Today we’d like to introduce you to Andréa Sealey.
Hi Andréa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi! I’m Andréa – an interior design expert based in Tampa, Florida. I didn’t always call myself an interior designer but design always called me. Growing up, moving my bed and dresser from one side to another or buying new room decor always made me feel powerful when I could control little else. Controlling my environment by rearranging the room under my parent’s roof provided the artistic expression and freedom I craved during those angsty pre-teen years. By the time my husband and I got married in 2014, we had moved four times since getting engaged in 2012. Since being married, we have moved a total of seven times. Whether the move was for business or personal reasons, I wanted our space to feel like our forever home. I decorated as though we would live in that same townhome, duplex, high rise condo or corporate apartment for eternity.
Before we made our seventh move to Florida in 2018, we attempted to sell our home in Kansas City, MO and received zero competitive offers. We decided to list our entire furnished home on Airbnb until the right buyer came knocking. Our listing soared in the rankings, with most guests complimenting the interior design and our welcoming accommodations. Quickly, friends who operated short term rentals or owned investment properties wanted their units redecorated or remodeled. Soon after, I began working on other residential and commercial e-design projects remotely. All projects begin with my signature e-design service which includes custom floor plans and furniture plans, conceptual designs, shoppable lists and hyper-realistic 3D renderings. The client may re-design their spaces at their own pace or continue working with me to bring their vision to life.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Most days feel like a demanding exercise in time management and maniacal prioritization. In addition to running my design business, I work alongside software engineers to drive enhancement requests for a prescription drug monitoring program that helps states regulate the overprescription of opioids and other controlled substances. No day is smooth when I’m overdelivering for my design clients, recording ever-evolving state PDMP requirements, being a mom of a sweet, energetic three year old boy, and running a household with all the unique challenges that Covid presented last year. Once I identified what business activities I did not enjoy and carefully outsourced them, life became exponentially more manageable. Laundry is still my archnemesis, hands down! It’s a daily struggle.
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?
Behind my business are creatives who are take pride in transforming the most important place for most humans: The place we call home. Home has taken on an all-encompassing meaning this year. It has become our sanctuary, our office, our gym and our home school. Adjusting to this new normal has been tough for all of us. While our dysfunctional, disjointed, or outdated spaces were begrudgingly ignored prior to Covid, people are now demanding that their homes adjust too. Our e-design service includes a custom floor plan, furniture plan, three style concept boards, and one shoppable list which clients can use to design their home or business at their own pace. We also offer full design services, which include furniture installation, purchasing and project management. Although there has been significant innovation in the tech and software space for architecture and design and several online e-design firms have gained popularity in recent years, the industry rarely makes fees or processes clear. As a result, designer expertise becomes inaccessible to a large segment of the market, and prospective customers write our industry off as serving high-end clientele exclusively. My full design process and price sheet can be found in my Instagram highlights @spacesinteriordsn and on my website www.spacseinteriordsn.com. Most customers have at least one architectural feature, furniture, or home accent pieces they want to keep. I always respect those items by building a concept around the furniture a client already has. Whether or not they choose the concept build around their current items, it is often difficult to choose just one. I also don’t believe in safe design. When designing a space, I frequently push boundaries by blending two or more styles. When combined, they create a revolutionary design that no other room can emulate. I call those rooms “Design mutts!” I also believe that the world has moved on from overly feminine, wildly contemporary and Eurocentric design as the gold standard. This generation wants character-filled, somewhat androgynous, worldly spaces that leave no question in visitors’ minds about who lives there. My personal style is Mid Industrial Modern with a twist of afro abstraction.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
It’s difficult to accomplish anything meaningful from your comfort zone. Risk-taking implies that the idea is not carefully calculated. I reframe risks as opportunities. In 2014, I pivoted my career from digital advertising to technology, re-inventing myself after a recent move halfway across the country. My marketing skills have empowered me to define a clear social media strategy for my small business and my technology background allows me to learn and implement new tools with ease. Another opportunity arose when I began working for a flexible company that supported my goals of being location independent. Pre-pandemic, before work from home, became the new normal, remote work felt precarious. Nonetheless, we moved to Florida to be within driving distance of extended family and hoped for the best. Six months later, and an incredible 42 percent of the U.S. labor force is now working from home full-time. Finally, in business, success is never guaranteed. Yet, I started my business in a pandemic with little more than an eye for design and a laptop. I’ve approached all of these opportunities in three steps 1. Analyze 2. Plan 3. Execute. With laser-like vision, a little grit and a circle of trusted and supportive advisors, you can create your own luck.
Pricing:
- My residential e-design service starts at $100/hour not exceeding 4 hours per room.
- My commercial e-design service starts at $150/hour not exceeding 4 hours per room
Contact Info:
- Email: andrea@spacesinteriordsn.com
- Website: www.spacesinteriordsn.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/spacesinteriordsn
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/theandreasealey
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/theandreasealey
- Other: Clubhouse – andrea.sealey
Image Credits:
Anthony Sealey – IG @tonytakestampabay
