Home Decor interview with Remodo

Founded in the summer of 2013 by sisters Whitney and Amanda Fox, Remodo (www.remodo.com) is an online design destination geared towards teens to young professionals who desire unique and stylish pieces for their rooms. Sisters, Whitney and Amanda, realized at a young age how important it was to make each new space fresh and livable and wanted to spread that to the masses. Read on to find out how they both got involved in home furnishings and interior decorating. Want to follow in their footsteps? These amazing ladies have some fab advice.

GLITTER: What is your educational background?

REMODO: Both of us were educated at the University of Texas at Austin in the Communications School. Whitney is currently getting her certificate for interior design from Parsons New School for Design.

GLITTER: How did you both get involved in home furnishings and interior decorating?

REMODO: The design world has always been intriguing to us. As adolescents, we moved around often and were able to design and decorate our new rooms giving us a real sense of independence and creativity. A home can tell a lot about a person’s life and interests. For teens and young adults, the bedroom is especially important, as it is typically the only room that is all ‘yours’. With Remodo, we want people to feel comforted by their rooms as our rooms did for us when we were younger. Additionally, if your environment is organized, often times your day-to-day life is calmer. Coming home from the office or school to a clean, decorated room is not only refreshing but also vital in our eyes.

GLITTER: How did you both meet?

REMODO: Well, we’re sisters so we were pretty much together since day one.

GLITTER: What went into starting REMODO?

REMODO: Lots of time and energy. Imagination. Guts. Risk. No turning back. Market research. Brainstorming.

GLITTER: Were there any hurdles you had to overcome that are inspiring?

REMODO: We encounter hurdles on a day-to-day basis and expect to each morning. That is part of what goes into starting a new venture and makes it exciting. When we started Remodo, the website was much more focused on technology and digital bedrooms. We worked with an amazing group of developers but there was a technical language barrier that we were not prepared for which was challenging. We had to learn what would take a few seconds to fix on the site and what would take 3 days – the answers often surprised us. It was definitely difficult at first but it has helped us tremendously with our current site and for the future of Remodo.com.

GLITTER: What advice can you give teens on wanting to have a fresh look to their bedroom when on a budget? (For example, high-to-low purchasing, where to start, and what to look for.)

REMODO: Think about what look you want now and also how you think it will change in the next few weeks, months, years. When it comes to budgeting we suggest purchasing quality furniture that will last for years to come. We suggest selecting core pieces that are timeless and can be transitional – specifically with furniture. Those items (furniture) are the most expensive and are harder to change out. Once you have a solid foundation, you can be creative with bedding, pillows, accessories and wall decor. Those are less expensive to change and can completely alter the look and feel of your room.

GLITTER: What goes into developing a product? Can you walk us through the steps from idea to actual design?

REMODO: We don’t make our own products yet so we answered, “What goes into designing a room.” Every room we design is different but we take the same approach each time. The most important thing is to design a space that our users want to spend time in. We believe that space has a direct impact on how people feel. We talk to each of our customers about what they are looking for, what they like/dislike, color preference and most importantly what the space will be used for.

From there, we assess what pieces of furniture/accessories they will be keeping and work with them to find items that suit their needs both short-term and long-term. Customers then receive a moodboard and wishlist of items to purchase directly from our site. It is a one-stop shop!

GLITTER: What pieces have you designed that have a teen focus and edge?

REMODO: We don’t design pieces yet; we curate room designs and strategically choose the products we place on our site.

GLITTER: Your company offers moodboards. Can you explain this concept and how this helps in planning a great interior space?

REMODO: Moodboards are an essential part of our design services. Purchasing furniture for your home is an investment and should be thought out. We find that by arranging our products in visually pleasing format, it help our customers envision their space. Customers usually send us pictures of their current room and items they want to keep so we work around that. Other times, customers want all new items so we build a room from scratch. It varies. No matter what, we send our customers one or more moodboards (similar to the one attached) with an accompanying “wishlist” of items to purchase. It makes the process seamless and the moodboard provides a great basis for.

GLITTER: What are some of your personal favorite pieces of your collection and why?

REMODO: We love all of our products, but are currently obsessed with our Moroccan poufs and the Nick Consoles. The Moroccan poufs come in so many vibrant colors and are not only a decorative accent but also are a great source of extra seating when friends are over or you are having a party. The Nick consoles are brand new and amazing! We love the combination of the gold geometric base and the colorful tops. Lastly, our new prints are a perfect addition to any room. We love quotes and anything inspirational for a room.

GLITTER: What advice do you have for teens wanting to start a similar business?

REMODO: Starting a business is an amazing journey, but also requires a lot of work. The biggest piece of advice we can give is to be prepared to make mistakes and to learn from your mistakes. You can’t accomplish anything without trying.

Other tips:

• Ask for as much advice as possible

• Set realistic benchmarks and goals

• Do as much market research as possible and test your product/concept before launching. Often times you will be surprised by what your customer is looking for.

• Never turn down an offer for an introduction. You never know who you will connect with and where it can lead.

• Do not be afraid to put yourself out there.

• Build a team of people whose skills complement each other.

GLITTER: Where can we find you online?

REMODO: On the web: www.remodo.com

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com./Remodo

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Remodo

Instagram: @Remodo

Twitter: @MyRemodo

Email us at info@remodo.com for questions!

Heather Riccio

Editorial Director | Writer | Tweet me @heatherriccio