We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tami Daks + Lauren Gwartz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tami Daks + Lauren Gwartz, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

In 2011 (after Lauren’s wedding), we started a blog and called it Side by Side Design. It was a place for us to keep track and document all of the creative projects we were working on at all times. Ironically it was never meant to be a business. It was just a creative outlet and a fun thing to work on together.

A few years later when Lauren was expecting her first baby, she decided it would make most sense for her family if she stopped working for a design firm and was able to stay home with Ava. If you know Lauren, she always has to be working on something, so she said to her husband that she could take on projects as they come and start her own business slowly. Which is exactly what she did! In fact, the first project actually came before her last day at her job. She got a call from a potential client whose home ended up being her first Side by Side interior project. Other projects came her way (mostly high end residential), and as she promised she continued to work slow and steady for a little while.

A few years after that, when Tami made the decision to leave teaching, Lauren had the idea for the two of us to work together. As twins, it would never be favorable for one of us to be the main person in charge or the CEO, so we decided we should create another “side” to our business for Tami to run. A lot of thought went into what the side should be and Tami said that she loves event planning and when somebody completes the design of their home they generally want to invite people over and entertain in their space. So really the two sides can work hand in hand (or Side by Side) and that’s what would complete our business and set us apart in the over populated interior design community of Los Angeles.

It was always our intention to keep the events part of our business as an extension of the home design process. Where we could help people set their table beautifully for holidays, bring chefs and bartenders into their kitchens to create the perfect culinary pairings to each event, plan perfectly branded backyard birthday parties for their children, charity events for the groups they align themselves with, and host company parties in a more intimate setting. To take this concept one step further, once we build relationships with our clients we love to stay on with their families and plan their large life cycle events as well.

We are proud to say this business model still stands strong 10 years later and has been very successful for us. We have worked on beautiful homes within the Los Angeles area and even a few vacation homes in other prime locations and we have planned many events big and small (or super over the top). The sky’s the limit! We can’t wait to show the world what we are planning for Side by Side Design next!

Tami Daks + Lauren Gwartz, 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?

We are Tami Daks + Lauren Gwartz, co-owners of Side by Side Design a dual faceted design firm with a specialty in luxury interiors and event design. Whereas most interior design firms work on all stages of the design of a home, we stay on past the point that the project is complete to help them entertain and enjoy their space to the fullest. We are most proud of the way we work together and Side by Side with our clients. It is a collaborative effort and the level of respect we have for one another becomes like family.

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

Yes, as we mentioned we have two “sides” to our business (interiors + events) and within each side there is a full service and consultation option. This makes our design services accessible to people with different budgets and with different wants / needs. In addition, we are working on adding another revenue stream in the form of a Side by Side Design product line … More on that soon!

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Thus far, we have kept our team small (currently there are four of us), and we have worked very hard to create a culture within our business where we respect one another, feel free to share our ideas and thoughts, and consider each other family. As we grow, we strive to always keep this structure at the forefront of our business.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.sidebysidedesignla.com/
• Instagram: @sidebysidedesign
• Facebook: Side by Side Design
• Linkedin: Lauren Gwartz and Tami Daks

Image Credits
PJS Studio Scott Clark Photo Dewey Tann