Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Simms & Sondra Lagasse.
Hi Jill & Sondra, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
The idea for ‘Woodlands Style House’ came from a shared love of accessible design and the desire to build something that was all our own.
When we first met, we quickly realized how much we had in common. We were both moms to 2 young girls, had recently moved to The Woodlands, and loved all things DIY & decorating. We had both moved so many times, we had gotten really good at decorating our homes on a budget and doing it in a practical way that suited the needs of our young families.
As we learned more about our new town, we realized there were a large number of homes here that needed renovating & updating – but like us – not everyone wanted to pay for a high-end interior design firm. Many of our friends simply wanted help with one room at a time and decorated in a way that felt accessible and livable. We all mix high-end pieces with affordable items in our everyday life – why shouldn’t there be a design service built around that concept? So, we finally decided that if there was a need in this market for a new type of design service, maybe WE should be the ones to offer it!
That’s when we decided to get to work! We wanted to make sure we had a fully developed brand before we launched our business. We created our logo, built our website, opened our social media accounts, and began developing our portfolio. All of our early ‘work’ was simply photos of our own homes & projects we’d helped friends with – but we hoped that it was enough to show what we were capable of. Our website went live, and we posted that ‘Woodlands Style House’ was officially open for business.
Somehow, we were lucky enough to get a huge, immediate response! We booked our first few jobs and have literally had a waitlist since that first day over 7 years ago. We now have a team of 22 women, including home stylists, handywomen, renovation specialists, holiday specialists, event Stylists, rendering specialists, and professional organizers!
Alright, 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?
The biggest struggle we have faced in our business journey so far was definitely the pandemic. We are an all-woman run business, and all moms to young school-aged kids. So having all kids sent home to be homeschooled impacted each and every one of us. Somehow, during all of the shutdowns, our business was experiencing a higher demand than ever before! Due to this increased interest in our services and us not being able to go into our clients’ homes, we decided to officially launch E-Design services. We found our clients loved this new option and the way it allowed us to continue designing rooms – but all through online communication instead. Even once everything opened back up, we have kept offering E-Design and have loved how it allows us to serve clients from all over the country!
As you know, we’re big fans of Woodlands Style House. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
At Woodlands Style House, we are Home & Event Stylists. We started this business with a shared passion for beautiful and yet accessible design. Design for ANY space, in ANY style.
We have since brought on other stylists who share our same vision. We know that each person has a unique style and that every home has different needs. Because of this, we accommodate a wide range of budgets and design styles to keep our clients and their families the focus of every project.
We pride ourselves on being able to decorate spaces in any design style and budget that fits the client’s needs. While some designers have one specific style that they tend to recreate in clients’ homes, we like to take inspiration from whatever the clients’ tastes are and then bring our fresh perspective to it. We’ve created spaces in multiple different styles, including modern, rustic, industrial, contemporary & more. We’ve also styled a wide range of events in every style imaginable. We truly want our clients to be inspired by their space once we’re done with it. And we want it to feel like their own.
Something else that sets us apart is our ability to work with a wide range of budgets. We firmly believe that great design can be achieved without breaking the bank. To accomplish this, we shop at a variety of stores, from budget-friendly to high-end and everything in between.
We love redecorating, but also use our styling skills for a range of other projects, such as holiday styling, renovation coordination, E-design/renderings, event planning & styling, organizing, and more.
Through all of these styles, our team is committed to ‘Bringing Style Home’ to our clients each & every day.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Starting a business is always a risk. When we had the idea for our business, we were incredibly intimidated. There’s always the risk of the market having no demand for your service, the risk of your business model not yielding profits, and the risk of having troubles growing or scaling the business. But there’s a reason the saying goes, ‘no risk, no reward.’ Starting a business from scratch is hard. REALLY hard. That’s why not everyone does it! But Woodlands Style House has honestly become more than we ever imagined, and we are so glad we dared to dream big all those years ago. Sometimes it really does just take one idea to completely change everything!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.woodlandsstylehouse.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/woodlandsstylehouse/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/woodlandsstylehouse
- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/woodlandsstylehouse
- Other: https://www.shopltk.com/explore/Woodlands_Style_House
Image Credits
Nicole Oman
