Let’s just start by saying… Growing up, I never thought I would have my own business, let alone an Interior Design business.  This was something I never could have dreamt of or imagined…

Growing Up

I grew up on the small island of Puerto Rico.  My dad is from El Salvador and my mom is Puerto Rican. My grandmother had moved to Puerto Rico from El Salvador and became an entrepreneur. By the time I was a young kid, she had two successful artisanal goods shops in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico – in what today is actually prime real estate.  She would source the goods directly from Central America.

When I was growing up, we spent many weekends at the store, where my parents helped out, worked weekends and my dad would sometimes drive around the entire island delivering furniture, hammocks and more.

I loved playing in the store. There were beautiful onyx figurines, colorful textiles and jewelry. It was a kids’ fantasy. My grandma doesn’t have that store anymore, but with the help of craftsmen, she keeps making and selling a few things, such as this mirror (pictured above) which I’ve had for about 12 years now. It is one of those pieces I will carry with me to every new place I live and best of all, it’ll go great with any décor.

I hadn’t connected the dots until after I had started my business, that perhaps my experience spending time at my grandmother’s shops could have influenced my journey to where I am today.

Back then, Interior Design was a mostly foreign concept to me. My parents had me in college. They worked really hard and didn’t have a lot. We moved 12 times before I was 11. One year, my mom’s company closed and we moved in with my grandmother for a year, 4 of us living in one room. I was young and didn’t mind, especially because it was a block from the beach. But to imagine one day getting to design my own home, let alone helping others with their homes, was something I couldn’t have dreamt of at the time.

Design Influences

In addition to my grandmother’s influence, I had a love for fashion design early on… when I was about 8 or 9, I would see these outfit ideas in my head and I always struggled to get it on paper. In high school, I took a fashion design class and was hooked.  I asked my parents for a sewing machine and tried making lots of clothes, but soon learned that making clothes is hard and making pillows is easy. So the next summer, I sewed my own bedroom pillows and duvet cover, painted my entire room and furniture and made over my room.

From there, through design magazines and HGTV, my passion grew.  I tackled a lot of DIY projects in my own spaces.  When my husband and I bought our first house, it was our chance to do all the things and we had so much fun transforming our spaces.

Starting my business

At some point in 2017, I came across a course for E-Design… a new way to present design that was approachable and something in me said YES!  Well that idea stayed in my head, I signed up for the course in late 2018 and after having my son in 2019, I took more courses and, with the help of a friend/business coach, launched my business in late 2019.

E-Design clients led to bigger projects, working with contractors, furniture procurement and most importantly, learning a lot about quality furniture and good design. Now, we offer three different kinds of design services to serve different needs.

I’m thrilled I get to do this for a living.  Using my natural talent and vision for design is so exciting and getting to share that with people is very fulfilling.  The ultimate gift is seeing people light up when we reveal the designs for their home and how well it matches their lifestyle and personality.

While this industry is certainly very challenging, I feel proud that I get to help people thrive in their spaces by improving their surroundings.  I believe what we do has a profound, long lasting, positive impact on our clients and I’m so grateful everyday.

Let’s work together!

Book a call to work with our team! We have 3 tiers of flexible design services to work with your budget and needs. We can’t wait to work together to help you thrive at home!