Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ann Cox. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Ann, thanks for joining us today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

My whole industry is based on trends. Open up any interior design based publication and it is all about color trends, styles that are coming back, the new “it” item you need in your home (some of them are even on my own blog). Of course I like to read some of those articles to understand what is going on in my industry, but what I really pick up on is the trends I see in my clients. Certain words will start to pop up more, or you see people gravitating to certain color palettes over others. The industry is headed away from spaces of whites and greys, evolving to more rich palettes with different patterns and textures. Which is great for me, that is where I thrive.

I have always told people that colors can be neutrals. You don’t need creams, whites and greys when someone says they want a neutral palette. Greens, blues, and muted tones can also be neutrals and that is how I like to begin to introduce color into a design with a client who might be color shy. Green is a huge color right now, I am designing a kitchen with green cabinets, incorporating green furniture, installing wallpaper with green undertones, its everywhere.

Other trends that I am loving include curved furniture pieces, boulce fabric, and moody color palettes.

Ann, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi, I’m Ann! I’m owner and lead designer of Ann Cox Design, a full service interior design studio, as well as co-owner of Home Staging Gals, a Tampa based home staging company. Inspired by art, culture, and color, I create contemporary and transitional spaces that reflect who you are and how you live. I want my clients to feel transported to another space but also immediately feel at ease in their home. While I can design for all styles, I shine when I can play with color. I love to add unexpected pieces in spaces; a funky table or lamp, maybe an interesting piece of art or unexpected color palette. Raised by artists and craftsmen, I found my calling for interior design and launched Ann Cox Design in May of 2016 focusing on custom and unique furnishings. I’ve always been engaged with the arts and been drawn towards creative fields. After college, I ended up working for West Elm as their Lead Stylist. While working for them, I started doing outside consultations for friends and family, it didn’t take long for me to realize that I really wanted to be working for myself. I knew I wanted to branch out, work with new materials, and have access to a larger collection of furnishings. Once I made up my mind, I never looked back.
Jumping into my own business was an easy decision for me because I have always taken risks in life. I like to give myself a year to try something new or make a large change, and if it doesn’t work out after that, at least I know I gave it a shot. I then try to reflect, take an honest look at what I am doing and try not to let my biases take over.
The first year was, of course, stressful. I had no idea what I was doing. I never had anyone tell me “this is how you run a business.” I firmly believe I cannot be great at everything, so getting my dream team of experts together was very important to me. The first thing I did was get a CPA, Lawyer and settled on what design software I was going to use to keep everything organized. Setting myself up with a great business foundation helped me feel more secure about what I was starting.
The first few years of business I figured out what processes work for me and what do not. I was not afraid to try new things and switch something up if it was not working. I knew that if I wanted this to be a long-term career that I needed to be flexible and treated everything as a learning opportunity.
I’ve been on this journey since May 2016 and can truly say I am proud of the business and brand I have built. I have surrounded myself with an extremely talented group of professionals that I can trust to bring the Ann Cox Design vision to life. Everyone from our photographer, to our delivery team, to my favorite vendors, we all look out for each other and it makes that job just that much more rewarding. I was able to build this community of passionate professionals by being transparent about our goals and trusting them to share their crafts with me. Without them, my scary ideas would never come to life.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’m sure this is a very common answer these days, but we probably had to go through our biggest pivot when the pandemic hit in 2020. We had to shift our business to a virtual experience which is just really difficult for interior design. Going from in an in-person consult and service, to a virtual experience meant we needed to solve for a bunch of issues. We had to figure out how to get samples to clients. Photos and videos do not properly show colors and it is best to see them in the space with the lighting. So this meant we needed to order more samples so we could send to clients, develop packaging and a new system for displaying these samples in a way that still felt like a first-class experience. Things like measuring was a big one, not everyone knows how to measure properly and a lot of my job is dependent on accurate measurements. We actually had a few clients reach out to us from Texas and California so I used my contacts to find trustworthy tradespeople in those markets to go and take measurements for me.

We also took a pivot in how we showed up on social media. We knew everyone was at home, confused, maybe a little bored, and just looking to be inspired by something. So we took to Instagram to really engage with our community. We started a new series called “Mood Board Monday” where we designed mood boards around different themes, artists, colors, etc. to help shine a light on some of the things that were inspiring us lately but to also hopefully bring some joy and spark inspiration for anyone else out there who just needed a little something to help them get through the day.
At the end of the day, the pivot ended up being positive. We had to think outside of the box and build new processes for things we didn’t already have in place. I ended up designing spaces in California, Texas, South Florida, and Pennsylvania. Knowing that I can grow my business into new markets and still provide the same level of service that my local clients get is a huge win for me, and something that is on my radar for how I could expand our practice in the future.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for me is word of mouth. When you provide a great design coupled with great customer service, people can’t help but share. I also co-own a home staging company, Home Staging Gals, with another interior designer, Michael from Coco Design Group. I get a decent amount of referrals from that business as well. Real estate agents will sell a home, their clients will talk about renovations or interior design and they can easily point to the space and say well this is staged by interior designers.

I also get a decent amount of work through social media and digital marketing. I’m very thankful that one of my friends is my head of marketing. We started working together in 2018. I told her I loved all of her ideas and questions she would ask me during wine nights and said she should just work with me and bring them to life. Together we have built a brand that has consistently grown each year. We are constantly chatting and giving each other real-time feedback on the business. There have been days where I have gotten a DM on Instagram from a client because they saw a chair we posted and it became a $600 sale. Having her on my team is so helpful because it allows me to use my time in the areas I need to be focusing on and I trust her to take care of the things she is uniquely positioned to do as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.anncoxdesign.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anncoxdesign/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnVCoxDesign
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ann-cox-design-tampa
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/AnnCoxDesignTampa/

Image Credits
all photos are Ashlee Hamon Photography