Hi there, SideDoor designers!
Today we’re excited to launch a new email series featuring SideDoor users just like you!
Each month, we’ll highlight a different SideDoor designer so you can get to know our community of users, hear how they’ve found success using SideDoor, and find inspiration for your own design business.
Good morning, SideDoor designers!
We’re continuing our designer spotlight series with our next featured SideDoor user, and we have so much to share! Each month, we’ll highlight a different SideDoor designer so you can get to know our community of users, learn about how they’ve personally found success using SideDoor, and hopefully find inspiration for your own design business!
To wrap up each month, we’ll put on a conversational Q&A format SideDoor University hosted by our featured SideDoor superstars.
This week we’re excited to introduce New York based designer, Eteannette Seymour, founder of the design firm Ettie and Co.
Ready to dive in? Here’s our conversation:
CONVERSATION
SideDoor: Hi Ettie! We’re so excited to introduce you to our SideDoor community. First up, we want to know who you are. Tell us a little about yourself, your design business, and where you call home.
Ettie: Yeah! I operate out of Saratoga Springs, New York, which is about three hours north of New York City, but I actually do a lot of long distance clients—I've worked a bunch in Denver (it’s unrelated, but I actually lived in Denver for about 8 years) and in other parts of the country as well, so I kind of have clients all over, but a good chunk of them are local clients.
I do mostly residential projects, though I've done a couple commercial projects, but that's pretty much the overview!
Personally, I'm a mom. I just had a baby in December, so I have three kids now, which is insane and wonderful—a full house for sure!
SideDoor: Awesome! You said you moved from Denver to New York—did you start your company while you were in Denver?
Ettie: Great question! I was actually a teacher for 10 years, so when I moved to New York I was still teaching, and I really wanted to cultivate something different. So, I started doing this on the side, and about four years ago I made the full-time jump.
SideDoor: That’s amazing! What a fun transition. So, we’re curious, can you talk a little bit about how you would describe the clientele you work with and what kinds of services you offer to them?
ETTIE: I’m starting to get more into the renovation side of things, which is adding more of a dimension to my portfolio, but how I use SideDoor—and my favorite projects—are the decorating side of things.
If folks are moving into a new house and they need to decorate the space, we’ll work together to understand their vision and their needs. First, we do a conceptual design for the entire space or home, and then I’ll present them design boards where I’ll have the floor plans, item list, and pricing all sorted out.
That’s where I utilize the SideDoor collections: all of my spreadsheets link to their SiderDoor items—one of my favorite features is the fact that they can click on a link and see all of the different pictures and prices.
My personal preference is when I can work directly with SideDoor [to place the orders] and have all the items come to a receiver, and then have an install day for the client.
SideDoor: To recap that: you use SideDoor as your main vendor, the client views the items through your collection, and then you place the orders?
Ettie: Yes! I’ve come to a point where I’ve realized that it’s so difficult to get clients to understand all the mishaps that can happen [when ordering themselves], and as a designer, it's nice to save your client that headache so they don't even have to worry about it. They just end up getting the chair that they want when it's delivery day.
SideDoor: That’s so smart, and a great way to control the experience for your clients. Maybe you can tell us a little bit about, when it comes to style, what makes you and your work unique?
Ettie: As the years are going by, I’m feeling more confident about flexing a creative muscle—it’s a balance of having things that the client loves, but also having a signature feel.
The spaces I love most usually have some sort of interesting pattern play, whether it’s wallpaper or a rug. I love muted colors, but then I really love the moody dark tones that are coming in right now. I’m also really entering the world of custom window treatments and fabrics, and infusing those with really great pieces.
SideDoor: Yes! I feel like that description of your style really comes across the moment you enter your website. So beautiful. And just for kicks, what’s a fun fact about you, maybe that has nothing to do with design, that you might like to share with our community?
Ettie: Oh my gosh, I have so many! It’s like two truths and a lie, you know? One I always share is that I once rode a camel in Morocco—what a flex, right? The other is that I’ve eaten a worm before—it was a dare, I wouldn’t recommend it!
SideDoor: Ha! Love it. It’s been so fun talking with you, Ettie, and we can't wait to share more of your story with our community and to showcase your interior design journey. Thanks for being a valuable member of the SideDoor community!
Next week we’ll be taking a look at a client project Ettie designed using SideDoor, so stay tuned for that!
If you want to follow along with Ettie’s design work, you can find her website here, as well as her social media profiles on instagram, twitter, and facebook.
And watch out for our schedule announcement of the SideDoor University episode with our very own featured designer for this month, Eteannette Seymour. We can’t wait to learn together!
