As the two year anniversary of Interior Collab is upon us, Gianna Marzella, our Magazine Editor, reflects back upon those two years and where Interior Collab is today.

by Gianna Marzella, Editor
September 17, 2021

As the two year anniversary of Interior Collab is upon us, I have taken some time to reflect upon what this organization means to me. While most of us know that Interior Collab came to be from what was really the sad collapse of an organization that brought most of us together to begin with, Homepolish, we have since grown into so much more.

The idea behind Interior Collab was to create an organization that was founded by designers for designers to bring us together and raise each other up in an industry that is often perceived as secretive and territorial. Most people think of designers as collaborators with their clients, but not typically one another.  For the longest time, secrecy was considered the norm in this business. There was a scarcity mindset that made people believe that they needed to look out for their own interests, while keeping secrets from their colleagues about their successes and what brought them forward in this industry.  I can honestly say that this organization represents the opposite.  There is an energy of sharing and abundance that creates a positive and inspiring environment.

 Is the exposure and prospect of future business that the Collab brings about an asset?  Absolutely.  Not only have I personally had leads from our website, but other Collabers have also referred clients to me when they felt it was not the right fit for their own firm, or they were at capacity and had to pass on the project, as have I them.  These organic leads are just as valuable as those generated from our website, if not more.  This shows a trust that has organically formed over the last two years.  But if you want to know why I am here, it has nothing to do with client acquisition.  It is a great perk, no doubt, but I am in this for so much more.  I am here because these members are now my trusted friends and colleagues.  Before the Collab, when I ran into a challenge in my business, I looked around my four walls had an in-depth conversation with myself, figured out a path, and moved forward.  I hoped I made the right decision but there was no sounding board.  This is a very real challenge of solopreneurship. Sure, your accountant can advise you in that aspect, and a marketing expert in their domain, but they don’t have the same macro view of your business, nor are they driven by the same passions.  While I deeply trust my own judgment, there are many ways to see something.  The benefit of the outside perspective of peers has been immeasurable for me.  When I am sourcing a tradesperson, I reach out to my fellow Collabers and I have a few vetted options to pick from.  This is valuable beyond measure.  When someone steps foot into a client’s space, they are a direct reflection of me.  While we all have our trusted tradespeople, sometimes they are busy, and we need alternatives.  I know when a Collaber is making the connection, I am working with someone I can confidently recommend.  That is EVERYTHING in this business. 

Another aspect of Interior Collab that I have come to really love is my role as the editor of this magazine. This is certainly not something I have ever done before.  The magazine has been an amazing way to get to know other members of this organization. Because I am writing the articles in the designer interview series, I have learned so much about the various paths my colleagues have taken to get where they are today.  This inspires me on a very human level. We all have such different stories and I feel privileged to hear them.  I am also creatively inspired when I am writing articles that are geared towards design tips and best practices.  I get to dig deeper into some of these beautiful images on our website and understand the why and how of them.  It gets me thinking about my own design process and shapes and informs it for the future. 

Don’t get me wrong, being a founding member of Interior Collab is a lot of work.  We started this venture because we all knew fundamentally it was needed.  We came together once a week for the first few months to figure out exactly who we wanted to be and how we would get there, with no outside funding.  The “no outside funding” part is really relevant because it means not only are we are working for free, but also motivated by absolutely nothing other than our own, self-directed agenda as interior designers.   This was the mission we set forth 2 years ago.

We have persevered through a pandemic, are funded only by nominal membership fees, and have given freely of our own time as founding members,  and also active Interior Collab members, to get us where we are today.  We have other designers writing magazine stories and are growing that aspect of Interior Collab with our very own talents (thank you Allegra Muzzillo and Silvana Vergara). We have successfully linked clients to designers.  We have monthly meetings with all members where we freely share and collaborate.  We have guest speakers who are experts in this industry, see the value in our organization, and are therefore willingly to freely share their time and expertise with us.

The founding members/directors meet once per month for 2 plus hours to outline and fine tune our agendas to create sustained growth that feels in line with why we began this community.  We then break out into our sub-committees, Membership, PR & Marketing, Finance, Business Development, & Philanthropy (more on this one coming soon), and then do the actual work.

We hope our members are inspired by the growth we have seen, like our exciting new partnership with Luxury Carpet manufacturers, JD Staron.  We are launching our first ever competition for a chance to design a capsule collection for JD Staron.   This competition is exclusive to Interior Collab designers.  These efforts have come from the tireless work of our Business Development committee, which is also responsible for our partnership with Dipt, linking designers and clients on renovation projects through their platform. There are numerous other new partnerships and efforts on the horizon, and we are so excited for the months ahead!

I am so proud of and inspired by the work we have done in two short years.  I look forward to continuing to get to know one another better at our first, in person, all member meeting this month.  Thank you all for the privilege of being part of your community.

With Love,

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