We recently connected with Anna Carolina Mihailovic and have shared our conversation below.
Hi ANNA CAROLINA, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?
After spending 10 years working in a showroom in town, I realized it no longer felt like the right fit for me. I had the urge to pursue something I truly love. So, I went back to my roots- born in Brazil- and decided to bring beautiful, unique, and culturally rich accessories from my home country and beyond, including Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey, Africa, and Australia.
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.
My name is Anna Carolina Mihailovic. I came to the U.S in 2000 without speaking English, but I was determined to follow my passion for design. I enrolled at the Interior Design Institute (IDI) in Newport Beach, where I faced many language challenges, yet I persevere and graduated in 2006.
While in the school, I had the opportunity to work for an incredible designer for 7.5 years. During that time, I developed a strong work ethic, with discipline as my foundation. I met countless vendors, visited showrooms to source furniture, textiles, tiles, and flooring, and efficiently – always making things happen, no matter what!
After my mentor moved to another state, I transitioned to working at a home decor and bedding showroom. It was there that I truly found my path. What I started as helping clients with new bedding and bedroom designs and soon expanded into full home transformations. This journey required courage, commitment, confidence, and discipline. I manage everything on my own, navigating last minute challenges while ensuring my clients were always taken care of. My daily mantra became: Carolina, make it happen, no matter what!
I believe in this Industry or most of it we or at least I always go an extra mile often without them even realizing the hurdles we’ve overcome. My goal is always to create a smooth, effortless experience while delivering exceptional results.
Beyond design, I love sharing the beautiful and unique pieces I bring from around the world- Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey, Africa and Australia, and more- curating home accessories you don’t see every day. I also thrive on challenges, especially problem solving. There’s a deep sense of joy and fulfillment in making things come together flawlessly.
At the end of the day, my passion lies in creating spaces that feel special, personal, and thoughtfully curated- always with the mindset of making it happen!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
When I first started bringing in pieces from other countries, I stored them in a public storage facility. My clients would come by to see what I had, and for while it worked. But after a few months, the constant flow of visitors-many arriving in beautiful cars-caught the attention of the storage facility manager. He reminded me that it wasn’t a retail space, and I had to move.
(Honest, they thought I was selling drugs) lol too many expensive cars in and out).
That’s when I found a small, 400sq ft. office in Costa Mesa. I stayed there for a year before stumbling-completely by accident-upon a great location in the more industrial side of Costa Mesa. Without hesitation, I jumped on the opportunity that very same day. It was a big financial commitment, and honestly, I was very scared- but once again, I made it happen!
After a year in first warehouse/showroom, I moved once more-this time, just a few units closer to the street, with better visibility and easier access for my clients. And the journey continues!
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I took a bold approach- some might even call it aggressive-but I saw it as simply putting myself out there. I started by reaching designers, architects, builders, and contractors, then reaching out to them directly via DM with a short, friendly introduction. I offered to send my online catalog, making it easy for them to explore my collection.
Once they visited my page, most responded positively and shared their email contacts with me. From there, I followed their pages, they followed mine, and I sent a detailed email introducing my brand and offerings. This opened the door to sending samples, building relationships, and ultimately turning those connections into sales.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hausofaurah.com
- Instagram: @hausofaurahlighting and @hausofaurah
- Facebook: Haus of Aurah
- Linkedin: Anna Carolina Mihailovic
- Youtube: Haus of Aurah
