How did you come to work at Rebecca Atwood?

I actually met Rebecca a few years before I started working at RA. I used to manage a couple of locations of Bird, a beautiful clothing boutique in Brooklyn. Rebecca was one of our favorite regulars at the Park Slope store and we became friendly over the years. When Rebecca was thinking about opening up a showroom space, we grabbed a coffee to chat about all things customer service. Long story short, things progressed pretty naturally from there!

What do you do at RA?

I am the Sales Manager, which means my role is related to all things sales and customer service. I am the one responding to your emails, and traveling to see you for personalized appointments! We know that design projects (both big and small) can feel overwhelming at times, and my job is to make this part of the process as easy and enjoyable as possible for our clients.

What is your favorite #RAatHome?

Oh, that’s a tough one! I really do adore them all, since it is so fun to see the unique and beautiful ways people incorporate our product into their homes. I do particularly love how Gray Benko reupholstered her mom’s chair in our Tidal Wave fabric. I love the idea of breathing new life into a family heirloom and making it your own.

What would be the advice you’d give for someone who wanted your career?

Work hard and be nice! I used to think of “networking” as being a very adult, stuffy sounding concept until I realized that I have actually been doing it for years. When you take away all the business-jargon, networking really just comes down to being kind and open with everyone that you meet – you never know where your next opportunity will come from! And I don’t think that you can ever undervalue the importance of having a strong work ethic and caring about the quality of what you put into the world, no matter what service or industry you are in.

What does “home” mean to you?

To me, home is a haven from the outside world. Especially living in a big city like New York, I am so grateful to have a space that feels calm and relaxing to come home to at the end of the day. I also think home is about the people you share it with, and I love hosting and making shared memories in my space with friends and family.

What is your favorite thing about your home?

Last year I was lucky enough to move from a tiny studio to a much larger apartment. Even though it is a rental, my girlfriend and I have worked hard to make it feel like our own. My favorite thing about our new home is the space we have to be creative. In a studio apartment, functionality and cohesion were always the top priority. Now I love having different rooms to explore colors, patterns and moods. My favorite room is our dining room, which feels a bit like a solarium with lots of windows and plants. Even just having a dining room in New York feels like hitting the jackpot!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

To center your space. Right out of college, I worked at a high-end consignment boutique that was always busy. Processing consignment meant digging through mountains of clothes while trying to do a million other things at once. One day, seeing that I was feeling completely flustered and overwhelmed, my boss told me to take five minutes to organize my workspace. Taking those five minutes to breathe, refocus, and center my space made all the difference in the world. I still think about that advice all the time, and the concept can be applied to more than just a messy desk.