We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christine Cook a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Christine, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

I always dreamed of having my own design firm and contemplated for many years what the perfect name would be. My goal has always been to have an inclusive and welcoming company culture, so I knew I wanted a name that is personally significant without just being my personal name. EP Interior is named after my two girls, Emerson and Parker. They are still young and don’t understand just yet, but my hope is that EP can be a thriving company they feel proud to be associated with regardless of their future career paths.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

From an early age I knew I wanted to be a designer; I couldn’t stop myself from constantly moving my furniture and artwork around until it felt perfect. I went to college with this unwavering mindset and never looked back. After graduating, I moved from the Midwest to Louisiana where finding an interior design job proved difficult due to limited opportunities in the area. I worked my way up in the visual merchandiser position of a large department store, which allowed me to implement my creative abilities. I then landed a job at a small Houston design firm where I quickly fell in love with working in clients’ homes and getting to know them personally. I travelled and lived in many parts of the US and world following my husband’s career and knew once landing back in Houston it was my turn to pursue my own business. I am most proud of showing my daughters that you can have it all; being a dedicated wife, mother, and successful entrepreneur. Now that we are living back in the states, my husband and I are so lucky to both be excelling in our careers while having family and friends close for our girls to grow up with. EP Interior carries many different vendors with unique design styles as well as price points. We are a one stop shop for anything design related for your home including upholstery, casegood furniture, rugs, artwork, accessories, and window coverings. Designing clients’ homes to reflect their personal style and help with functionality and usage of spaces is such a fun and rewarding task. We are fortunate to not only have a following of loving clients but to be referred often to new clients as well.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

When opening EP, I really wanted a space right off the bat to showcase decorative accessories, artwork and have a place for clients to come in for presentations. I quickly learned just how expensive commercial real estate can be and that I could do everything I needed to at home without overhead. I stopped looking and just put all my energy into helping all the amazing clients coming my way until the perfect space fell into my lap. The showroom I found was exactly what I was looking for and was already built for what we needed, we just needed to make it our own! We landed in the heart of Spring Branch, and I am so happy I waited to bring that extra overhead expense to the business. I did not have to take out any loans or initial capital because of my business model and personal backing. It is a good feeling to be able to set up a new company and be debt free from day one!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Our showroom is such a happy environment and we have enjoyed throwing events and parties here to celebrate our clients and meet new ones! We chose to sublease some of the showroom to a great boutique that always has customers in browsing, Prickly Pear HTX! This allows new walk-in traffic for both companies and was a smart way to meet new clientele. We joke that we are one happy sorority and truly enjoy working next to each other!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.EP-Interior.com
• Instagram: @epinterior.dg
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/epinterior.dg

Image Credits
Prisma Media Christina Allen Photography