Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtnay Tartt Elias.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started Creative Tonic Design about 10 years ago as a special events company and after styling several events for clients one asked if we would help decorate her home… you betcha! My background is in Decorative Arts (I worked and studied 19thc + 20thc Decorative arts at Sotheby’s in London) and I fell in love with the industry and found designing homes and working one-on-one with vendors and clients was much more conducive to my other “life” as a wife and mother raising three boys.
My firm has grown and grown so much in the last eight years… but over the last four years, we have exploded. I really attribute that explosion to the press we have received, Instagram (I run the account to keep it my voice and on brand) and my most magical and amazing TEAM CREATIVE TONIC. I work with a talented group and truly Creative Tonic is not just about me!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve been lucky that is has been a relatively smooth road. I have an amazing family and husband that supports my workaholic tendencies and they help me know when to reign it in. I would say over the last two years, as we have grown, that this has been the biggest struggle trying to decide to keep Creative Tonic a boutique highly-bespoke firm or hire on several more designers and take on more work. This is such a fine line and in busy Houston… I know I am not the only designer faced with this dilemma.
My other struggle is that we care so much! My team and I truly pour our hearts and souls into every project. We LOVE helping people and we LOVE design… we are the luckiest people ever… but because we care so much it gets very stressful meeting deadlines and making decisions and churning out what we believe is a perfect project for our client. We make ourselves crazy… but clearly we thrive on the fun of it all!
Please tell us about Creative Tonic Design.
Creative Tonic Design is a boutique bespoke interior design firm. We also do architectural consulting and construction. We sub-contract out all of our remodeling projects from whole-house renovations to bathroom and kitchen updates. We are known for our colorful designs and beautiful homes. We specialize in space planning and unique color combinations. I think my team and our integrity sets up apart in the industry. We strive for perfection!
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Winning the bed decorating contest and Camp Waldemar when I was nine years old. I wasn’t any good at hitting a softball and hated being hot… but boy I had a way with green and white crepe paper and bubble lettering!
Contact Info:
- Address: 750 Bering Drive, Suite 115 Houston, Texas 77057
- Website: www.creativetonicdesign.com
- Phone: 713-533-9000
- Email: courtnay@creativetonicdesign.com
- Instagram: Creative Tonic
- Facebook: Creative Tonic
Image Credit:
Lila Malone, Trisha Thornton
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