndigoJungle Interior Styling
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Size: 378 square feet (35 square meters)
Perched along a gully in the lush landscape of Brisbane, Australia, this garden studio space resembles a temple. When collaborating with the architects at Marc&Co, interior stylist Vanessa Cribb of IndigoJungle Interior Styling was inspired by modest one-room shacks and simple wooden sheds. That evolved into a minimalist space marked by stunning angles and contrast. Approaching the space through a peaceful and tropical landscape makes for a beautiful start to the workday.
Landscape design: Steven Clegg Design
Designer: Vanessa Cribb of IndigoJungle Interior Styling
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Size: 378 square feet (35 square meters)
Perched along a gully in the lush landscape of Brisbane, Australia, this garden studio space resembles a temple. When collaborating with the architects at Marc&Co, interior stylist Vanessa Cribb of IndigoJungle Interior Styling was inspired by modest one-room shacks and simple wooden sheds. That evolved into a minimalist space marked by stunning angles and contrast. Approaching the space through a peaceful and tropical landscape makes for a beautiful start to the workday.
Landscape design: Steven Clegg Design
Watery blue tiles extend from indoors to out, guiding and welcoming those who enter. While the building is dark on the outside, the interior is bright and dazzling. The building has meeting and work spaces, as well as storage for samples and other materials.
Extra desks can be popped out from the wall when needed, then folded back down to keep the space feeling open and serene. (It’s sometimes even used for yoga.) Built-in shelves, seen here on the left, hold all of the materials the team needs. And windows beneath them serve as sort of upside-down clerestories, letting in light and offering glimpses down the gully.
Cribb’s favorite aspects of the space are its tranquillity, the relationship the building has with the landscape, its orientation and the breezes that flow through. In terms of her business, Cribb says the new space has “helped give it an identity and a home.”
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Cribb’s favorite aspects of the space are its tranquillity, the relationship the building has with the landscape, its orientation and the breezes that flow through. In terms of her business, Cribb says the new space has “helped give it an identity and a home.”
More for Pros on Houzz
Read more articles for pros
Talk with your peers in the Pro-to-Pro discussions
Join the Houzz Trade Program
Designer: Kelly McGuill of Kelly McGuill Home
Location: Walpole, Massachusetts
Size: About 2,000 square feet (186 square meters)
For many years, interior designer Kelly McGuill and her crew of three worked from a very functional, light-filled space on the third floor of her home in Walpole, Massachusetts. “It was inexpensive, convenient and beautiful, but after many years, I felt like I needed to have separation from my workplace, where I spent many, many hours, and my home. I needed to be able to come home after a long day, relax and not have the phone ringing or projects beckoning my attention,” McGuill says.
Not wanting to sacrifice the easy commute, she started looking for the right space near her home about five years ago. Her wish list included showcasing her firm’s aesthetic, lots of beautiful natural light and plenty of space for deliveries and client meetings. Topping her list was a space where she could bring Stella, her golden retriever.