We recently connected with Andrea Knowles and have shared our conversation below.

Andrea, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s talk about innovation. What’s the most innovative thing you’ve done in your career?

Toward the end of COVID, I realized that my residential design/build practice wasn’t bringing the same joy as it had in the past, so I put together my work and my passion for horses and created Equine Residences. The marriage of the two became a global disruptor in the equestrian and architecture/design spaces. So many people realized that my vision of high-end, luxury finishes and innovation had been missing from their own stables and a brand was born.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As an equestrian facilities architect and designer I am in a very niche world. Working with horses requires some very specific aspects of the designs for their health, wellness and safety, but my firm’s objective is to also make each facility unique and beautiful. Our philosophy is that our clients should never want to leave and feel as comfortable in their stables as they do in their homes, planes, boats and etc. We want every owner, visitor and employee to arrive at our facilities and say to themselves and others: “There’s nowhere we would rather be”. One of the things we mindfully employ in every design is the same high-end finish work we put in our residential and commercial / hospitality projects. Fine textiles, stones, woods, finishes, lighting and the like are in all of our designs and keep elevating with every project we take on. I am most proud of the way we have proven to be so unique in each and every design and that we bring inspiration to people who have become jaded and weary of the norm.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

Right at the beginning of my founding of Equine Residences, I connected with the number one influencer in the equestrian industry when he followed my Instagram account. I figured “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” and reached out to him directly. He and I stayed on the phone for several hours on our first call and we ended up designing his partners’ and his first design/build-from-scratch project. I didn’t know how long it would take to realize the initiation and completion and gambled that 1. our secret would keep while we were in process and 2. that his following would be excited about it. The gamble paid off and awareness has been incredible following the announcement 2 years after we began working together.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

As a designer, I am constantly searching for new ideas, whether in the interior design world of artisans and vendors, or in new computer programs that offer me the ability to express myself and give my clients, potential clients and followers on social media inspiration. The worlds of static and moving AI are proving invaluable for both, as well as the incredible talents of my architectural design team who have been working with me for several years. I feel that being open to the new and unknown, and learning how to mine new avenues for creative expression are inestimable. And, even though some of that experimentation is not for everyone, it seems to be working very well for me in my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.equineresidences.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/equine_residences/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084532375625
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-knowles-61a82326b/
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/equineresidences/

Image Credits

Images via MODE Visuals
Headshot via Agustin Arellano