Today we’d like to introduce you to Clara Gruber.
Hi Clara, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve moved a lot in my life. Different countries, different cities, different homes. And with every move came the same ritual: unpacking, arranging, creating a sense of “home” again. What began as a necessity turned into my lifelong passion — learning what makes people feel rooted, safe, and inspired in a space. Across three continents, I discovered that home is not about walls or square footage; it’s about the feeling you get when you walk in and say, this is where I belong.
Born and raised in Europe, I studied across three universities and earned two master’s degrees and a PhD. Each chapter taught me something essential. In South Africa, I learned to value access to education, food, and all the so-called “little things” that aren’t little at all. In my time in the UK, I learned that no matter how different people appear, we all share the same hopes, dreams, fears, and laughter.
Along the way, I trained my design eye — learning from designers like Alidad in London and taking masterclasses with Kelly Wearstler and Shea McGee and from color expert Katrin Trautwein in Switzerland, I learned to respect timeless interiors while also celebrating bold new ideas. And eventually, life brought me here to Michigan. With my three boys and my husband, this is where we chose to build a future and a business – a high-end home staging, interior decoration and furniture sale business.
Today, when I sit at my laptop with my headphones on and my favorite music playing, working on a staging concept or a design board, I realize something: even though I work a lot, it doesn’t feel like work. It feels like joy. It feels like the life I was meant to live — creating homes that tell stories, and helping others fall in love with spaces the same way I always have.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road … nope. And I don’t think it ever is for any entrepreneur. For me, moving across continents meant starting over again and again. Every time I had to build new friendships, learn new systems, and prove myself in new cultures. At times, it was lonely and overwhelming.
When I stepped away from my academic and corporate career to raise my three boys, I faced another challenge: letting go of the identity I had worked so hard to build. It felt risky to start fresh in a new country with a young family and then to pivot into entrepreneurship. There were moments when I wondered: Can I really do this? These are the times when you need YOUR people. The ones who believe in you and challenge you.
But looking back, every struggle had its gift. Starting over so many times taught me courage. Motherhood taught me patience and perspective. And building Set The Stage has taught me that growth isn’t linear — it’s about showing up every single day, even when things feel uncertain. That’s what makes success so rewarding: it’s not just about the wins, it’s about the resilience it takes to get there.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Set The Stage is about creating those “I want to live here” moments. We don’t just put furniture in a room — we create a feeling, a story that makes people want to step in and stay. Our work includes high-end home staging, curated furniture sales, and interior decorating services.
What makes us different comes down to three things:
– Everything we stage is for sale — thanks to our national network, we can offer high-end brands like Four Hands, Mercana, Loloi and Alder & Tweed below retail.
– Red-carpet, white-glove touch — we go above and beyond – we want every client to feel truly special. From the first meeting to the final reveal.
– Our style — curated luxury: warm minimalism meets organic modern. It’s elegant and layered, with comfort, beauty, and function carefully balanced in every design — the kind of look that’s truly Insta-worthy.
At the end it`s about creating spaces people fall in love with — whether that’s preparing a property for sale or helping someone decorate the home they’re already living in. That’s what excites me most every single day.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
They say: “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.” I believe every entrepreneur feels at least a little scared in the beginning — I certainly did. But alongside that fear comes a surge of excitement. And that tension is actually a gift: it’s proof that you’re stepping into something worth doing, something that will stretch and shape you. My hope is that anyone reading this who feels that same mix of fear and excitement knows they’re not alone — it’s part of the journey. And if you keep showing up with courage, amazing things will happen.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sem.wesetthestage.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/setthestage_southeast.mi/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SetTheStage.Southeast.Mi
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/setthestage-southeast-mi
