We spoke with Erika Marini from FIXE Design House about her career and business. Coming from a background in Fashion, Erika transitioned to Interior Design after feeling more drawn to the industry. Previously working in a creative field, amongst other factors, helped Erika with the change. FIXE Design House is a boutique Interior Design company offering Full-Service Interior Design Services for remodels and new construction.

Erika: “My love for design originated in the Fashion Industry, with a degree in Fashion Design. Years in Fashion Design working for multiple high-end firms paved the way for a seamless transition into the Interior Design world in two ways. I had vast experience collaborating alongside fellow creatives in design experimenting with the perfect balance of color, texture, trends, and sourcing – all the things I use for Interior Design as well. My experiences in design, design direction, and ultimately learning how to build a brand for someone else ignited a curiosity to create a brand of my own sharing all the things I love.”

Balancing work life and personal life is no easy task, especially as a Mom of three. Erika takes on each role with grace.

Erika: “My title is Principal, I run the ship! My title is also “Mom”. Managing a successful business and our three handsome boys is no joke. This influences me professionally in many ways, the three most impactful being: 

• Choosing to stay boutique and engaging in a limited number of meaningful projects each year.  

• Keeping my team small but mighty, so that I can balance managing my valuable team of three, without pulling focus from my valuable time with clients and business partners. 

• Having three sons:  1 tween son + 2 teenagers is enough to humble anyone– ha!  Truly, I am thankful as this industry has a tendency to make the designers the ‘stars’ and humility reminds me that my clients are the ‘stars’ of their projects!

In the spirit of staying boutique, we transitioned to exclusively offering Full-Service Interior Design Services for Intermediate / Comprehensive Remodels and New Construction with a maximum of five projects at one time.  

For existing clients and by referral, we created new ways to engage with clients through Virtual and/or E-Design Services.  With the latter, the scope of services is reduced as is the financial commitment of a full-service remodel and its subsequent contract minimums.”

While the fashion and design industries have many similarities, there were a few key moments that ultimately lead to Erika’s career change. Realizing that the process of building homes, in any capacity, was a common passion shared within her family was the bow that tied it all together.

Erika: “I credit the new build of our Palm Springs Butterfly house, designed by William Krisel, as the project that gave me the courage to officially switch passions from Fashion to Interiors. It was in 2018 and after years of working side-by-side with my husband walking job sites + model home visits + remodeling work for friends + our Butterfly House + our family home that it hit me over the head like a brick….We are a family rooted in building homes and my passion is to create spaces that make you feel invited, warm, happy, and always elevated.”

Having a clear and organized design process arguably correlates to having a successful business. Erika’s approach is thoughtful and efficient.

Erika: “I am constantly re-evaluating our process to ensure it is efficient for our clients. At this level, of course, our clients expect the requisite services such as beautiful mood + design boards to help visualize the spaces, elevations required by sub-contractors, 3D Renderings (especially for complicated spaces), trusted sources for materials, industry partnerships, etc. Yet, as our business has grown, I am better understanding what truly sets us apart is our commitment to minimizing stress and maximizing delight! We are dealing with homes that involve incredibly large financial and emotional investments, and we take that responsibility to heart.”

Though the process may not be as fun and beautiful as the end result, Erika and her team take on the heavy lifting behind the scenes so the client is at ease.

Erika: “We have a multi-step process to seek information diligently and respectfully; understanding our clients’ lifestyles, hopes, wishes, and dreams. From there it becomes a little less sexy as we leverage our proprietary, interactive budget planning tools to help us really dial in on the project scope and opportunity. By coupling hopes and dreams with practicalities and realities, we can provide a safe space to be imaginative, collaborate with our clients and confidently make recommendations. Finally, we love to collaborate with our clients, architects, general contractors, etc. Building relationships early on allows us to follow our design through the construction process, site visits, and working extensively with the contractor and trades allowing us to create fully integrated and thoughtfully designed homes.”