New Dream Job Unlocked: You Won’t Believe This Bold, Colorful Space Is Actually an Office

The Everygirl’s merchandise selections are curated by the editorial team. If you bargain thing done our links, we whitethorn gain an affiliate commission, astatine nary outgo to you. We lone urge products we genuinely love.

If you conflict with designing a abstraction that is some beauteous and functional, “a decorator tin surely assistance you onslaught the close balance,” says Michelle Gage—owner, founder, and originative manager of Michelle Gage Interiors. As idiosyncratic who has built a vocation designing unsocial and intentional spaces—from her days astatine Anthropologie to starting her ain plan company—Michelle knows the benefits of leaning connected an interior decorator to assistance with styling a space. Having an oculus for interior plan is simply a existent originative acquisition that lone the fortunate ones are blessed with—Michelle Gage, for one.

We person followed Michelle for years now and watched arsenic her vocation has grown from her tenure astatine Anthropologie HQ to erstwhile she founded Michelle Gage Interiors successful 2017. Five years later, Michelle and her talented squad make spaces for clients that are whimsical, bold, and unique. But a increasing concern needs bureau space, truthful their archetypal task was to plan conscionable that. And TBH, it’s 1 of the astir inspiring and functional offices we person ever seen (right up determination with our ain office, of course!).

You cognize we had to get each the details astir the abstraction and besides drawback up with Michelle astir her vocation since the past clip we spoke with her. So whether you’re funny successful vocation proposal from a creative-slash-entrepreneur oregon you conscionable privation to cognize wherever she finds vintage rugs, we got each the details successful this bureau circuit interrogation for you to soak in.

Michelle Gage’s Maximalist Office Tour

The details:

Name: Michelle Gage
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Square Footage: 900 

You founded your interior plan firm, Michelle Gage Interiors, successful 2017—what has been your biggest acquisition frankincense acold arsenic a concern owner?

When I discontinue my firm job, I benignant of thought “it was each connected me” and I was looking guardant to being the 1 making each of the decisions and “making it each happen.” I rapidly realized that moving your ain concern relies connected truthful galore antithetic partners with antithetic opinions and concern needs. You simply tin not bash it each connected your own.

Additionally, nary substance however overmuch you prepare, determination volition ever beryllium things extracurricular of your control. I americium Type A to a T and unrecorded by The Scouts’ motto: ever beryllium prepared. While mentation is important and volition get you far, it won’t get you everywhere. You truly request to beryllium nimble and bully astatine reasoning connected your feet. Curveballs are perpetually getting thrown astatine you, truthful make a heavy tegument and workout those problem-solving muscles.

You present person a full squad of radical moving with you. How did you cognize it was clip to grow and prosecute employees? What roles were astir important for growth?

That was a question I would inquire a batch of chap concern owners arsenic I got started—and nary 1 truly had an reply for me. It’s truthful circumstantial to you and your idiosyncratic business. I volition say, for me, I knew it was clip to prosecute erstwhile I wholly burnt out—which is precise hard to crawl retired of. Look for aboriginal informing signs of burnout: occupation making decisions, exhaustion from elemental tasks, overwhelm from your increasing to-do list, sleepless nights, and astir importantly…wearing acold excessively galore hats and answering to acold excessively galore people.

When I realized however galore antithetic radical successful antithetic areas of my concern (client, contractor, vendor, insurance, graphic designer, photographer, lawyer, accountant, etc.) I was speaking with, I knew it was clip to prosecute assistance and delegate. My archetypal prosecute was a plan assistant, which freed maine up to tally the business. Sure, I had to fto spell of immoderate of the plan work, but I gained clarity and absorption that allowed america to proceed to expand.

What bash your responsibilities look similar connected a day-to-day ground arsenic a originative manager and a leader? How has your relation evolved arsenic the institution has grown?

I hatred to dependable cliché, but each time truly is different. I could beryllium sourcing cloth and furnishings for a caller plan project, gathering with prospective clients, installing a full location of furniture, styling a photoshoot—or astatine my desk, answering emails, trouble-shooting issues, or, these days, reselecting a portion for a task that went retired of banal aft the lawsuit fell successful emotion with it.

My relation has truly expanded to beryllium much of the concern proprietor and originative director, arsenic I person hired talented squad members to enactment successful different areas of the concern wherever they tin radiance and frankly I americium little skilled.

Let’s get into your caller office! What did the abstraction initially look similar and what was your imaginativeness for the caller design?

We started with an bare shell, but it was antecedently a luxury covering store, truthful determination were 2 dressing rooms that we present usage arsenic illustration closets for rugs and tile. We added the wallpaper crossed the ceiling and down the backmost wall—as good arsenic each of the furnishings and lighting. We’re a backstage bureau and not a nationalist shop, but I inactive wanted it to beryllium amusive and welcoming for our squad and clients.

Tell america astir the location. What drew you to the area?

We’re successful downtown Bryn Mawr, adjacent to a batch of our clients, connected the main street. I person ever been attracted to that country and fell successful emotion erstwhile we recovered this aged gathering to freshen up.

Walk america done the space. How is it laid retired and however bash you usage the antithetic areas?

There is simply a ample halfway array for lawsuit meetings and plan development. There’s a agelong slope of desks connected the close broadside and ample illustration retention connected the left. We person high-top tables successful the backmost due to the fact that you tin ne'er person capable surfaces for illustration selections!

You erstwhile said that “not each portion successful the country needs to beryllium the star; immoderate pieces request to play a supporting role.” What piece(s) bash you see to beryllium the prima of your caller bureau space?

I did! The stars successful our workplace are surely the pinkish climbing floral wallpaper and the brass starburst chandelier. Don’t get maine wrong, the vintage rugs and reclaimed desks are beauteous chill too, but I’d see them supporting actors.

Instead of 1 large country rug, you layered respective antithetic rugs nether the league array for a colorful, mismatched look. Tell america your tips and tricks for layering rugs—especially erstwhile combining specified vibrant colors and patterns.

So you’re ne'er going to get your perfect size and signifier each successful 1 vintage rug. With vintage, you instrumentality what you tin get! I sourced a clump of over-dyed rugs successful colors that complimented each different and the wallpaper and chose to furniture them successful a mode that creates 1 larger rug.

Although the plan is amusive and whimsical, the bureau yet needs to service arsenic a moving space. To that end, however did functionality play a portion successful the design?

Our workplace is ace functional—and we’re ever changing things astir based connected our illustration needs astatine that time! The abstraction is genuinely a customized acceptable for our retention and squad needs.

The abstraction features a premix of ergonomic table chairs, metallic stools, velvet upholstered chairs, and wishbone chairs. How did you determine connected specified a assortment of seating passim the office?

We chose everything based connected benignant and comfort. Comfortable table chairs for machine enactment and stylish wishbone chairs for lawsuit meetings. The leather stools are the cleanable tallness for the high-top tables successful the back.

We emotion that you chose to instrumentality the wallpaper up the ceiling alternatively of each the mode astir the room. What drew you to this wallpaper pattern, and however did you find the placement?

I americium precise decisive. This was the lone bureau abstraction we viewed and that was THE ONLY wallpaper I considered for the space. It’s the cleanable pinkish for our company’s branding and from 1 of our favourite UK vendors. It’s amusive and funky—but besides successful a concentrated country truthful it’s not excessively distracting. The soffit was conscionable achromatic and boring, and the wallpaper keeps america inspired!

Talk to america astir the creation successful the space. Where did it each travel from and what inspires you astir the ones you chose? The topiary portion supra the greenish sofa is our favorite!

We emotion to show quirky artwork and either root from our favourite artists oregon commercialized vendors—always keeping it colorful! That is my favourite piece, too!

There are potted plants and vases of flowers each implicit the office. How bash you usage plants and greenery arsenic plan elements?

I virtually sent my 2 green-thumbed employees retired with my recognition paper to get the plants. I termination everything, but I cognize the worth of having works beingness astir america successful the workplace, truthful I near the masters to their craft.

Did you bash a batch of thrifting for the space, oregon are astir pieces new? 

Everything is new, with the objection of the vintage rugs I sourced connected Etsy. I’m each for finding secondhand items wherever it makes sense, but successful an office, everything needs to beryllium sturdy and built well, truthful we needed newer pieces. This besides allows america to show immoderate of the commercialized vendors we usage for lawsuit projects, truthful they tin truly get a consciousness for the prime of each portion we’re recommending for their home.

Your plan benignant is bold, playful, and afloat of personality. What is your proposal for idiosyncratic who has a akin emotion for colour but is disquieted astir going overboard?

Hire a designer–or enactment successful layers! A decorator tin surely assistance you onslaught the close balance. If you’re going it alone, commencement with 1 portion and strategically physique from determination aft you spot it successful the room.

Some radical perceive the connection “maximalism” and instantly deliberation cluttered oregon excessively busy. How bash you toed the enactment betwixt a abstraction that feels artful and collected and 1 that is conscionable excessively much?

It’s each astir the edit! Don’t person thing successful your location that you don’t LOVE! I’m ever scanning my location for items to purge.

We emotion your model displays! Do you alteration them retired often oregon seasonally? How bash you determine what to showcase?

Thank you! We designed them from the leap and ne'er changed them since. We chose colors that are on-brand and resonate with our signature style. We usage a batch of quirky wallpaper, jewel-toned velvet, connection lighting, and burl–all of which are connected show successful our windows!

How agelong bash you spot yourself successful this office? Do you yet program connected expanding?

That’s ever changing! Some days I deliberation it’s cleanable and we’ll beryllium present forever. Other days, I consciousness similar we request much backstage offices and much storage. As of today, I deliberation we’ll enactment enactment for a bit. Ask maine time and the reply volition beryllium different.

What’s adjacent for you and your company?

We’re hiring much squad members to beryllium capable to accommodate much projects. I’m excited to ticker the designers connected our squad turn successful their roles and let maine to absorption connected the concern itself.