Why Hello

For those reading (Mom & Grandma) this post is an introduction to who we are and how we got here. Which given our current audience of family and childhood friends, you already know who we are. So if you’re reading this and have found us by other means, HELLO, SWEET ANGEL.

Our names are Anna and Kelsey, originally from Seattle and San Diego, and we are the creators of Sturdy House Co. And when we say ‘creators’ we will gladly be honest with you and say the road is not always clear or glam. We’ve had many moments of doubt and feeling stuck, where we end up eating cheese instead of working. And those days that we eat cheese, we still leave our ‘working session’ saying “No, we love this. Design matters, dammit” (not intentional plagirism of Debbie Millman’s stunning podcast). And the thing that keeps us coming back is the very thing that also makes us have doubt. And that is that starting a business of your own is hard and scary. We’re obviously not the first to say this, but it’s that fear part, the line of doubt that we keep crossing to move forward, that is our indicator that this (design) matters to us. And really, we think matters to everyone whether they realize it or not. Design is our thing. We experience our surroundings (both beautiful and bleak) deeply in our bones. We feel design physically. It’s the reason we are drawn to certain restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques, hotels, bars. Design, in these spaces that draw you in, is all sensory. An all encompassing assurance that you belong and are welcome. For us, good design in commercial spaces makes us both calm and inspired. It ignites awareness of the present moment.

So this is our long-winded way of saying we love you, business owners. Because we’re right there with you through slog of it all of creating something. We know that if you have a business, there’s a reason. You started what you started because you have a passion and a fire just like ours. And because design is our thing, that’s the medium we use to help make businesses the physical and emotional space that represents the owner’s intention. We don’t think we’re the only people in the world to feel design physically. Everyone is impacted by design, at the very least, subconsciously. And it’s that essence in the air (too hippy?) that draws people in a door, amplifies their experience, and keeps them coming back. So that’s what we’re here to do, draw people in your door and sing to the rooftops of the uniqueness and greatness of their time in your space.

For more about how we met and our design obsession, read our ‘about’ page. To anyone who has read this, we love you. We’re feeling alive and nervous and hope you are too.

XOXO Anna & Kelsey