Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Yeager Smith
Laura, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was drawn to interior design from a young age. In elementary school, I decided that I would become an Interior Designer and dreamed of owning a boutique in a quaint downtown. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design from The Ohio State University, I gained valuable experience from three very different woman-owned design firms. Each designer had their individualized approach to both design and business, which taught me many valuable lessons. My time spent designing homes in California, where the aesthetics were as varied as the project locations, was formidable. Designing haciendas in the East Bay, row houses and penthouses in the city and generational mountain estates surrounding Lake Tahoe taught me to adapt and hone my approach to different architectural styles, client lifestyles, and environmental contexts. I moved back to Ohio shortly after my daughter was born to be near family, then relocated to Virginia, and back to Ohio again before I opened a physical design studio and grew roots. My sister has always supported my dream. She watched my children while I attended meetings and worked with me to place and track orders, which she still has a part in to this day. I have slowly hired skilled designers and support staff to grow the firm to a team of 15. Today, whether my team and I are designing coastal, traditional, modern or rustic homes, we apply the fundamental design principles of proportion and scale before considering ornamentation and decoration. On each project, I employ a curated individual approach and strive to perform storytelling through design. I believe our clients’ homes should reflect who they are, and I enjoy extracting that essence to create authentic enduring spaces that are both functional and personal. Our team just celebrated ten years of being headquartered at our campus in Hudson, Ohio. We provide full-service interior design on projects coast-to-coast. I look forward to the continued expansion of Laura Yeager Smith Home & Design, featuring special design events at our home furnishings showroom SMITHS CURATED, and eventually, writing a book.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Fortunately, the creative portion of the business has been very smooth. Design is an innate passion and I am grateful to do what I love every day. It has required a lot of hard work, dedication and sacrifice to grow the company, but LYSHD has been successful year over year for over a decade. It is very rewarding to see our team grow and develop professionally, and the scope and scale of our projects elevate and expand. The struggle along the way has been managing the growing pains the business. I had to implement training processes, methodize and document each step of our design process and delegate. That has proven to be paramount to our team’s success. Covid was an especially challenging time while I balanced many competing priorities with a remote staff while raising young children. Managing a team of diverse employees wasn’t something I learned hot to do in school, and I am still learning to this day how to be an effective and empathetic leader.
After a few years in business, I learned that working with strategic partners was a huge help. Having a supportive husband who encouraged me to follow my passion has also been instrumental in my success. He has always been my sounding board and encouraged me to have confidence when building my companies and making difficult decisions. He also supported the business by researching and vetting skilled professionals such as a great accountant, website designer, photographer and other outsourced services. Implementing a full health benefits package and 401k plan for our employees is something I am proud of. That is a benefit I never had working for small firms. We have also built relationships with amazing trade partners that collaborate with us to execute our vision and contribute to our everyday success. It took time to find those trusted contractors and skilled craftspeople.
Another challenge was the expansion of the LYSHD campus to create the SMITHS CURATED showroom. My husband was in a career transition and we wanted to partner on a project together. We were short on space at the design studio and decided to expand. We had no idea how complex, time consuming and expensive the land development aspect of building a storefront would be. The process took several years and had many unforeseen obstacles from finding a solid architect and builder to partner with, to implementing geopiers to solve for unstable land, to supply chain shortages causing windows to be installed after drywall. I still smile every time I walk in the doors of SMITHS, as it is a true testament to hard work and determination and a beautiful space to display our curated collection of furnishings, host events and congregate as a team.
As you know, we’re big fans of Laura Yeager Smith Home & Design. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Laura Yeager Smith Home & Design is a full-service Interior Design Firm located in the historic downtown Hudson. Our projects range in scope, scale and budget with diverse aesthetics and locations. We specialize in new construction, renovation and complete home furnishings from conception to implementation. Our curated, collaborative team of designers and support staff provides integral interior design with award-winning client service.
Our team has immense experience both designing turn-key interiors and collaborating with homeowners, builders, contractors and architects. Our technical documentation, visual imagery and solution-focused approach allows clients to enjoy a stress-free, efficient design process. We specialize in residential design and work with homeowners to coordinate the design-build process and logistics. We also provide space planning and interior design consultation services for architects, builders and contractors. We create authentic interior designs customized for each client.
Our team thoughtfully considers scale, context, budget, aesthetic and other variables during our design process to ensure a cohesive finished project. From construction finish specification to procurement of an unparalleled product offering of furnishings and decor, we balance a personal touch with modern technology to clearly and efficiently convey concepts. Our design documents are valuable instruments that communicate important details throughout the design-build process. A well designed and personally curated home elevates the everyday luxuries of comfort and is instrumental to a life well lived.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Two characteristics I feel are most important to my success are being an active listener and being extremely self aware. This allows me to learn how a client communicates their needs and preferences as well as what they see value in. It allows me to extract their aesthetic as and what is most important to them in a project. We always want to add value to every project and each client has varied priorities. Some clients value their time most want us to “do what we do” and take the lead with minimal direction while others prefer to explore options and be more involved in the process. Some clients visualize more easily than others. Once we understand how a client communicates and what they see value in, it facilitates how and when we present information to them to best communicate our design concepts. It also allows me to set the momentum pace and where I can push a client outside their comfort zone to elevate the outcome. I am also a maximizer. I prefer to maximize high-quality output in minimal time and put processes in place such as calendar blocking and process checklists to make the most of our time. We are always looking to simplify and elevate. Delegation to a capable, dedicated and accountable team is also a necessity. Not one person could execute independently with the quality and speed our team does collectively. We have varied talents and skills, but we all practice our core values of fanatical attention to detail and providing our clients with a complete “WOW” experience from discovery through implementation.
Pricing:
- Laura Yeager Smith Home & Design provides professional, collaborative and process driven full service Interior Design.
- Our projects typically start in the six figure range for a combination of goods and services, but we always welcome back returning clients.
- We offer special events at our showroom storefront SMITHS CURATED. If you aren’t looking for full-service interior design, you can shop our special events for a unique hand-selected collection of unique furnishings and decor curated by Laura Yeager Smith. We are also open by appointment for special orders.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://laurayeagersmith.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurayeagersmith/ and https://www.instagram.com/smithscurated/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurayeagersmith/ and https://www.facebook.com/smithscurated
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-yeager-smith-9835a29
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/lyshomedesign/
