Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Quinn.
Sara, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Design has always been a part of me, it’s how I see things in my head, It’s imaginative, a form of storytelling and transformative both physically and emotionally. Growing up I knew that I wanted to pursue my passion for design and truly cultivate my craft.
I studied at Baylor gaining an immense knowledge and understanding. From the principles and elements of design to the standards and codes that are applicable today in any environment. It still blows my mind that regardless of any environment that you step into you are walking not only into an aesthetically visual place but that there is much more behind the curtain then just the eye can see. There are reasons, conditions and codes that all come together to give you an experience in any environment.
Armed with passion and knowledge I then needed the experience and that was a very wild and diverse ride. I graduated in 2006 and the years following were epic highs and lows in the industry. Graduating and finding the dream job and moving to the big city (Dallas) was the highlight of my early 20’s, then the recession hit and so did reality. I quickly had to adapt and I knew I wanted to stay so I took every and any job to stay in the industry to learn as much as I could.
In 2009, I worked from contract job to contract job in so many avenues of design it was hard to keep track. I worked on residential to multi family dwellings, senior living communities to hospital labor and delivery units and lastly restaurant design. I feared that my jumping from company to company would look that I wasn’t committed, which was actually the opposite. I very much wanted to be a part of industry and would take any opportunity to keep me in Dallas and learn from some of the most talented firms in the area for as long as the work was available. What I had feared would be a weakness on my resume turned out to be my greatest strength, adaptability.
The next several years I gained the experience, working my way up from an assistant designer to a senior designer and project manager. I grew- learning how to multi-task, being creative, pitching the designs, walking job sites and running client meetings to oversee support staff and keeping projects within budget and on time.
When I left Dallas to start 13THIRTY DESIGNS my son was six months old. I had a hard time being away from him and was certain there was something I could create that would allow me to be present and closer to home while still doing what I love, design. That’s how we got our name, 13thirty, it’s our address! It’s our story.
In that new season of life as a young mom and entrepreneur I was challenged to adapt constantly with every changing schedule of a baby and navigating starting a business from scratch. I needed to think smarter not harder. I made mistakes but those are what they are for so I could learn and grow from. I knew I was a hard worker and that failure wasn’t an option, it was my motivator. I knew I wanted to bring my passion and talent to where I could have the opportunity to thrive and make an impact on environments both old and new.
We took our first client in 2016, it was a renovation project and from there our name and work spread. Now we have multiple projects running simultaneously from renovations to new construction. We don’t advertise, our clients find us through word of mouth or through Instagram. For us it’s a way to provide a real time portfolio of our exciting projects and all their individual nuances that come with the customization of working with a designer. It is also a way for us to find community and be inspired by other talents in the industry and to inspire with our own content as well.
As the company continues to grow so did our family, we now have two kiddos and watching them grow alongside the business has truly been amazing. We are so excited about the future of 13thirty. We can’t wait to see what’s in store, looking back from where we started, we have come so far!
Has it been a smooth road?
Haha, I wish but then again not really. Every bump along the road was a lesson worth learning. There are so many facets to being an entrepreneur, running a business and being a creative with a product that isn’t seen until it all comes together is hard. Asking clients to trust you with their livelihood is weighted responsibility that we don’t take lightly however watching that relationship of trust form is one of my favorite parts as we help guide them, support them and enable them to cultivate the space they are envisioning. Managing clients and expectations along with uncontrollable events like a pandemic has been another lesson in adaptability and learning how to pivot and regroup. A lot of what we do is problem solve, sometimes visually or functionally and other times logistically. I am grateful for the opportunity to continually learn something new and apply it in our everyday processes.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are a small boutique design firm based out of Southlake, TX. We specialize in new construction and renovations. We are known for our fresh perspective and organic light filled environments. We aren’t afraid of color but LOVE a classic neutral color palette. Looking back over the years we have developed a certain aesthetic style that is the main reason people are drawn to our work. Blues are a neutral to me and I’m subconsciously sneaking them into projects. They are just so peaceful. I recently did a project with a hunter green and it’s giving us all the feels! We’re not afraid to try new things and I always push to not do the same thing twice, unless specifically client driven, I enjoy challenging myself creatively by coming up with new approaches and solutions. I love being inspired by others and their accounts however a rule of mine I made a long time ago was to only display original 13thirty content. Everything you see on our website, Instagram etc. is our original work. Which was really hard at the beginning but I truly wanted to build the company with our own content that we were creating and inspiring others with.
If you had to start over, what would you have done differently?
Not at all! I love reflecting back over everything that has happened no matter how arduous or euphoric both experiences were needed to appreciate where we are and where we are going! I truly LOVE what I do and that keeps me going. Every day is an adventure and that’s enough to keep me on my toes!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.13thirtydesigns.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: 13thirtydesigns
Image Credit:
Chelsea Davis
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