Today we’d like to introduce you to Natassja Conway.
Hi Natassja, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My entire childhood I had loved to redecorate my bedroom and my parents’ home. (My parents are the rockstars in that statement for letting me have free rein of their home.) Design was always somewhere that felt comfortable to me. However I never considered it as more than a hobby and pursued psychology in undergraduate as a major and future career. Fast forward In 2007 I moved to Columbus from Ohio University where I had met my now husband, Ryan. He had grown up in Powell and being from a small farm town myself, the city of Columbus was exciting and new so we decided to plant our feet and grow our family here. After working at Crate and Barrel in customer service for a few years, my love of interior design was sparked again but working in retail design required another degree which I wasn’t ready to sign up for just yet.
In 2009, I was introduced to Kim the owner of KP Designs out of Lewis Center whom graciously took me under her wing and showed me the world of residential interior decorating. Later in 2010 I decided to venture out on my own, get my certification as an Interior Decorator and create a design company that would appeal to renters and homeowners alike: Natassja Designs, LLC. My business focus was clients in their 20s that couldn’t afford a high end designer but still needed help giving their spaces a polished look. I wanted to curate services for “design on a dime” clients so that interior wasn’t just available for the high end client. At the time and still today there is a stereotype that designers are expensive, that we spend every bit of the available budget, that we make profits off of merchandise and that what we do can be done with Pinterest or AI. I wanted to and still strive to break this stereotype.
However in 2010, my timing was off. Americans were still recovering from the housing market crash that began in 2007 and homeowners were scared to invest in there homes no matter the budget friendly options available so in 2012 I put the Natassja Designs business on hold only using it for blogging DIY projects and went back to school for my Masters in school counseling. I completed that degree in 2014 only to discover the baby Ryan and I had been trying for for over two years was on her way and due at the beginning of a school year. Not great timing for a new school counselor, but a baby was all that we had prayed for for years; so with that news, school counseling went on hold and my good ole’ faithful love of design came back as I started blogging and posting more about decor and trends once more.
In the winter of 2017 as our second child was turning 1 I decided that it was time to try again to take design clients and I am so glad that I did. Today I have a team of 5 designers and two assistants. We still operate a little differently than some of our comrades in the field: we offer all of our trade discounts to our contracted clients (as we never mark up items for resale), we strive to come in under budget where possible and aren’t afraid to shop for a deal.
At Natassja Designs we service clients from all budgets whether it is custom pieces or HomeGoods find. We believe that design can be beautiful while fitting your functional needs and most importantly we want you to feel like your home is an extension of you “Because Everyone Deserves Beautiful Rooms”.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My entire childhood I had loved to redecorate my bedroom and my parents’ home. (My parents are the rockstars in that statement for letting me have free rein of their home.) Design was always somewhere that felt comfortable to me. However I never considered it as more than a hobby and pursued psychology in undergraduate as a major and future career. Fast forward In 2007 I moved to Columbus from Ohio University where I had met my now husband, Ryan. He had grown up in Powell and being from a small farm town myself, the city of Columbus was exciting and new so we decided to plant our feet and grow our family here. After working at Crate and Barrel in customer service for a few years, my love of interior design was sparked again but working in retail design required another degree which I wasn’t ready to sign up for just yet.
In 2009, I was introduced to Kim the owner of KP Designs out of Lewis Center whom graciously took me under her wing and showed me the world of residential interior decorating. Later in 2010 I decided to venture out on my own, get my certification as an Interior Decorator and create a design company that would appeal to renters and homeowners alike: Natassja Designs, LLC. My business focus was clients in their 20s that couldn’t afford a high end designer but still needed help giving their spaces a polished look. I wanted to curate services for “design on a dime” clients so that interior wasn’t just available for the high end client. At the time and still today there is a stereotype that designers are expensive, that we spend every bit of the available budget, that we make profits off of merchandise and that what we do can be done with Pinterest or AI. I wanted to and still strive to break this stereotype.
However in 2010, my timing was off. Americans were still recovering from the housing market crash that began in 2007 and homeowners were scared to invest in there homes no matter the budget friendly options available so in 2012 I put the Natassja Designs business on hold only using it for blogging DIY projects and went back to school for my Masters in school counseling. I completed that degree in 2014 only to discover the baby Ryan and I had been trying for for over two years was on her way and due at the beginning of a school year. Not great timing for a new school counselor, but a baby was all that we had prayed for for years; so with that news, school counseling went on hold and my good ole’ faithful love of design came back as I started blogging and posting more about decor and trends once more.
In the winter of 2017 as our second child was turning 1 I decided that it was time to try again to take design clients and I am so glad that I did. Today I have a team of 5 designers and two assistants. We still operate a little differently than some of our comrades in the field: we offer all of our trade discounts to our contracted clients (as we never mark up items for resale), we strive to come in under budget where possible and aren’t afraid to shop for a deal.
At Natassja Designs we service clients from all budgets whether it is custom pieces or HomeGoods find. We believe that design can be beautiful while fitting your functional needs and most importantly we want you to feel like your home is an extension of you “Because Everyone Deserves Beautiful Rooms”.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a small interior decorating firm based in Powell. We serve mainly residential clients in Dublin, Plain City, Powell, Westerville, Lewis Center, Worthington, Upper Arlington, Clintonville, Hilliard and New Albany.
We offer services in full room renovation, exterior porches and patios, space finishing, room revamps, design to sell and consultations. We strive to offer a service for every need, but as much as we want to be apart of every project we understand that a client/designer relationship is personal and needs to be the right fit. During our initial consultations clients and the assigned designer have the opportunity to meet and discuss goals and visions to see what aligns.
What sets us apart from other designers is our passion for functionality, flat rate pricing, lack of product mark-up and ability to not subcontract as we always want to advocate and represent our client and not just a contractor. I am proud that our motto I gave us in 2010 still represents who we are as a company “because everyone deserves beautiful rooms”.
How do you define success?
That’s a great question. When I finish a project and get to see a client’s smile when we reveal the room to them: that’s a success. Design is personal and I am so grateful for our clients that allow us into their private homes and trust us with the wheel to drive their project, so when they look at me at the end and tell me how much they love it, it means everything to me.
Pricing:
- Consultations are 99.00 and include 30 min in your home with a professional designer
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.natassjadesigns.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natassjadesigns?igsh=OWh0YXViMG5zeTg2
- Facebook: https://Www.facebook.com/natassjadesigns
- Twitter: @natassjadesigns
- Other: https://www.houzz.com/pro/natassjadesigns/natassja-designs-llc
