Today we’d like to introduce you to Shauna Speet.
Hi Shauna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I knew from a young age I loved creating and seeing the potential in ordinary things and spaces.
I was given plenty of generous opportunities to practice creating a vision for a space and then seeing it come to life.
I honed my client relation skills and business management mindset by shadowing different designers all throughout high school and design school, learning as much as I could from real-world encounters.
After graduating design school, I felt too intimidated to just start telling people what to do with their homes, as I had not yet owned a home of my own. So, I started painting furniture for people. (this was when chalk paint hit its peak) and some of the furniture that was brought to me to paint was broken, so I learned how to use wood glue + rods to fix and strengthen it before painting.
Once I learned how to fix furniture, I started dabbling in making pieces of my own: coffee tables and benches to start, then working my way towards large farmhouse tables and grand king-size beds.
This was all going well, and I was actually making a little money at it, too. But this was all meant to be just a job while I continued to gain knowledge in the world of interiors and studying how a home functions at its best.
I decided to close up my woodworking shop when I was 8mo pregnant with our first baby and spent the next few years as a stay-at-home mom taking online SketchUp classes.
Once the kids were out of diapers, I started taking on a few clients and using SketchUp to convey my design ideas and help them see the potential in their homes.
I loved every minute. I loved listening to the pain points and functionality issues of my clients and creating a design plan that solved those issues and captured their unique design personality.
After I had a few years of design experience under my belt, I created design service packages based on what past clients wanted help with to streamline the quoting process. I also created an online course where I teach how to functionally layout a kitchen, how to create a cohesive design plan, and an overview of the renovation process- how to hire a good contractor/what to hire out if you are DIYing/checklists for what will need to be done and when to order each item.
I am now living my dream of being an Interior Designer and having the flexibility to enjoy being a mom. I don’t know what lies ahead career-wise. I have some big ideas, but I’m so very content and happy with how things are right now.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There has been a lot of pivoting- first pivot was not jumping right into interior design after graduating.
The second pivot was closing up the wood shop and taking a few years off as I raised our babies at home.
And LOTS of little pivots as I have navigated how to grow and run a profitable service-based business.
As you know, we’re big fans of Shauna Speet Interiors. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
I am an interior designer specializing in creating functional homes for families that are true to their architecture style.
Functionality + architecture + personal design style = timeless design.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
You won’t know what type of projects you are passionate about until you go through the process at least once.
Find someone willing to let you shadow them to get this experience!
Pricing:
- $125 Kitchen Design Online Course
- $350 Design Consultation
- $750 Custom Home Analysis
- $2500+ Kitchen Design Packages
Contact Info:
- Website: shaunaspeet.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shauna.speet.interiors/
Image Credits
Elyn Marie Photography
