We were lucky to catch up with Brianna Curtin recently and have shared our conversation below.
Brianna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
B-Side is a Full Service Interior Design Studio. Pretty self-explanatory, right? Not exactly… in my experience it’s actually more confusing and too open ended. There’s also the question of, “am I looking for a designer or a decorator and what exactly is the difference?”
Our mission as a Full Service Interior Designer is the clarify the difference, bring your design ideas to life while fulfilling your needs and guiding you through the process with ease and enjoyment.
At B-Side it’s our desire to show the authenticity and value of our work, gain our clients trust and become an advisor, advocate and friend throughout the process. We genuinely care about our clients and want them to feel heard, understood and confident in their decisions. Your home is your sanctuary, your place of solace and we want it to be uniquely yours. Building a new home or renovating an existing space can be very trying, frustrating and exhausting. Design for us isn’t just about creating pretty spaces but building spaces that reflect a person’s true individuality. B-Side is here to make the process enjoyable the entire time and not just when you receive the keys to your new space.
We’re not looking to be the next TLC show or “hottest new designer”. We’re looking to have deep connections with our homeowners and their families to bring their dream home into reality.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Brianna and I started B-Side in the summer of 2019. Before that I had studied and worked as an Interior Designer since 2000. I earned my Bachelor Science degree in Interior Design at Baylor University and started working directly out of college in the design field. My career initially began in hospitality doing hotels and restaurants then transition over the years into high end residential, boutique spaces and second homes in the mountains.
I fell in love with design at a young age and really began thinking it could be a career when I was in Jr. High. I was never the strongest drawer or the most creative person, but I love puzzles. You’d be surprised how much having a puzzle mindset comes in handy throughout the design process. I find laying out spaces to be one great big puzzle that has no exact format. You can design any space to fit your needs and everyone’s needs are different. I love that it pushes me to be creative and come up with fun solutions.
I named the company B-Side for a couple reasons (but mostly for reason #2):
1. It’s an old nickname of mine that I love
2. B-Side refers back to vinyl records. The A-side was typically the top hits, more popular radio songs. The B-sides were known as the more unconventional & extraordinary compositions. They were stylistically different from the status quo & only popular with individuals “in-the-know”. B-sides are considered more real, rare & often lesser known. They are appreciated by the few lucky enough to stumble on them.
The Break Down of a Designer:
Designer vs Decorator… You may have been wondering, “Is she gonna get back to this?!” Yes I am!
A Designer has an education and background in design. They will provide drawings, make finish selections, work directly with the architect and builder to help bring your vision to life while also enhancing it. Their goal is to create aesthetically pleasing but more importantly, functional spaces. A decorator focuses on the cosmetic aspects of an interior space and not the function. A Designer can be a decorator but a decorator is not a Designer.
Full-Service Interior Design… what exactly does that mean? Well to expand on Designer vs decorator, as a Full Service Firm we will work with you from the very beginning when you start your initial drawings with the architect all the way up to placing the final vase of flowers on the table. We will review your drawings to make sure the flow fits your needs from labeling kitchen cabinets with exact item placement to coordinating customs cabinets to fit your personal needs. We will make sure you have adequate space for your furniture layouts as well as keeping in mind the proportions of the space around. We will have in-depth discussions to help us understand what you want to achieve in your home and coach you through so that you don’t have any regrets when you finish the process and move in.
The process… it starts with the plans then advances into selecting fixed finishes and providing detailed interior drawings. Fixed finishes are everything that permanently stays with your home; ie cabinets, plumbing, tile, stone, counters, flooring… We walk you through the selection process and pull everything together into a design package for the builder to reference throughout the build. This is also some thing for the homeowner to hold onto for future if they need to reference back to any specifications or selections. Once we have the fixed finishes and elevations finalized, we work on selecting all the furnishings. Furnishing are anything you would take with you; ie. sofa, chair, tables, beds… Lastly, we’ll pull everything together and put on the finishing touches with decorative items like art, rugs, vases, mirrors, bedding…
It’s really important to bring on a designer from the very beginning in order to help make sure nothing is overseen throughout the process. I’ve worked on several homes where the homeowner is upset and disappointed that they hired a designer too late in the process and now their new home isn’t up to their standards. It’s our goal to help homeowners understand the importance in not only seeing the valve of hiring a designer early but also making sure they area a seasoned and qualified designer. Too many people want to cut corners and sidestep hiring a designer thinking it will save them money in the long run but it usually ends up costing them more in mistakes, oversight and poor decisions.
B-Side is here to guide you and help you achieve perfect harmony while exceeding your expectations. Design is our passion and our craft, not a hobby. Our creations are unlike others because we draw our inspiration from multiple sources including classic styles, contemporary trends and cutting-edge designs. Our passion for design is what sets us apart from others.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I’ve had to make several pivots in all 3 (business, career & life) as well as some close calls with bills & payroll from the pivots….
1. (2018) After working as a designer in California for 15 years, I uprooted my life and moved to Colorado. I worked at a company for 18 months but it wasn’t a fit for my design goals. That was when I decided to start my own business.
2. (2019) Starting my own business… man did I make some mistakes. I had big dreams and goals for B-Side but instead of taking it a step at a time, I decided to do both sales and design right out of the gate. If I could go back in time, I would not have done the sales side until I had a firm foundation in the design side… actually I should say the business side. I knew design but the business aspect was very eye opening and I’m still working through some kinks even 5 years later. The sales cost me way too much money on the front side and was not profitable. If I had just focused on design and business, I would have kept my overhead to a minimum and would have had more time to establish who I was as a company and then market accordingly.
3. (2021) Getting pregnant the 1st time… while it was planned, it happened much sooner than expected. I had just hired a design assistant fresh out of college. I thought I would have time to train her before getting pregnant but, that was not the case. Since I would not be able to bring on new work or oversee projects during my maternity leave, we parted ways and did so on good terms. I was back being a solo designer and after my leave found myself trying to start my company up again. Only this time with a baby…
4. (2022) After our 1st son was born and work started picking back up again, I hired a former co-worker but that ended up being a disaster. During this time, I rebranded from Interiors by Bri to B-Side Design Studio. My associate and I seemed to be on the same page but after only 6 months, I realized they did not have the same vision and understanding of client relations as I did. I wanted to put client first and they were more interested in making money and moving on to the next project. They decided to start their own business while still working for me. Her actions a carelessness affected my relationship with my clients negatively and thus ended not only our business relationship but also our friendship. That was a truly hard time in my life both personal and professional.
5. (2023) Losing my 2nd pregnancy… this was hard not just because of the loss but also because it coincided with the time that my associate decided to drop the ball and leave. I was not only mourning the loss of our baby girl but also needing to save face with my clients. It was hard to maintain when you’re going through so much heartbreak.
6. (2024) My 3rd pregnancy… with each pregnancy, it felt like I was starting the company all over again. Don’t get me wrong, my boys are my life and I wouldn’t change a thing but I also knew I wanted to be a working mom. With owning and running my own business, I have the flexibility to work around my boys schedules and be actively a part of their lives. At the same time, it’s extremely difficult at times to juggle both.
Where am I right now? My youngest son just turned 1 in November and I’m working through all the pivots from 2021 till now. I’ve learned that pivots are not necessarily bad, even if they feel like they are in the moment. Each pivot taught me something about either myself or the direction I want to go with B-Side.
You may be asking, “Why didn’t you just focus on your business and wait to have kids once it was established?” Well, I was 39 when I had my 1st son and 41 when I had the 2nd. There wasn’t much more time to wait. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend doing what I did, but it’s my story and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Something I learned throughout my career, esp while working for other companies was quality control. I was also noticing quality control was starting to decline and profitability was it’s replacement. Don’t get me wrong, I’m here to make money too but first and foremost, I’m about my relationships with my clients and bringing their dream home to life. I’m not interested in cutting corners.
With that being said, most of my clientele has been from either social media or word of mouth. My first big project on my own was from a builder finding me on Instagram. That got my foot in the door and from there, it was all word of mouth. I established a great relationship with the builder so they would recommend me as a designer to other clients. The homeowners were also so thrilled with the results and the entire process that they happily gave my name out to whoever asked. In addition, the home was part of the 2020 Parade of Homes so I received inquiries from the event. While you can say “Well that was lucky that your first project on your own was featured in the Parade of Homes.”… you’re right! At the same time, they wouldn’t have hired me if they didn’t see the quality of my work and how invested I am in the project and learning about my clients and their desires.
While I haven’t had to work hard on getting clients, over the past 1-2 years, it has become a priority to update my website and work on reformatting my social media to help continually put my best foot forward and allow people to get to know me and how I work. Designers all have different ways of handling things and my goal is for clients to have a solid outline of what they’re getting when they sign that initial contract. I want them jumping into the process excited and not apprehensive.
In addition, to pull in another question from this list about Keeping in Touch and Brand Loyalty… I have had several clients call me back for second & third projects. One home was a new build but they wanted my design direction for decorating at the holidays. I have (3) renovation projects that the homeowners have called me back once the initial area was completed for us to start working on another project in their home. Because they felt heard, we had a strong bond and trust throughout the project, that they requested to do additional work. As a designer, the process will always be a roller coaster, there’s no getting around that. The key is to be there for your clients and get them through the ups and downs.
Finally, I will be sending out holiday cards with a recap from B-Sides Project Highlights from the year and I’m currently working on a Lead Generator to pull clients to my website. From the generator, I will be starting a monthly email with tips & tricks from a seasoned designer in 2025.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bsidedesignstudio.com/
- Instagram: @bside_designstudio
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannaras/
Image Credits
John Maznio
Commercial Imaging