Welcome And Guest Introduction

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my name's Amy Corbett. I am the owner owner and principal designer at Corbett Style and Design. We serve the Northern Virginia area. Um, we do everything from luxury design to designing, um, homes for functionally for families and for every day. Awesome. I can't wait to hear a little bit more. Could you share with us what first sparked your passion for interior design, and then what inspired you to launch Corbett Style and Design? Interior design

From Nursing To Design Calling

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has been a passion for my whole life. I think when starting the business, I, you know, had moments of reflecting back on, how did I get here? You know, at the age of 40, I opened my business and I had trans previously, I was a nurse and still am a nurse to this day. I did pediatric critical care, and so I've always had that desire to help and just care for people. Mm-hmm. In nursing, you're helping people through, a very stressful time. You know, you're functioning in critical environments, multitasking. And with that passion of interior design, I had, as I went from a 10-year-old who was redesigning my room continuously, God bless my mother for having patience and letting me hang wallpaper at the age of 10 but I, it's just then evolved to in designing my own homes. My husband and I have both built two homes. So again, the passion just sort of grew over time. My father is an entrepreneur and has owned his own business for 40-plus years, and- Wow so I think I probably get that entrepreneurial spirit from him. Mm-hmm. So I carried that on and, um, had decided, you know, this, while I love nursing and I won't ever leave nursing, I will always keep it in my back pocket- Mm-hmm and, um, care for patients in the free time that I do have. I decided that I wanted to put another passion- Yeah to use and to work. So I opened the business three years ago and and you know, it's, it has slowly grow, it slowly grow, slowly grew over probably the course of two years. And- Mm-hmm we've had a lot of very fortunate blessings thrown our way, and we have, business has really grown over the last year and brought us to where we are. Yeah. Awesome. What a journey. I think it's so special when you know, people have a passion to serve other people or to help other people, 'cause then it also adds another layer of that customer service aspect- Yes, yes when you do have your own business. Well, and that's something that- We feel so passionately about. Mm-hmm. And, you know, I s- I think, you know, interior design is just caring for people in a different way. Right. The... I'm a huge believer in your home should be your oasis. Mm-hmm. Um, especially in this area, everybody works so hard. Whether you're a mom staying at home with your children- Mm-hmm working hard taking care of them all day, or you have two parents who are, you know, out of the home, or, someone who's single out of the home working. Mm-hmm. And you wanna come home at the end of the day and feel at peace. Right. And that is my favorite thing to bring to somebody-

Building A Home Oasis For Real Life

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Mm-hmm and to give to their life. So again, it's just like caring in a different way- Right and I think it's that... I always say I did pediatric nursing, so- Yeah and I would always refer to, pediatrics as, like, people say, "Oh, it's so different in adults than pediatrics" and I'm like, you know, it's that warm fuzzy. Yeah. And I think that warm fuzzy is something that was very important for me to layer in- Mm-hmm to the business, the interior- Right our interior design business. Yeah. 'Cause people crave that, that connection- Yes with other people. It's so important. I think- Yeah I mean, I personally crave it. To me- Yeah I've had clients tell me that, you know, we come to closing their project- Mm and, you know, we're with, we're with people for a long time, you know? Yeah. Renovations take six months to a year. Mm-hmm. And at the end they're like, "You've become part of the family" Yeah. You know, I walk in and the dog greets me, the kids run up- Oh and are showing me toys, and it's just- Yeah that connection's so important. Yeah, it really is. And how do you balance timeless design with the practical needs or the functional needs of the families that you work with? Well, I think, everybody, you know, everybody loves a trend. Mm-hmm. You know, everybody, you know, you see new things coming out and, you know, ma- on social media, TikTok, and, you know, things that are very eye-catching. And we like... What my team likes to do, we like to sort of layer in that, pieces of a trend- Yeah but also incorporate the timeless design that has been around

Trends Versus Timeless Family Choices

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for years. Mm-hmm. Those timeless elements. We do- We do mostly, from our clients' requests, more neutral tones. Mm-hmm. And then we layer in the color- with things that we can change out over time. Right. So we're not, you know And don't get me wrong, I love, like, a really good, moody room- Mm-hmm that's very, very bold- and I do it, and I love every minute of it, and I love the end result. But I think, you know, when you're designing you know, especially with, like, functionality for families or people- Mm-hmm who are, they've purchased their forever home, or they're gonna be in- Right their home for, you know, 10 years until their kids are grown or I think it's so important to balance the, you know, the functionality- and making it family-friendly, bala- and protecting our clients' investment is so important. Right. I did not You know, people, you know, another reason people were like, "Oh, did you get into interior design, you know, were you not, money reasons?" Mm-hmm. No. It's just, again, a passion. And I, something I pride myself on and a huge part of our business is protecting our clients' investment. I do not, and I am happy to, I love doing luxury, high-end design. Mm-hmm. Um, but I'm not the designer who will come in and say, "You know, you need to buy this $15,000 couch-" you know, that your kids are gonna jump on and, you know-" Yeah whatever may be. I I think there's, it's so important to balance quality- Mm-hmm and cost because, you know, in the day-to-day life, like, things are just getting more expensive. Yeah. So if, and again, if- It's just so, it's just an important piece of what we do. And then one of the things that clients do look for is somebody that they can trust throughout that renovation or design project. How do you build that confidence and guide them through what can sometimes be an overwhelming process? Of course. Again, another piece that's so important because regardless, renovations, in... Usually whenever I come in, there's some piece of a renovation- Mm-hmm um, whether it be like a two-week, you know, let's- Mm put up some trim work or whatever it may be or it's a six-month-long renovation. Um, there's still decisions to be made. There's mo- there are moving parts, so like you said, it's stressful. Um, but I think from that, that first connection- Mm-hmm that I make with clients that is something I value from the moment that they wanna do an intro

Trust And Calm During Renovations

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call. Mm-hmm. You know, I value that first reach out, and I'm, you know, I'm always, "Thank, thank you for the opportunity to collaborate" and- Yeah I truly mean that. And, you know, I try and convey that in, you know, our intro call. Mm-hmm. And, you know, I don't just ask what... My interest isn't just, you know, just what about the design, you know- Right what do you need? It's how can I support you? Yeah. I wanna learn about your life. Mm-hmm. Do you have kids? Do you have elderly parents that live with you? And, after that intro call, if they say, "You know what? Yeah, like, you know, we think we would, you know, like to learn a little bit more about your services" Mm-hmm um, it's, I go to their home, and we spend two hours together. And something, you know, we're a smaller boutique firm- Mm-hmm in the area, and again, we pride ourselves on that, again, that personal connection. Right. So it's not that we're a big team, and I'm gonna, you're gonna have your first intro call with me, and then you're, I'm gonna hand you off- to an assistant that, is gonna do your in-home consult. No- Yeah you're gonna get me the majority of the time. Yeah. Um, I do have a team that works with me, and we are a growing team- Mm-hmm but our intention is not to grow big. It's just to grow the services that we offer. Right. I think having that connection, that personal connection from the get-go- Mm-hmm and then I'm very much... I had a client just the other day, and they're in a three-level renovation. Mm. They have a young kid. They both work. It's a lot, yeah. And, um, she shared with me, she's like, this is one of the, like the most stressful times, you know, in our life as far as even work goes." Mm. You know? And it just sort of, it was the perfect storm of, the renovation started right whenever life went crazy. And that happens. Mm-hmm. You know, when it rains, it pours- Yeah as the old saying goes. But I think I appreciate it when clients share that with me. Mm-hmm. I'm like, "Okay, I get it." Like- Yeah i'm always willing to give grace and be like- Yeah "Okay" We'll get through this. "Let's, we'll get through this." Yeah. "Let me hold your hand a little bit more." Right. You know, let me, tell me if you need me to come over an extra day. Let me know. We can make that happen. Yeah. You know? So I think really offering that support- Mm-hmm being very open with communication. Yeah. And we're always, we're always very open for feedback. Mm-hmm. And I think that that's something in nursing. I worked in leadership as a nurse manager for a long time. Mm-hmm. And I think that it's always, you know, we are human. Everybody, everybody has opportunities for improvement. Yeah. And I'm always, you know, I'm always asking for feedback. What are your thoughts? Mm-hmm. What do you think, you know? Right. How can I support you best? Um, and so again, it's something that just transitions from, you know, nursing, you're helping people through, you know, a critical medical event. Right. And while you're dealing with a, fragile human life, it's also, it might not be as life or death serious in interior design- Mm-hmm but it's their day-to-day life. Yeah. And that's, this is a process that, again, nursing has given me, like, you cherish every moment of every single day- Mm-hmm 'cause you don't know what the next day's gonna bring. Right. So if I can help them transition into this proces- process and be a little bit less stressed when they sit down to dinner with their family at night- Yeah so they can actually breathe for a minute- Mm-hmm and I can carry some of that, that is what I love to do. Yeah. And I think it's so important to be able to make those connections too, 'cause when you really get to know somebody, you can serve them how they- Exactly want to be served, right? Well, exactly. And then I think, you know, getting to know the family- Mm-hmm and just getting to know, like, how they move in and out of the house- Right and how they, they utilize the house- Yeah really transcends into the way that we're designing. And you know, it's, I have some clients who are like, "Yeah, you know, my kids are pretty good. Like, you know, we don't need, like, slip, you know, slipcover sof- sofas." Mm-hmm. Yeah. And then I have other families who are like, "You know what? I loved their house." Yeah. "But, you know," and they were like, "Oh, you know Molly." "Molly'll be, like, climbing and jumping off the back of the sofa." Right. And I can say, "Yes, I do." So it's very, that personal connection and just knowing- Getting to know my clients- Mm-hmm like beyond like a client relationship is so important. Yeah. And then is there a particular project or client transformation that stuck with you or reminds you why you love what you do? Um, I think, you know, there's something that I take from every, I feel like I take from every project. Mm-hmm. But I, one of my very first clients and they are my clients to this day. Uh-huh. We are on this like three-year journey to- do, to redo their home and really make it a bespoke space for themselves. Uh-huh. They built a, you know, a builder home. Built a home with a builder. You know, they didn't have a ton of selections. Mm-hmm. Their style is very like clean, modern. Mm-hmm. So they,

A Transformation That Changed A Family

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right as I started, and they were like, you do interior design, right?" I had known them outside of interior design. Uh-huh. Um, we had a connection. And I was like, "Yeah," and they were like, "Can you help us?" And so whenever I started helping them, we sort of started surface. Mm-hmm. Like furnishes, furnishings, some finishes. Very like sort of high level stuff. Yeah. Um, and then as it in, it, as it has invo- evolved- Mm-hmm we have now done the majority of their main level. Wow. We're now moving upstairs, and whenever I started with them, we kept it very surface because- Mm-hmm they had intended to move. Mm. They, this not, was not their forever. Mm-hmm. Um, now they told me just a couple months ago as we're getting ready to embark on the next level- they were like, "You know what? We're not moving." They were like, "We're happy where we're at. We feel like the home is really becoming ours- Yeah and really starting to show our personality with all- Uh-huh that we've done." And so they're like, "We're gonna stay here. We're gonna be here for a long time." Wow. And that's something, and I was like, wow, you know, I helped them do that. Which- Yeah you know, and especially they have five kids. Mm-hmm. So to move a family of five and h- you know, those kids to go in through that transition too- Right and for the parents to go through it, that's a lot. Yeah. So to help them be able to stay in the space that they're living in- Mm-hmm um, currently, and love it all at the same time, and have it feel like it's truly theirs- Yeah is amazing. Yeah. It's amazing. And it's so special that you're able to help them make that their space. Yes, yes. Like their, like their oasis, like their own- It, it truly, truly is yeah And, you know, and I, that is the way, I want my home to be. Mm-hmm. It's just, you know, we come home at the end of a day, and we feel content. We're not looking and- Right being like, "I need to do this. I need to do that." Mm-hmm. Or, you know, I'm not happy with the way this is. Right. You know? You, I want my clients to truly feel content in their home. Mm-hmm. And again, have it feel functional too. Right to where they don't have to safeguard everything either. Mm. Truly comfortable. Mm-hmm. And at ease. Yeah. And then as lifestyle cont- As lifestyles change, what are some shifts that, um, you see in how people want their homes to function compared to, um, like even a few years ago? I really think, and you know, I feel COVID impacted a lot of things. Mm-hmm. And COVID impacted a l- the way people live their lives. Mm-hmm. It, you know, some people work from home now, you know, more than they did before. They were able, they have the capability to work remotely. I think, and we saw that shift with COVID of people were like, "You know what? If we're gonna be stuck home..." You know, the home improvement

Post COVID Homes And Cozy Priorities

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industry really boomed- Yeah at that time. And it has, I feel like the, you know, that the initial boom has started to level off, but the concept of I wanna feel comfortable in my space and I wanna love my home- that's stuck. Yeah. You know? And so I think that is something that, again, has evolved over time. Mm-hmm. And and I see all the time in my clients, they're say, they'll say, "You know what?" Like, they have a brand-new home and they're like, "We love it- Mm-hmm but it just doesn't feel warm and cozy." Right. You know, "How do I, I don't even know where to begin." Mm-hmm. "How do I get it there?" And so I think that's that's definitely something that's changed and evolved over time, and seems like it's staying, which I think is so important. Yeah. Yeah. You know, again, life is very stressful. It's busy, especially in the Northern Virginia area. Yeah. It's very fast-paced. Oh, yeah. We all need that reset- Mm-hmm at the end of the day. And even if it is at 9:00 at night when you finally sit down- Uh-huh. we need it, you know? Exactly, and I feel like that's a lot of like a lot of people don't know where to start when they're like- Yes "I don't know how to make this space- Yes my own. I don't know how to transform this space." Yes, and that's, and you know, and I'm always saying, like even in our in-home consult, we walk through, we talk about all of these things. Mm-hmm. And at the beginning, they're really, really excited, and then they start talking. They're like, "This is where I get overwhelmed 'cause we're talking about a lot of things." Yeah. And it's okay. This is where I come in. Right. I take that load. I take that worry. Mm-hmm. And to me, it's not a worry. I love it. Yeah. It's like a puzzle piece to me, you know? And so yes, it's making them, so it's making them feel at ease- Mm-hmm so it's not that overwhelming. Exactly. Running a successful design firm requires both creativity and business leadership. Mm-hmm. What have been some of the biggest lessons that you've learned as an entrepreneur? I think probably the biggest lesson I have I started this business saying, to people a- as it grew, and it, then it really, it sort of, I use the term as, you know, we've really extreme- like exponentially expanded- Mm-hmm over the last year. And you know, in any small business, whenever you're expanding like that, you know, they talk about the five-year grind. Yeah. You know? And it is. It's very fast-paced. Mm-hmm. And I say, I'm like, you know what? I'm really, I

Entrepreneur Lessons And Imposter Syndrome

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like, I am 1000% confident in my design skills. Uh-huh. But I'm like, I'm like, "Am I a businesswoman? I don't know." And people are like, "Yes, you're 100% a businesswoman." Yeah. "You're doing this." I mean, I always keep my husband's, um, program management skills in my back pocket. But it's something that, you know, so that has been, that I guess, you know, every designer has imposter syndrome, you know? Mm-hmm. And probably every small business owner, you know, has that like, "Can I do this? Am I legitimate?" Yeah. "Am I not?" And, um, so and I think giving myself grace- Mm-hmm and that I'm a perfectionist- Mm which I think, bodes well in my design. Right. Um, I don't settle. People are like, "Oh, well, it just won't work." I'm like, "No, we're gonna find a way to make it work." We're gonna make it work. And we find a way to make it work, you know? Yeah. He's like, you know, going from nursing to this, you know, you do the impossible. Mm-hmm. You know? And, um, so but I think when it comes to just like learning the business- Mm-hmm and, you know, you know, growing faster or feeling like, you know, going to networking events- Yeah and being like, "Oh my gosh, like these people have been in business 10 years and I'm only three," you know? Giving myself grace and be like, "Everyone started somewhere." Exactly. And, you know, and I think our growth over, our, the last three years really, I think that is where I've really the imposter syndrome has started to decrease a little bit. Mm. Mm-hmm. Of like, you know what? We're doing things. We must be doing something right. Yeah. Exactly. You know? These, we have collaborations with contractors that say- Mm-hmm "I don't like working with designers." Mm. "But I like working with you." Wow. They're like, you know, they're like, "It's very personal. You're available to us." Mm-hmm. You know, "You're happy to meet with us." And, um, they're like, "It's just different." So I think- Finding, you know, the balance between there's a lot I have to learn. Yeah. And, you know, I will always be learning- Mm-hmm and our team will always be learning and growing. But also finding confidence in the successes that we're having. Right. You know? Yeah. We're- this is happening for a reason. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah, and I think it's lovely that you're striving to do or to learn more. Yes, of course. Because when we... Like, there are some people that are never satisfied, but I think it's important to wanna do better than- Yes what you did the day before and wanna keep improving. Of course. Of course, yes. Yeah. Yeah, I think that's so important. Yeah, and collaboration, I wanted to ask about that. So you, you know, you mentioned working with contractors- Mm-hmm and then you're also working with homeowners. Um, what have you learned about building strong partnerships that lead to successful projects? So I think, in... Again, I keep referring back to it because it is... You know, nursing was, it's a huge part of my life. Mm-hmm. I've been doing it for over 20 years. Mm-hmm. And so that collaboration in nursing is key. Working with that multidisciplinary care team. You know how you have physicians, you have surgeons- Mm-hmm you have

Contractor Partnerships And Flexible Process

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nutritionists, you know, you have the whole t- care team. Mm-hmm. And that whole team works together to make miracles happen for that one patient. And so collaborating with contractors, homeowners you know, working with other designers to me, I feel like it, in some ways it comes naturally in that I'm used to working with a team. Yeah. I'm used to, accommodating accommodating for, what their needs are as far as- Mm-hmm you know, they like to communicate this way. Right. Or, you know, they work best in this way. And being, and shifting and being like, "Okay, I can work with that." Mm-hmm. And that's the feedback that I've gotten r- from my contractors. They're like- Yeah "You know, you, you work well with us. You don't just have, like, a certain way-" Mm-hmm "exact way you do things" and I bend. And I, and with homeowners, I do the same thing, you know? Mm-hmm. I have contractors that bring me things, like, as they, they've started a reno, they've completely gutted a space and they're like, "We don't know," the clients, they don't know what the layout, "but can you jump in?" Standardly, you know, the pre-design takes a solid eight weeks, but I'm like- Mm "Okay." I don't say no because they need help. You know? And I wanna support and I wanna care and I want them to feel at ease. Mm-hmm. So I'm like, "Sure, let's jump in. Let's modify our process a little bit- Yeah and, and let's see what we can do," and we get it done. Awesome, and then I think it's so important to be able to work as a part of a team too because there might be a different perspective that someone might have- Yes from yours. Yes, exactly. Yeah. And the communication and, um, just always that, like, that closed loop, you know? Yeah. Always circling back, and again, always open for feedback. And then- What are some of the biggest mistakes or, yeah, I guess mistakes that homeor- homeowners make when designing or renovating their space, and how can they avoid them? I think one of the the missteps I see most commonly- Yeah is jumping in and start- you know, 'cause everyone's excited. Everyone wants to start. Yeah. You know? And even, you know, I'll get a call for a consult

Renovation Mistakes And Better Planning

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and I'm like, "Okay, what does your timeline look like?" As soon as we can do it" You know? And usually it's like that whenever they start a renovation with a contractor. Mm-hmm. And some of my clients, they didn't even-- They had no desire to have a designer. Mm-hmm. You know, that was not their first thought. But they've gotten into this renovation with a contractor, and they're like, "You know what? We're really not sure 100% of what we want." Yeah. So I think having a plan is so important. Mm-hmm. And you know, sharing, I'm-- I brainstorm a ton off of Pinterest. Brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm. Mm-hmm. Have example photos. Yeah. A lot of contractors work really well off of those example photos rather than descriptions. That's something that I always share with clients. Even if, I'm like, "Even if you don't go with me, even if you choose not to have a designer- Mm-hmm you know, share those pictures with your contractor- Right and show them. Tape the pictures up in the space so then, you know, there's no, there's not a, like, a misstep somewhere- Mm-hmm or rework that needs to happen. Yeah. Um, so I think, you know, having that plan, being intentional about it, and al- Mm-hmm do, do the pre-planning. Yeah. It feels, it probably feels overwhelming in the moment, but do that pre-planning because it'll save the stress, like, mid-reno and- Mm-hmm pauses mid-reno to figure out what's gonna happen next. Right. That's great advice. And when clients walk into their finished home for the very first time, what do you hope they feel? I think there's a lot, you know, there's, there's many layers of it. Yeah. Um, you know, I always tell clients at the end of my d- design and install day- Mm-hmm is my favorite. It is a very, very, very long day. It's a 10-hour day of, you know- just decorating and hanging curtains and everything, but at the end of that day, I always say like, "I can't wait for you to come home tonight and see this" Yeah. And I've had clients text me and say, "Oh, Amy, this is breathtaking" Aw or,

The Reveal Moment And How To Connect

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"Amy, I, I finally love my house" Oh, man. Um, just like that happiness and the contentment and just giving them the ability to just like sit in their space- Yeah and just, just look around and be like, "Wow, this is mine" Yeah, this is my space. Yes, exactly. Yeah. And, you know, truly be wowed with their home and feel comfortable in it, not just like, "Oh, this is a showroom" "i can't" Like, "Kids, don't touch anything" Yeah. But like, "It's okay" Mm-hmm. "This is our home" Yeah. "We love it. We're content" Mm-hmm. "We're at ease" we can live in this space. Yes, yes. Awesome, and then for anyone looking to renovate or revamp their space, where can they learn more about Corbett Style and Design and connect with you? So we have our website. Um, we're on social, is Corbett Style and Design, both Facebook and Insta. And then our links to our website are on there. Mm-hmm. Anybody can reach out, whether it be a message through social, a text, a phone call an email. We're really flexible in the way that we communicate. We sort of accommodate to whatever our clients, you know, prefer. Mm-hmm. Um, so yeah, that's usually the best way to reach out to us. Awesome, so lots of places to find you. Yes, yes. And as we wrap up, is there anything you'd like to mention that we haven't touched on today? No, I don't think so. I think for the most part, I th- I always want to share the advice of, for any homeowner- Mm-hmm that loving your space is important. Yeah. Whether a designer gets you there or, or you get yourself there then it's so important for you to love that space. Definitely. Um, and that is, you know, we, we want that for you, whether it's us that gets you there or not. Mm-hmm. Um, 'cause we all need that peace at the end of the day. And yeah, it's just very, very important. Yeah, absolutely, and thank you so much, Amy- Of course for joining me on the podcast- Of course and sharing your knowledge, passion, and inspiring story with us. I wish you the very best in all that comes your way in the future. Thank you so much for having me. Of course