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

Hi Sophie, thanks for joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

I wanted my company name to have a direct reflection on work I do as a registered interior designer. HSW stands for Health, Safety, Welfare, which is what we as registered Interior Designers are tested on to become licensed. Many people hear ‘Interior Design’ and think that all we do is decorate or make a space look good. While that is part of the work that we do, we are also knowledgeable in keeping the public safe within the spaces they use by following codes and the disability act so that all people can use public spaces. My heart is to come alongside clients and help them in their business ventures by creating a functional space that meets their needs and offering my expertise in following codes, etc.

Sophie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I attended the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design where I received my BFA in Interior Architecture + Design. Prior to college, I attended a magnet school in San Antonio, Texas called Northeast School of the Arts where I was a Visual Arts major. I went to Milwaukee with the intention of furthering my craft in the fine arts. My intentions shifted after meeting Bob Lynch, the director for the Interior Architecture department, and hearing his passion for built environment. His passion was contagious and was the beginning of my journey into design.

As humans we are effected by our surroundings and my passion is to help others experience their environments in a positive way. This includes having functional spaces that meet our needs and is safe. I love coming alongside clients and being apart of the work they do in the public. Many of them are starting their own businesses, taking big steps in meeting personal and professional goals, and it’s a pleasure for me to get to be a part of their journey. The relationships that are built are my favorite part. The stories of the people I get to work with to achieve their goals is the best part of the job. Yes, I want their business/work place/etc to look good but that’s just a fraction of the work I do in serving people.

The clients are across the board and include doctors, dentists, franchise owners, restaurant owners, business offices, general contractors collaborating as a design build, non profit organizations, etc.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The architecture and interior design industry was painted for me early on as hard working and endless hours meeting deadlines. Time and again I would hear stories of colleagues glorifying their 60+ hour weeks like it was something to be praised. I never wanted that and struggled with it in the beginning as a young female with aspirations to marry and have children. My personality has never been one who strives to fit in a box or meet the status quo. When I became pregnant with my first born I knew that I would need to make significant decisions on my career path. I ended up being a stay at home mom for 2.5 years. While I love being a mom and see it as my most important job, my heart really missed the design industry and I knew God had not closed that chapter of my life. I re-entered the industry working part time,making it work to be present with my babies in the way I needed to be while also getting to use my talents and passions in the design industry. This part time set up was completely out of the box and not at all a normal situation for moms in this industry. I am forever thankful for the firm who employed me and respected the boundaries that I placed for a healthy balance of career/mom that worked for me. I do know that I wouldn’t be able to do any of it if I didn’t have the support from my husband and am aware of the privilege to have been able to stay home with my babies at all. Not every mom gets to have that option. The resilience here for my story is that I didn’t let the industry define for me what is successful. I set boundaries and balance, which I still do today as I run my own business, which I wouldn’t have even dreamed of doing as a young adult.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Owning a business was never a part of a goal that I set for myself. In 2019, I had a strong feeling that God was calling me to start my own business which seemed absurd at the time. My first thought was, “nope. Absolutely not. That’s scary and uncomfortable. Why would I sign myself up for that?” So, I told my husband of these absurd thoughts hoping he would also see how ridiculous it was. He instead encouraged me to talk to other business owners and didn’t even think it was bad idea. I guess he saw my capabilities a little clearer than I saw in myself. I will never forget sitting down with a friend who had just started his own business in the industry. I remember how crazy it felt to say out loud ” I think God wants me to start my own business” and the confirmation that came in that conversation. HSW Design was launched January 2020 with terrified obedience and here I am 3 years later fully functioning as a business owner, using my passion and skills to serve others. It’s been a wild ride and I honestly cannot take any credit for it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @hswdesignllc
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/HSWDesign
• Linkedin: Sophie (Coldewey) Pullen

Image Credits
Jennifer Lee Photography