In this week’s installment of Trade Tales, we asked five designers—Theresa Butler, Hannah Goldberg, Shaolin Low, John Stivale and Laura Tribbett—whether they ever work with other designers on projects.
It’s in the Job Description
“My firm has, and often does, collaborate with other designers! In addition to interior design, a large part of our business is consulting for American home furnishings retailers and manufacturers, which often involves partnering with their in-house designers. We find that this collaborative approach to product design often yields much more innovative and dynamic designs. We love the process of merging different perspectives, approaches and ideas. The design process can become much more rich, and the end result undoubtedly benefits from the collaboration.” —John Stivale, Stivale Graffam Home, New York
Love Thy Neighbor
“As a small, young interior design business, we actually share an office with another designer, Mariella Cruzado of Splendor Styling. It has been so incredibly helpful to have her to collaborate with and bounce ideas off of. We have not yet partnered fully on a project, but the day-to-day collaboration of ideas in both design and business has been absolutely invaluable to me.” —Hannah Goldberg, Hannah Charlotte Interiors, Washington, D.C.
Work That Mojo
“As a full-service interior design firm, we don’t need to bring other designers into the mix. We have long-standing relationships with talented contractors, vendors and architects, and we pride ourselves on delivering an unrivaled design experience. Our secret sauce is our focus on MOJO—moments of joy for others. Removing stress from the design process and filtering the myriad of options down to a manageable amount for our clients is our love language. They tell us how excited they are to come to our presentations because we keep it fun and focused! Adding another designer into the mix would detract from this. However, I do find that my ‘designer and business owner cup’ gets full when I spend time with other designer friends socially. Having a community of talented peers to inspire and connect with is extremely important.” —Laura Tribbett, Outline Interiors, Chicago
Island Life
“I worked with another interior designer once—they were in Los Angeles and their client’s home was in Hawaii, where we are, so we helped to curate what was available, bring things onto the island and install. It’s always fun to experience another designer’s process and aesthetic, and I’m always happy to help since being on an island in the middle of the ocean can be difficult to work around.” —Shaolin Low, Studio Shaolin, Kailua, Hawaii
Eye-Opening
“Our team hasn’t yet had the chance to work with other designers. However, we strongly believe that collaborating with fellow designers can be incredibly valuable. It’s a chance for us to learn from each other and grow together. Collaboration fosters humility and encourages growth within our company. I believe that working with others opens our eyes to new perspectives and expands our capacity to craft even more stunning and cohesive spaces for our clients.” —Theresa Butler, Theresa Butler Interiors, Atlanta
