You started your career in public health and at a certain point made the pivot to interior design, can you share a little about that journey?
I have always loved design and the joy that comes from loving the space you live in. I was that person changing out the polyester curtains in my dorm room in college. When I started my career in public health, I did a lot of travel and research across Africa. My work took me to a clinic to treat and educate villagers on Malaria in Gambia and West Africa. I worked with 14 different Family Planning Associations across the Arab World at International Planned Parenthood Foundation in Tunisia, North Africa and conducted extensive research on the social impact of the AIDS pandemic on orphans in Ethiopia. I fell in love with the people, the stories, the cultures and the TEXTILES.
While I loved public health and the amazing people I worked with, the artsy side of my brain kept tugging at me. I also had young children and I was looking for a career that afforded me some more flexibility to be with them. I started designing pillows with some of the African Indigo textiles and mudcloths that I had loved in my travels years prior. That's how IndigoZ Home began and why our logo is a square pillow. I straddled both public health and design for a number of years before I felt comfortable taking the full plunge. It’s hard to take the leap of faith, and I definitely took my time before I felt like I was established enough to make a career of it. I would be remiss if I didn’t say that my heart still leaps overseas and I hope to get back there one day, but I am incredibly grateful for the gift of beauty, flexibility and relationships that this second career has afforded me.
How would you describe your own design aesthetic?
I definitely like contrast - old pieces mixed with new, a contrast of warm and cool tones, clean crisp rooms filled with lots of texture. Similar to life, I feel like a lot of magic happens when we highlight our differences.
You launched IndigoZ Home 6 years ago, how has your business model evolved in terms of how you approach working with clients and projects? For a long time we were working on large scale flips which were super exciting because of the possibility of a clean slate and total creative freedom. I also started a home staging company and started working with local realtors to stage vacant homes going up for sale. With Covid, home prices started soaring and less homes needed to be staged because houses were selling so easily, and at this time we adapted our model and started taking on more renovation and design clients. I am such a people person and I love working closely with the families who entrust us to work on their homes, and so it was a natural transition, but my favorite thing to work on with clients is definitely space planning and major construction. I love seeing what was and the amazement of what can be!
You and your husband Slim met living abroad while working in public health, the two of you have also worked together in your business, can you discuss that partnership and how you’ve been able to carve out distinct roles for one another within the business itself?
We sure did and we are still married! It has been super helpful that we have very different areas of strength and we respect those areas and so there is not a lot of overlap. Similar to me, Slim left his previous career, although his was in the corporate world, to pursue IndigoZ Home and so he brings a lot of his prior expertise in project management and financials with him. It works out well because I shy away from the business side of things. If Slim was picking out light fixtures, we might have a very different story. Although it is hard, we definitely try to set boundaries and have business time distinct from family time.
We met through a mutual connection who had found you on Instagram and then started a project together in the middle of Covid, not meeting in person until several months later. Can you talk about what it’s like working with clients remotely versus in person?
To be honest, it is so much more productive in person. E-design certainly served a purpose during Covid, especially with so many people renovating their homes, and still does for people who are not looking to invest in larger amounts of design hours. Nothing can replace meeting in person to understand the scale of a space, to see what a person’s home feels like and to develop the time and relationships that allow you to better understand the overall look you are trying to create.
We’ve also discussed our love/hate with social media and while it’s so necessary for a business like interior design can also be overwhelming. What is your own approach to marketing and social and is it possible to find balance?
Yes, yes and yes! I love Instagram because of the portfolio it allows you to create. The old Instagram, which was mostly photos, was such a great snapshot of your work and aesthetic. I definitely struggle with this new emphasis on reels, which are more outside of my comfort zone and more time consuming. So, I know a lot of designers outsource this part of the business and I understand why. We have been very lucky to have to do very little marketing because of our client referrals and local press like Westchester Design Awards, but I do miss being able to direct people to our Instagram page (@indigozhome) for beautiful pictures instead of me looking awkward pointing at a countertop.
What have been some of the greatest challenges in building your business?
Switching careers, I definitely struggled in the beginning with being new to the design community and whether I would be taken seriously. Also, running a business can feel lonely at times and I’ve definitely worked to connect with and learn from other individuals in the industry. Interestingly, Instagram has been great for that. Also as we have grown, I’ve had to figure out the best use of my time and where my added value is because you can’t do it all. I’m still a work in progress in this area.
What advice would you give to women looking to go into interior design or starting their own business in the field?
First, start to build a portfolio of your work with great photographs, even if that means building it up by doing projects with family and friends. Own what you love and allow your portfolio to capture your niche aesthetic - design is so subjective and not everyone will love your work and that’s ok. Find your people.
IndigoZ Home was recently featured in Architectural Digest recognizing designers from Westchester and Fairfield Counties, what was it like to see your work featured in the magazine?
I grew up dreaming of the designs in AD, and to have our work in the magazine was a total pinch me moment.
What are your greatest sources for inspiration when it comes to design?
Our clients! I love asking clients the feeling they are trying to evoke and then really hone in on helping them get there. And, one-of-a-kind finds from antique fairs are often inspiration points and can help us get there too.
Thanksgiving is a big holiday for you and your family, what are a few items always included on your table, both decor and food?
I am so lucky to still have my 96 year old grandmother with us. She used to have a floral/plant shop and I most certainly did not inherit her green thumb. My mother, my grandmother and I have hosted Thanksgiving for my large family for the last number of years and whereas our food is pretty traditional, we always go out of our way to create a beautiful tablescape with my grandmother’s floral arrangements as the centerpiece for the table that we create.
Lightning Round:
New business you’d most like to see in our area?
Sit down coffee shop, work/ meeting place (I miss that about the Reading Room), with some amazing home decor elements around. A place that inspires you with beauty and collective energy.
Three favorite places you source from?
Antique Fairs (Elephants Trunk Flea in New Milford, CT and Brimfield Antique Show in Brimfield, MA), Vintage Rug Shops like OldNew House in Katonah or @Foundhomeshop online, and anywhere with interesting details like a leather strap on a chair or beautiful hardware on a nightstand. Those little details, add up…
Travel destination you dream about?
Amalfi Coast, sunsets and water in Italy - yes, please
What would you do with one extra hour everyday?
Hmmmm. I could fill this in about 10 different ways, but I might have to say sleep. I am a stickler for good sleep and when I get super busy my sleep always takes a hit because some of my best design moments are when my head hits the pillow and everything settles down enough to free some creative space.
