Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tamarra Younis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tamarra, appreciate you joining us today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?

My parents were great globetrotters and believed the world is only as small as you make it! As I was wrapping up college in London and about to jump on the career ladder when my parents decided to put that way of thinking into practice. They offered to pay for me to go to fashion college in Florence, so I could learn Italian and experience another culture. Life can sometimes throw you a curveball and it’s what you do with it that counts. So after taking a summer’s cram course in Italian, I found out that the collage had forwarded my application to the accelerated program in their sister college in NYC (FIT) and I was accepted! I don’t think my parents were thinking I would end up so far from home, but it truly changed the direction of my life. Being open to opportunities when they come your way and embrace the unexpected has definitely paved the way for a windy colorful career journey. Being open to the world around me and all the amazing cultures around the world has influenced the way I design and the choices I make when bringing a space to life.
I feel so lucky to have the worldly wisdom of my parents support over all these years.

Tamarra, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

At Union Of Art, our main Interior Design business- we are known for sourcing treasures from all over the world and mixing high-end modern pieces with antiques. Essentially, Sayida came to life as we needed a home of all the pieces we have collected over the years that haven’t yet found a home, treasures that were just too good to leave behind. Whether you are shopping on our online store or working with us to design your new dream home, we want you to feel like you’re coming home. Our signature style is you! We work hand in hand with our clinets to make their visions come true. Unlike other interior designers who push the latest trends, we truly believe that every home should be as unique as the people who live in it and a representation of their own personal journeys. With every project we try to achieve an ease of elegance; a balance between comfort and good design. Shared spaces are meant to be lived in and enjoyed rather than simply viewed. We strive to creates spaces that are elegantly styled, comfortable, and that tell a story. When designing spaces for clients, We think about how a person will look and feel in their home – from the lighting, to the materials, flooring, accessories, art selection, furnishings, and sense of flow.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Where there’s a yin there’s a yang! I met Katelyn when working on a design for a music video in Downtown LA. The lead singer of the band we were shooing said “hey, my girlfriend is moving from Austin and if you need any help, she is looking for work”. Little did I know that 10 years later we’d still be working together! But I guess, if we could make it through those 12/14 hour production days creating crazy sets on a dime budget and not wanting to kill each other, then we had a pretty good foundation for a partnership from the start! Katelyn’s has a complementary skill set to mine that makes us the perfect design duo.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

It’s always good to have a plan and goals to work towards, but don’t get stuck in a direction if it’s not working. It’s important to know when to pivot and be open to an idea evolving into a new direction.It doesn’t mean you failed, it just means you are making an educated choice to pursue another career path.

We opened our dream shop Sayida and had no idea that the world was going to shut down for two years because of a pandemic. We made it through but our focus shifted to our interior design business and it ended up taking front stage over the store. As life got back to normal and things opened up we found ourselves spread too thin between the store and our growing interior business. We had to make a choice as the shop was suffering, people were complaining we were not open enough and it was a large overhead to carry if we were not going to give it our full dedication. At the end of 2022 it was time to make some hard choices. Give up the shop, take everything online, move to a new location for our design studio and let the interior business be our main focus. It’s hard when you are so focused on one path to take a step back, evaluate what’s really happening and be open to making the change. It’s scary but also amazingly freeing once you let it happen.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sayida-la.com/
• Instagram: @sayida_LA, @UOA_Interiors

Image Credits
Michael Clifford, Michelle Pullman, Thomas J. Story, Katelyn Risinger