What’s Bold, Colorful, and Uncommonly Strong?

Have you ever been asked to do something you thought was a little pointless? But once you committed, it was actually amazing?

Guilty! 🙋

Rewind to a few years ago. While in Goldman Sachs’s 10,000 Small Businesses “mini-MBA” program, I was charged with selecting a symbol to represent our company’s culture.

I admit, I love the company culture we’ve created at Blakely, but I couldn’t resist rolling my eyes at this assignment — I didn’t want to pick a random symbol and have it feel forced.

In the end, I decided that homework’s homework, and if my kids can do theirs, I could certainly do mine. So I sat in my desk chair, thinking about the culture we had created.

Suddenly, an item on my bookshelf caught my attention, and I knew.

The Symbol that Inspires Our Culture at Blakely Interior Design

What did I see that was so perfect it felt like a sign from above?

A blue Agate stone.

It’s beautiful. Detailed. Complex. I researched the stone some more, and what I found blew me away…

Blue Agate (source)

• The polished rings of quartz look delicate but are incredibly strong
• Agate is found in bold colors and is said to inspire creativity, harmony, and confidence
• The contrasting rings balancing each other perfectly

Just like the Blakely team!

As women, we’re often perceived as delicate, but our team is far from it. We live bold and colorful lives and are known for approaching color fearlessly in our clients’ projects.

Like the rings of Agate, we also balance each other, and this balance translates to a team that is confident, polished, and highly communicative.

As it turns out, this symbol doesn’t feel forced at all. It feels authentic. It feels like us.

…and Then Came the Blakely Interior Design Studio Reno!

So, take all of these excellent qualities. Put them together. Add the Blakely edge. What do you get? A culture full of innovative energy!

In our downloadable Interior Design Project Planner, I mention finding your “inspiration piece,” the foundational element that inspires you and the approach to your whole design.

Can you guess what our inspiration piece is?

Agate. No surprises there!

We hired the always delightful Deborah Sabo of Wickford, RI to paint this bold Agate feature wall in our conference room — where it energizes us every day!

If you look closely, thin layers of gold metallic paint are mixed into the shades of blue, creating a sophisticated edge.

Now, as we enter the studio each day, this Agate wall reminds us of our strength, inspires us to design bravely, and keeps us moving forward together for our clients.

Isn’t design powerful?