Defining Hospitality

In this episode, Dan Ryan interviews Sonja Haviland and Haley Mistler, Co-Founders of Superette Studio. They discuss their six-year journey in the hospitality design industry, highlighting key projects such as the Napa Valley Lodge and The Lodge at Bodega Bay, the latter of which was awarded Condé Nast Traveler's Reader's Choice - Best Hotel in the World. The duo shares insights on entrepreneurship, their definition of hospitality as the art of making people feel like they belong, and the importance of creative networks. They also touch upon the significance of trust and communication in their partnership, showcasing their nimble and hands-on approach to design and project management. This episode provides valuable guidance for budding entrepreneurs in the design world, emphasizing the synergy between branding and interiors in creating welcoming experiences.

Takeaways: 
  • Engage in spaces where you can have unexpected collisions with other professionals, such as creative hubs or co-working spaces.
  • Consider working with a career or business coach to help navigate difficult conversations and improve teamwork.
  • Perform a vibe check, financial check, and gut check before engaging with new clients. Remember that maintaining a comfortable and positive relationship with clients is crucial.
  • When working on projects, think about the small details that enhance user experience, such as intuitive layout, placement of switches, and durability of materials.
  • Continuously learn and embrace new roles and responsibilities within your business as it grows.
  • Produce and showcase the type of work you want to attract; what you do now is what you will continue to bring in for work.
  • Starting small can be advantageous. Focus on your strengths and expertise before scaling.
Quote of the Show: 
“So much of being successful and being able to grow and learn and evolve is surrounding yourself with people who are in a similar position.” - Haley Mistler

Links:
Shout Outs:
Ways to Tune In: 

Creators & Guests

Host
Dan Ryan
Host of Defining Hospitality
Producer
Rayanne Pruitt

What is Defining Hospitality?

Welcome to Defining Hospitality, the podcast focused on highlighting the most influential figures in the hospitality industry. In each episode we provide 1 on 1, in depth interviews with experts in the industry to learn what hospitality means to them. We feature expert advice on working in the industry, behind the scenes looks at some of your favorite brands, and in depth explorations of unique hospitality projects.

Defining Hospitality is hosted by Founder and CEO of Agency 967, Dan Ryan. With over 30 years of experience in hospitality, Dan brings his expertise and passion to each episode as he delves into the latest trends and challenges facing the industry.

Episodes are released every week on Wednesday mornings.

To listen to episodes, visit https://www.defininghospitality.live/ or subscribe to Defining Hospitality wherever you get your podcasts.

DH - Haviland & Mistler
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[00:00:00] What I do is inconsequential. Why I do what I do is I get to shorten people's journeys every day. What I love about our hospitality industry is that it's our mission to make people feel cared for while on their journeys. Together we'll explore what hospitality means in the built environment, in business, and in our daily lives.

I'm Dan Ryan and this is Defining Hospitality.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: Today's guests are two designers who bring a strong education and creative design background. In the six years, since they've started their company, they've worked on projects such as the Napa Valley Lodge, the Causeway in Sprucehead, Maine, the Langham, Boston, and the Monterey Plaza Hotel in California. recently completed work for the Lodge at Bodega Bay, which is just one Condé Nast Travelers Reader's Choice, Best Hotel in the World Award. They are the co founders and principals at Superette Studio in Providence, Rhode Island. Ladies and gentlemen, Sonja Haviland and Haley Mistler. [00:01:00] Welcome.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Hi. Thank you. Hi. Thanks.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: so I would like the listeners to know that of the almost 200 podcasts that I've recorded, most of them are people I know, I've known for a long time. Um, we get a lot of inbound requests. Um, there's only, I only do this once a week and I really enjoy doing these. It's the part of the week I look forward to the most, but Leanne on my team got an inbound request, I think from one of your agencies,

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: that work with you and, She got so excited because she's loved working with you over the past year on a couple of different projects.

She's

like, Oh my

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Of

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: to talk to them. So it I was like, sure, definitely. So I just, I don't, I'm sharing that cause I don't get a lot of inbound, or I mean, I get a lot of but obviously. Doing this once a week. I can't talk to everyone, right?

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: course, yeah,

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: my full time job, but in just [00:02:00] getting to know you and having, having seen your name for a while and worked on projects with you. I'm amazed that you have been around for, I guess, six years. You started right before COVID

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: yep.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: Let's take two years of that out because that doesn't really count. because COVID was fun for everyone, but

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: and you started off doing a retail office and residential, and now you've been working on all these award winning projects pretty much right out of the gate and it's just really impressive to see entrepreneurs. Start a company, get hit in the face with COVID and then come out and work on all these incredible projects.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: the story is really awesome. So before we get into the story in being defining hospitality, how do you guys define hospitality? does hospitality mean to you?

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah. Um, we've thought a lot about this, uh, just having really jumped into the world of hospitality. [00:03:00] And, for, for us as a company and for me personally, I really feel like hospitality is the art of making people feel like they belong. And I think a lot about myself when I'm in either hotels or restaurants or, you know, any, any type of, of public space.

Um, and it's, it's such an uncomfortable feeling if you walk in somewhere and. you are not greeted, or you are unsure of where to go, or things feel like they might be too precious. you know, you, when I'm on vacation and, and when I'm out, you know, enjoying my life, I want to be in spaces that welcome me to them, whether that is with a person, with staff members, or whether it's just the environment that I'm in, I want to feel like I'm meant to be there.

And I think Um, you know, creating an environment that is truly, hospitable is, is doing that. It's making people feel like, [00:04:00] no, we want you here. Your presence is valued. Um, and we want you to feel comfortable and relaxed and, and yeah, you're supposed to be here.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: Love it. So for those of you who are listening and not watching, um, And now we're going to switch over to Sonja. So Sonja, yeah, how about you?

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Um, no, I think Haley pretty summed it up pretty well for kind of how we super at kind of think about hospitality. Um, for us, it's kind of creating a welcoming experience at every aspect. And so with what we do, we do graphics and we do branding and interiors. And so we're always considering that from.

Whether you're doing your logo or all the way to getting into the website to a physical space. So for us, making sure everyone is comfortable and feels welcome is a, is a huge priority. And it's not just guests going to a hotel or a restaurant. It's all the way from, um, the guests, but also the, the people that work there.

And so [00:05:00] it's just, we really want to make people feel welcome. I think that's it.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: I hear that a lot in many of these conversations and books I've read where it's really, you know, not just the guest,

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: of the stakeholders

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah. Yeah. Mm hm. Mm hm. Mm

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: and general partners, limited partners. It's the employees, it's the vendors, it's the, your team, it's, you know, The community, it's everyone. And I want to go back to, uh, kind of how I teed this up where, so you started in 2019. Also, I'm, a huge fan of entrepreneurs and taking that entrepreneurial leap. And you, the two of you first started working or incorporated in 2019, you started doing more office retail and residential. Now you've been doing all these hospitality projects.

I think one was just, um, I forget which one it was just, um, showcased last week or the week before in hospitality [00:06:00] design of a bar that you worked on,

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: Lafayette park hotel.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yes.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: but

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Bistro.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: it's amazing that you recently incorporated doing other things and then you've switched gears into hospitality and now you've worked on all these award winning projects and you're getting published all over the place. So what kind of helped you, um, Make the turn into hospitality. And what do you think has helped you find all this success there?

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: I love this question. It's like, what, what happened? Sonja and I ask ourselves that a lot. and I love, um, I love this story and I love it when other people share their origin stories as well. And I think because as an entrepreneur, so much of our work lives feel very chaotic, there's no roadmap for how to do this really.

Um, And a lot of the time you just, to be honest, you feel like you're doing it wrong a lot of the time because you're, you're constantly learning. You're constantly trying to [00:07:00] figure out what works for you, what works for your company. Um, so to hear other, to hear other founders of companies and entrepreneurs share what they did to get to where they are, um, is just a, Lovely community building experience, so I'm, I'm happy to have a seat at the table to share our story because hopefully it'll give some, um, some mojo to other people out there who are in the same spot.

But, um, so my, my background is in graphics and branding, and that's, that's what I went to college for. It's what I have a degree in.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: And that's, that's Haley, everyone.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Haley. Yes.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: Okay.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: I know our voices are so similar. All these four podcast listeners. Um, yeah. So my background is in graphics and branding and, um, I started my career in the footwear industry and I was responsible for developing a lot of campaigns.

I was doing a little bit of product design, really, uh, a lot of brand design. We would like to Launch new brands. We would rehab old brands. and along with that came a strong [00:08:00] retail component. We would do, um, trade show designs and, and retail display designs and things like that. So, um, I definitely jumped in feet first.

I, I had no experience in the footwear world, but started doing that. And honestly, it was the greatest job I could have had. It was learning on the fly, but I got to do all these amazing things. As I said, I touched on so many different parts of, of product and how product moves through a marketplace and how design influences that product and influences people's choices.

And I got to do other fun things like photo shoots. all around the world, you know, producing these cool, cool photo shoots, which was such a valuable skill. so I really enjoyed that. And then, you know, life circumstances, I ended up leaving that job. I started a freelance business for myself doing design.

I worked with a number of companies, both small and large, um, on various projects, branding projects, other graphics projects. and I [00:09:00] was living in Boston and I, I saw an advertisement for a studio space Fort Point area of Boston, and I sort of knew the woman who was advertising it. So I gave her a call just to talk about it.

And she said to me, you know, I don't know you super well. I don't know your business, but I can guarantee you if you move into this space, it will change your life. And I really grabbed onto that because I felt like I, I needed something like that. I needed a community around me as a, as a solo designer to kind of keep moving forward.

So I agreed. I, I signed on the dotted line. I moved into the studio space and it did change my life because that is where I met Sonja. She was also sharing some of the studio space. And, as we got to know each other and, um, talked more about our, our likes, our, our career aspirations, um, our aesthetic, kind of everything.

We really realized that, um, we were super [00:10:00] similar in terms of, how we like to design, what we like to design, the things that inspired us. I mean, everything from fashion, art history, music, you know, it's just a good fit on all of these levels. And, um, we had this kind of shared ambition to work together, um, to work on projects.

Because Sonja's background is in interiors and that combination of doing the branding and the graphics with the interiors felt like to us was going to open up a whole world where we could work on these really interesting projects. We could work on them together, um, and, and work with some really interesting clients.

So that's why we formed the business. It's, it's how we met and why we, we started Superette. Um, and yeah. Yeah, we, we got some good hospitality projects right off the bat, but I don't know if you want to jump into your, your side of it. I think you should tell the story of maybe our first, um, how we got our first [00:11:00] hospitality project.

I'll just keep going. Yeah,

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: hospitality project,

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: our first hospitality project was, um, That's kind of like what, what set this whole thing in, into action. And so I think it's kind of your story to tell because it was your little project first. It was, it started out as my baby. Um, so, uh, right around the time that Sonja and I decided to officially partner up and form the business.

I had been working with a woman who started, a fine jewelry line and it was a, a real passion project of hers. She and I had been working closely together for quite a while, I want to say almost a year, to launch this brand and this product into the world. And we had a, we had a great relationship.

We were very friendly. Um, and. At one point during the project, she told me she was, she was leaving Boston. She was going to move back to California. and kind of surprisingly, she ended up taking a job. She, she still kept the jewelry line, but she [00:12:00] ended up taking a job with a hospitality group out in California.

And as soon as she did that, she called me and said, Hey, I just, I just started with this company. Um, I've really loved working with you and I, I see a lot of room for improvement with this company that I'm working with now, and I think you'd be a really great fit. And she said, we're a little nervous about working with you because you're a solo designer.

And I had to stop her right there. I'll never forget this phone call. I was walking in the theater district in Boston. I was on my, my cell phone talking to her and I said, well, you're not going to believe it, but I actually just, Formed a company with a partner who has some extraordinary interior, background and the two of us, you know, would probably be a really good fit for you.

And she was so excited to hear that. Um, just cause it meant that, you know, we had more, we had more manpower behind us. We had more to bring to the table. so she said, okay, so she, she set us up with a, an RFP and we submitted an [00:13:00] RFP and. Like most entrepreneurs who have to get used to rejection, we did not get that original job.

Yeah, we didn't. We did not. Nope. but

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: kept coming back for more.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: did, uh, we didn't get that original job, but they did come back to us and say, we have another property, um, which we'd like you to, again, submit a proposal for. So we turned around and we submitted a proposal for that project. And we did get that project.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: which project was that?

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: And that was the Napa Valley Lodge.

That was a branding project for Napa Valley Lodge. Yeah. It started as a branding project and then we got, we'd started to do the interiors with them.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: Scope Creep.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah. Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: that. Okay.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: With this one we liked it. Yeah, exactly.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: And

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: We're happy about that creep. Yeah, and then years later we got the project. Was it two years later we got the project we didn't get?

Yeah, the original project that we did not get ended up coming back to us after two years. Which they just won the [00:14:00] world's best hotel. Yeah, yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: that's the Lodge at Bodega

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah, yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: there.

okay, so,

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: was a lot. Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: you lose something, you keep going, and you wind up getting it, and then it wins, according to Condé Nast, the best resort in the world, um, which is so fantastic, and Such a incredible surprise for two young entrepreneurs, or just starting out on your entrepreneurial journey. and having done residential office, and retail before and kind of just starting up with that and getting airspeed from there. What was it that kept you coming back to and what do you attribute the success of those initial projects that you've been working on for, you know, for being on these award winning projects?

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: What keeps us coming back to hospitality is that we feel like it's the place where we get to [00:15:00] exercise design in how we like to do it because we're so focused on, um, considering the brand hospitality is the perfect medium for us to be able to design like that, where we can really think about. How a brand, touches guests.

And as Sonja said, it is everything from that first pass at a website might be the first time you, you see a hotel to what things physically feel like when you're on the ground. And so when we can have a project where. We, we get to touch all of those areas or get to have some say in all of those areas to really create that whole enveloping experience.

That's just the most magical. And, and it is designing for a brand, which puts us in the headspace of being able to think about. These, these properties almost as characters and [00:16:00] really getting to know what that character is, um, if you're working on, on office, it's, you know, It's, it's very, it's very, I'm not quite sure what the word is, but it's, it's a little, it's less creative.

It's less exciting. There's a, there's a formula. There's a formula. It's definitely more functional. Um, you know, retail is another place where you get to really combine the idea of the brand with the interiors and, and have a lot of fun with it. So that's another avenue that we, we do enjoy working on.

Well, I think like. With all of those things, hospitality is involved in it. And so, although this was, you know, a couple of years ago, it was our first hospi true hospitality, like hotel project, you know, we've been doing retail for, for so long and the retail market has just changed drastically where they are taking kind of the properties that you would do, characteristics that you would have in like a hotel and making sure like When you walk in the door, you're greeted.

You have all these moments where you're given maybe a glass of champagne or something like that. So [00:17:00] knowing those things about retail, and then even when it comes to like residential, like the residential is so big and making sure you have a residential feel in your hotels. Like you want people to feel comfortable, like feel like they're, they're in their own bedroom or could be their own aspirational bedroom.

So. For us, when we started doing hospitality, it was, it was pretty easy. it was really, really exciting that we could kind of take these things that we already knew about and implement them into a new space. And so the fun thing is with some of these properties, that's, um, you know, when they get a little bigger, they all have these aspects.

So like some of them have a restaurant, some of them have a retail component. They'll have like a little store. Um, sometimes we get asked to do, um, The, the office space is because they want to make sure that their employees have a nice space to work in and want to come back to work. So honestly, like all of the stuff that we've done before kind of helps to, um, to feel like what our work is with each property.

And so it just, it just [00:18:00] helps with everything that we're doing.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: I'm also curious about like the the studio space where you started because Haley mentioned that she went there and there were

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: creatives there. Sonja, like drew you to that place? Because I think that those incubator style

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: where there's makers and artists and just other creatives, there's this, um, kind of like halo effect that happens and, and much in the way

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah, yeah,

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: projects that you're working on, there's that feeling, there's interactions, collisions, touches. Sonja, how did you decide to go into that space as well? Because I think for all kind of budding. Um, entrepreneurs, it's really important to have as many unexpected collisions as possible, I think, cause you never really know which way you're going to go. You started one way then wound up another way and finding really great success very quickly. Um, going that other way and being able to evolve your business. So [00:19:00] Sonja, how did you find that place? And what, what about that place do you think played such a role in your success

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: I think it was, mine was kind of random where, where someone had mentioned like, Oh, we have extra room. And I said, great, I need to be in Boston, like in downtown Boston. This is the perfect location. And then I went to go and see the space. It was super cool. It was very like in an industrial building with a huge windows.

Um, and then just. And why I ended up picking that space over, say, like a WeWork was because I knew I was going to be around creative people. And so when you walked in the door, it was, um, a ceramics studio. And so there's these two amazing, well known New England, um, ceramicists named Lawrence McRae and Jill Rosenwald.

And so you walk in the door and you just see these gorgeous ceramics everywhere, and then the same thing you see, like other designers, there's that were in there. And so just. Being around [00:20:00] it just felt great. And then I could say, Hey, I need to get my, my, um, project photographed. And then there's a photographer right there.

And so it was just like, everyone was kind of able to help each other, which was really great. Like, and then Haley and I, I needed a graphic designer to help on a project with this company called BookBub. And so she came in and helped me do some of their graphics. So.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: as she

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: great.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: throwing pottery on a wheel,

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: yeah, a pot.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: I don't know. I'm just envisioning. So I,

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: was like that. Yeah. Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: idea in the sense when you were talking about office, where it was kind of more programmatic or standard or functional. I forgot what you said a few minutes ago. When WeWork came onto the space, they, I really like the offices and the spaces that they came up with in these kind of incubator type styles. But they're, they're almost too nice. Like I

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: they did a great job. So I don't want to disparage like what, that concept that was really revolutionary for what they did. but [00:21:00] I think a lot can be said for other budding entrepreneurs when you're thinking about starting, especially in a creative field, every city has these types of incubator

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: you just kind of, and it's actually an interesting. Um, when you're thinking about doing this, like, why not go and see if there's any of these other spaces that are around?

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Right. Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: thoughts on that?

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: I 100 percent agree. And if I had any advice for my younger self, it would have been to get myself in a position like that earlier. Because I think that, you know, if you are, if you're a solo designer, it's really easy to kind of silo yourself. Especially with the world right now where it's so easy to work remote, you can work from anywhere.

Um, and, and so much is digital. even in interior design, you know, we, we know firms where all of their employees are remote and there is no central office. I mean, that, that is, that can be a real thing. Um, but [00:22:00] what I have learned is that so much of, of Being successful and being able to grow and learn and evolve is surrounding yourself with people who are in a similar position.

So with a, with something like a WeWork, you know, the idea is great because yeah, people need a place to go. They don't want to be stuck at home, but it's, it's not a guarantee that you're going to get that caliber of person, that, that creative type of person who, you know, Even if you couldn't work with them, they're just kind of on your same plane.

You guys speak a very similar language. You're inspired by the same things. You might have certain people in common that could either help you along the way or, you know, you could, you could work with them. But the idea of having this creative network as opposed to just a network. is incredibly important for anyone in the design world.

I think [00:23:00] that it's, it's, they're going to be your biggest cheerleaders and. They're going to be a huge source of inspiration. And then when stuff goes wrong, because it always does, they're, you know, your, your shoulders to kind of cry on and say, Oh man, like I'm in, I'm in a sticky situation or, um, something's not going very well.

How should I handle this? Um, because chances are is that they've all been in that same spot. And it's very specific to the design industry, which has its own sets of challenges. Um,

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: I, what you're saying is really resonating with me, and I, I didn't, I haven't really thought about it until now. I first moved to New York, I went to, it was before WeWork, but there was like a WeWork like place, uh, kind of in the West Village. And it was cool, but then I moved to the East Village, and then I found this place.

in the Lower East Side called 195 Christie. It's a building mostly of artists and makers. Um, I had, some really great friendships with people who were photographers, like the guys, um, do you know that company Rich, Brilliant, and Willing,

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: I've heard of [00:24:00] them.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: company? They were in the office, like we shared a wall there.

There were other fabric and branding and just, um, PR people that were all there and you could always just Go downstairs and knock on their door and say, Hey, do you have a photographer you could recommend?

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah,

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: having a hard time finding this metal or achieving this metal finish. What do you think? And you, it's a different conversation I'm sure that can happen at a WeWork, but it's probably much harder to find happen.

It's almost like this super incredible, network effect for creatives.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: it's almost like being in a really big firm that does a lot of things, but that, you know, it's all individual businesses. we're in a building now. So we, we have since moved from Boston. We're down, we're down in Providence, Rhode Island now. And, um, we're in a very similar building. We did the same thing.

We found a building that was going to be kind of a creative hive. Um, and it's owned by [00:25:00] two architects. who have a design build firm and their, their shop is actually here in the building. and we love being able to just run upstairs and chat with them about everything, everything from if they, they might've gotten a project proposal and they're not sure about it and they want us to look at it or same thing with us, you know, Hey, do you know this contractor?

Are they okay? You know, just being able to have that very, uh, insider knowledge and being able to share it. You know,

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: It's almost as if as well, in just those

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: it's

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: other out. Um, it's first of all, it's mutual helpfulness, but it's also, a big believer in karma, and it's almost as if you're filling up the karma pool and they're doing it the same way.

And there's not an expected return, but it just, and like minded people are probably attracted to those places where you can just really [00:26:00] help out your neighbor. I mean, yeah. Being an entrepreneur is so difficult. Being able to have that incredibly focused creative network is really important. I have a friend who's developing a creative maker space up in Bridgeport, Connecticut here. It's right next to the Amtrak and he he's trying to get a bunch of his other, he has another one in Brooklyn, but he's like, guys, why it's so expensive down here. Like come up to Bridgeport. You can really get a lot more and just, more space and have access to way more creatives and musicians and everyone that are all making the move. don't know. I

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: kind of similar to us here. Yeah, it definitely is. You know, we have like being in Providence, like we have RISD Brown, there's amazing makers that are here. So it's, it's a very, it's a very similar feel where, you know, we're, we just feel like we're saturated with like amazing furniture makers and music artists.

It's a much more artistic community and we're able to source a lot more from this city in [00:27:00] particular. I mean, Boston's amazing and we have a great network of, of collaborators that we still work with and we'll probably always work with from Boston. And it's, it's not like Boston is far, it's 45 minutes away.

It's, you know, it's kind of funny that it feels it's such a separate city, but yeah, it's very close. But, um, but in, in Providence, as Tanya said, there are just There are so many makers here, uh, and makers of so many different things, but yeah, in particular furniture, which is huge because we've got people right down the street who can do amazing projects, amazing work.

Um, and we can go to these places and watch stuff being made, um, and really work hand in hand with them. So that's a huge bonus. And, and that kind of in contrast to a lot of the work that we do with, with. Some of the larger hotels where, um, a lot of the furniture is being made in Asia and things like that, you know, that process is great as well.

And I like having both of those. I love having, you know, the [00:28:00] local table maker here that we can pop in and see how things are going. And then I love having the teams that we work with on these big projects to make sure that what's being made. thousands of miles away is to the same standard, same quality.

and all the logistics that go along with that. So it's a nice, it's a nice dichotomy.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: Yeah, and if so, for instance, if you were meet a prospective client who has a hotel or a restaurant somewhere, and they've never worked with someone in Providence, what's your, what's your pitch to them? What's your value add as far as, oh, what's Have you considered Providence because the talking heads are from here? That's why, that's why I would do it. But, um, like what, what, what's your value proposition to prospective clients?

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Our value proposition is that we are, we're a small and mighty team and we're incredibly nimble. the fact that we've been able to produce work across the country. And, and not just one [00:29:00] project, many of them at kind of a large scale, um, really speaks to how adept we are at being able to, to operate and manage those types of projects being very far away.

Um, we've even done work overseas. So location is. Location is not really, doesn't really matter so much with design projects. With branding projects, doesn't matter at all. With interior projects, again, it really doesn't matter as long as we, you know, at some point or another can have access to the space and, you know, check on construction and, and things like that.

but the fact that we're here in Providence means that, uh, we are, we are embedded into a very artistic city. So we're constantly being inspired by. the vernacular that's here, not just in Providence, but I would, I would even argue New England in general. Um, there's a very specific, uh, there's a very specific look in New [00:30:00] England.

Um, and both Sonny and I are born and raised New Englanders. So it's always going to be part of our blood and part of the, you know, the aesthetic that we love. Um, So we can kind of bring what inspires us here on the East Coast to anywhere.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: Yeah,

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: But ultimately,

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: find, I find it amazing that you guys out of the gate are already working on projects outside, so many projects outside of New England that are just winning all of these awards. And

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: yeah,

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: sorry. I didn't mean to cut you off

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: oh no, it's fine. It's um, you know, Haley said we're, we're small and mighty and we are, but I think the pull for, Why clients like to work with us is because you're always getting the two of us because we're, we're kind of always going to be on your project. You're never getting, There's no B team.

There's no B team. Like you're stuck with us no matter what. Um, and we're always part of it, like through the very beginning of a project. So whether it's coming up, you know, just like meeting. And planning things out, [00:31:00] coming up with a concept, um, doing work sessions together. It's always the two of us, um, in the meeting with you and making sure the project is kind of coming from start to finish.

And you're always going to see the two of us, unfortunately, unfortunately. Yeah. Um,

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: So that's an interesting filter because so many entrepreneurs, And I'm guilty of this too, where, you know, you start off and you want to scale and grow and

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: how do you, how have you guys approached that small and mighty, like Connecticut and Rhode Island?

how do you stay true to that? And how do you, how does that help you select clients and projects that you, that you're working on? And yeah, and,

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: think.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: your future.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah, I think that, well, the two of us have been really honest with one another. Um, I think when we started this about the lives that we, we really want to have, um, and that, you know, we want to be able to enjoy our lives. And so one of the things is we want to stay small and mighty. Like we, we [00:32:00] like growing, but we know we're.

There's a point with how much we want to take on when it comes to staff and, and things like that. And so every year we kind of come back to it and we have like our yearly meeting and be like, okay, are you still on board? Yes. Let's stay this. Like we like our schedule. We like the amount of work that's coming in.

And so we just are open and we talk about it. And then when it comes to clients, we, we, we do a gut check a lot and we have, um, you know, we've, we've learned that we have to do like a checklist. you know, when, when a client kind of wants to come in and wants to do a project with us, the two of us will kind of go through and be like, all right, do you hit these, these certain check marks?

Um, and then also we have to like them. Yeah, there's gotta be a vibe check. Um,

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: that the first box to check?

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: probably, probably. Yeah. It's a, it's definitely a gut instinct. And so for us, one of the things is we haven't listened to our gut. There have been times and everyone is guilty of it. And yeah, you definitely kick, [00:33:00] kick yourself in the tush afterwards, but you learn and you learn to like, definitely trust it.

If you like feel something a little weird. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think that, um, the, the way that we, projects or what we choose to kind of go after to work on. It does, as Sonja said, it does kind of have to fit with, with how we envision the firm and the type of work that we want to do. I mean, we'll, we'll get asked to do certain projects and, you know, we'll turn them down if we really feel like.

It's not really a good fit for us. It's not really the type of work that we want to be doing. Um, it's not what we want to be known for. What another thing I've learned as a creative is that the work that you put out there is the work that you're going to get continued, you know, to be hired for. So if you're not producing work, that is what you want to be doing.

Then you need to start because. That's just, that's what is going to come in the door. so yeah, it's a, it's a gut check. It's a, it's a financial check. [00:34:00] It's a, it's a vibe check, but, um, you know, because, because we are on the smaller side and we want to remain on the smaller side just because of our own, you know, wish to have a, a good life balance and, and, and a work balance too.

Um, we only take on select amount of projects. You know, we, we do know that there's a limit to what we can actually accomplish. And if we needed to do more, we would have to get a much bigger team. Um, and we're not really at that point yet where we want to take that huge leap. We want to have controlled kind of slower growth that makes sense for us as a company and, and us as founders.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: I have a great book you should read. Um, I'll send it to you. Um, I'll send you two copies. It's called Small Giants, and it's about business. And I wish I

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: beginning of my entrepreneurial journey where, um, just being the best at what you are without growing for the sake of growth.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah, exactly. That's it. Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: and also in thinking about [00:35:00] your you mentioned every year you go through and you do a review and do you talk about, like, what does that review look like?

Is there a formal, is there a formal agenda that you go through? Or, and ultimately, the thing that resonated the most that you said right there, aside from all the, the, um, gut check, the financial check, and the vibe check was, what do you want to be known for? So let me ask you, like, do you guys review that every year?

What do you want to be known for is your, what's your North star?

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: So our, our review process with one another is anything but formal. We are not formal people. No, no. And our clients would say the same thing, which is again, probably why they like working with us. We very much keep it real. But, uh, It's not formal, um, you know, Sonny and I are business partners, but we're also friends and genuinely really like each other.

And so we like, yeah, we, we, you know, when we go on, on business trips together, we have a good time. [00:36:00] We like to go out to eat. We, you know, we can shop together and things like that. So having these conversations is, is, you know, It's pretty natural and, and because, and because we are, you know, similar as people, it's an easy thing to check in with one another and just say, hey, is this, is this going okay for you?

And, and sometimes it's not. And yeah, we've had some difficult moments where we've had to look at things and be like, oh, maybe we should make a change here or, or this needs to shift because it's not working for me. But, um, you know, just being able to have that relationship with one another is super important.

It's huge. Um, This is a marriage . It's, yeah. We're basically like, we're marriage. Yeah. This is our work marriage. Yeah. We have to make sure, I mean, we're almost at the seven year mark. I know. We're common law. This

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: Oh yeah. The seven year itch may come.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: I know. . Yeah. So, yeah. Mm-Hmm?

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: to shift back and talk to like a more of a project situation or.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Mm-Hmm.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: Or kind of [00:37:00] review. So if you look at like the Lodge of Bodega Bay, um, if you go back to when you were talking about what hospitality meant to you, it was really about how you feel in a space, how you make other people feel. Um. This just got this incredible accolade. what's an element in that project that you worked on that you think best exemplifies that? Because I don't know if anyone's ever been out there, Bodega Bay is probably one of the most beautiful places on earth. It's like a stunning, um, location right on the Pacific. gets really moody

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah. Yeah, it does.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: Fog and sun and it's all over the place. Great oysters. But what's a, what's an element within that award winning project that you think best exemplifies what your definition of hospitality is?

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: we did a lot of the guest rooms and we did the, um, the [00:38:00] presidential suite on this property and. One of the things that we thought intensely about with the, with all of those rooms was, um, how can people walk in here and have everything they need feel very intuitive? So we spent a lot of time looking at, uh, where the lighting switches were so that if you were in bed, you could turn off the lights.

The main lights in the room from bed. There was no getting up to walk over somewhere else. It was, you know, placing charging stations in places that make sense. I think you'd be surprised at how many hotels, even new ones, where it's just, it's really just not considered. It's, you know, you're, you're, crawling around on the floor looking for an outlet for a laptop and the room might be beautiful, but it's not, it's not really functioning very well for what you need.

You know, looking at materials on, um, on the chairs that Uh, we're gonna be super durable for the property, but that actually felt really nice as a guest to sit in. Yeah. So really striking that balance so that everybody got, [00:39:00] everybody got what they needed. And then, um, in the, in the presidential suite called, uh, Captain's Quarters, That was a really challenging room because it had to, it had to serve.

many functions. It was not just a guest room. It was a meeting room. It was a bridal party suite. It was, uh, it was a corporate event retreat room. It was a family room. It was a movie night room. It was a room for a solitary person who wanted to get away from the world for a week or so.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: It's like a Swiss army knife.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah. Yeah. It was a total Swiss Army knife of a room.

It really needed to, it needed to fit like 20 people or it needed to be comfortable for one person. So that's a tall order when you're looking at a room is how do you, how do you put a room together that is going to meet all those needs? but not feel like, you know, a kid of Legos that is just going to constantly be pulled apart and put back together.

And, um, so we really worked hard to come up with [00:40:00] a, a, a great layout that could just do just that. It could feel comfortable for one person. It could set itself up as a beautiful living room and kind of dining area for one person. Or it could become, uh, a movie night. You can have a bunch of kids in there and pull down Murphy beds and, you know, watch, watch movies, uh, on the TV above the fireplace.

Um, or it was a corporate boardroom. We had a great table design that expanded. So you could fit maybe, I think, 14, 14 people around. Yeah, it's big, you know, 14 people around a table so that they could have a great meeting and they, everybody had, everybody had the right charging plugs. Everybody had access to the TV.

I mean, like thinking about all the, if you were in this room at any point, What are the things that you would need and how comfortable is it for you to access them? Yeah. And I think like the other big thing was with, with this, like you were describing Bodega Bay and Bodega Bay is a very, it's a very comfortable place.

It's like muted tones. Um, It is casual. And [00:41:00] so one of the things we did, we took into consideration is that like, one, we wanted to be respectful of existing guests. We wanted to bring in new guests and then be respectful of the landscape itself. And so, you know, we thought really, really hard about the materials that we used and the colorations that we were bringing in.

Um, and so when we designed the rooms. We wanted to make sure that you felt like you were walking into a home. And so we specifically, as Haley was saying, picked out things, um, that were comfortable and so, and, but were also durable, you've, but you felt like you were walking into a place that could be within your own house and you felt really comfortable.

Um, and then the other big thing is like highlighting the landscape because the landscape is so incredible. And so each of these rooms just has this like beautiful view overlooking, um, the Pacific. And so we. We wanted to make sure that that was the highlight. and then the room came afterwards. And so that was kind of a big goal, but you know, just making people feel welcomed in the space, um, and just felt like they were [00:42:00] at home as soon as they walked into the door was, was the goal.

And I think. I think we did it pretty well. I think we did it. I, we were out there, uh, earlier this year and I have always slept well at that property because of just the location and the air and the sound of the, the fog horn is kind of like a beautiful. It's the best. Yeah. You know, natural noise machine you could ask for.

Um, and yeah, we, we stayed in, in some of the rooms that we had done recently and, um, it's, it just is, it's comfortable. It's so comfortable.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: I love it there. It's one of my favorite places in California, which is one of my favorite places on earth. So,

um, amazing. Um, Sonja first, and then we'll go over to Haley. Um, one of the things that I think why this podcast is resonating with so many entrepreneurs is that in design, you can start off really lean, right?

And you can say, Hey, I have an idea. I have a skill set and I have a talent. what [00:43:00] advice would you have for other budding entrepreneurs who want to start a business with a partner?

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: let me think about this one. So I make sure you like each other. That's the key. So, so both of us. Both of us started as solopreneurs, so I started my own company before Hayley, like before we met, which was great. It was really, really lonely. Um, and so that was probably one of the reasons why I joined, um, that, that studio where we met, but it, it can be, It can be really lonely, um, and you have to make, if you're going to do it by yourself, um, make sure you really set up a very good network and you rely on people and constantly ask for help.

Um, and it's okay to like, you know, team up with different designers, whether it's an architect or somebody, but it can be lonely. But when, and that's for me, that for me personally, that's not for everyone. when Haley and I met, like we just, it was kind of like, you know, We knew, and we, we tried a couple of projects out to make sure it truly fit.

It's [00:44:00] kind of like, we keep joking that this is, you know, a marriage, but we, we did, we, we tried out a couple of projects to make sure that our, our work styles work together. Um, so it wasn't like we just dove right into it. We really, we really tested the waters to make sure each of us, um, understood each other's job.

Um, and then our personalities work together and our design styles work together and our working styles worked. and then one other big thing is like we made sure we actually had a career coach at the very beginning, um, Who, um, I had previously worked with and he worked with us for a couple of sessions as we were starting the company.

And he just made sure it was like marriage counseling that we like learned how to work together and communicate. And so when you team up with someone, you have to make sure that you. You, you talk when you have issues, um, or when you have fears about things and you just get things out into the open instead of keeping them inside.[00:45:00]

And so I think for us, that's been very, very helpful because I've seen, you know, I've seen other designers, um, or, or even in other industries where that becomes the biggest problem and the biggest problem of when they kind of end up falling apart and they part ways because it's, it's no longer working and each one is just not talking.

And so for us, I think. Our communication has been the key to kind of us growing, um, and making the business really, truly work and us being happy. Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: the business coach? Give them a plug.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Um, his name is Chris Merrill

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: Cool.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: he was in Boston. Yeah. Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: I think, um, coaches have been such an invaluable resource for me over the years because they just bring an outside fresh set of eyes and also their own life experience. and they're all, a good coach is very good at asking Those hard questions that kind of really get down to base, found foundational issues, um, individually as a team, [00:46:00] um, as a company, it's, it's, it's amazing.

And that's so cool that, that you did that. I agree. So

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: a

coach.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: awesome. Coaches are made. It's like, if you're going to the

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah,

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: a trainer. It's the same kind of thing. Um, Haley, what about, what about you as far as, If you could go back or like, what, did you learn the most from, from, or what could you share with other budding entrepreneurs who might want to start a partnership?

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: well, I think in our case, we might work a little bit differently than other partners, uh, we, because we've kind of got two sides to our business, even though. Sonja and I are both so intimately involved in each one of them, but we do offer a branding component to our business and we do offer an interior side to our business.

So when we do branding projects, those are the projects that I tend to head up. And then when we do interior projects, those are the projects Sonja tends to head up. So, Understand, as Sonja said, understanding each other's job and what those roles [00:47:00] actually are is, is critical because, there's a component of trust here when we're busy and when we're in the weeds, when stuff's going on, when the phone's ringing off the hook, whatnot.

I completely trust Sonja that she's going to handle. Like there's no babysitting involved. I think that's another reason that, um, some partnerships end up going sour is because you can feel like maybe one person's not pulling their weight. One person's doing too much. Um, you know, that can really cause, some uncomfortableness when you feel like things aren't balanced.

Um, and. Uh, like I said with Sonja, I, I'm not babysitting her and she's not babysitting me. She knows that I, you know, I take full responsibility for, um, the tasks that are on my list and the things that we have both agreed that I need to be doing. Um, so having that trust in one another that, uh, they will be able to handle.

The workload and what you're doing is, is critical. Um, we [00:48:00] don't have to manage one another. So that, that just takes a huge weight off our shoulders. Because it allows us to just focus on getting the work done as opposed to who's doing what and you know,

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: Yeah, I think there's so much trust and also just being able to have those uncomfortable conversations when they come up and not being scared to do that,

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: mm

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: um, is super critical. as you look forward, as you guys are taking flight or continue to take flight or just ascending,

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: hmm.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: What's exciting you most?

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: I don't know. I feel very Hungry to keep doing what we're doing. I think the the fact that we got into hospitality The way that we did and the success that we've been having has only just cemented how much we love doing this. And, um, I, one of your questions earlier was, uh, about, about growth and, and team size and all that.

And the thing that Sonja and I know is that the more we grow, the more she and I are going to get pulled away from [00:49:00] the actual work that we get to produce. Um, we see that all the time in, in bigger firms and, um, I don't think any designer ever starts a business because they want to deal with taxes and management of teams and business development.

You know, it's not, that's, that to us is not the, I mean, that's not fun. Like the fun, we do what we do because we love it. You know, I, it sounds very cliché, but I, I literally will work all day on how to doing some interior project and I'm human, so I get tired of it and I get frustrated. But then when I go home, I'm, I'm in the middle of a house renovation right now and I can't wait to dive back into trying to find my own tile for the bathroom I'm putting in.

So it's like I would, I would be doing this anyway. You know, I just feel like I've been able to make a career with it. So that's awesome.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: we have this wonderful house in Connecticut and Doing furniture everywhere. I could have anything

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah. Anything.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: [00:50:00] every and I always joke Not to my wife's liking, but to friends that I'm like the shoemaker's kids

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yes. Oh, yes. Always.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: believe that you like doing it at home.

That's amazing. So you're in your,

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: I like doing it. Ask me how fast I'm doing it. That's a different story.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: good. Great. then, uh, Sonja, what about you? What's exciting you most about the future?

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: I think it's, it's probably pretty similar. Um, I like the idea of how we're growing and the, the projects are getting better and better like with every year, which is really exciting for us. Um, and even, you know, I think Haley and I are, we're, We're learning that our jobs are pivoting, right? So we can't be, I can't be an interior designer seven days a week.

So, you know, I have to learn how to do business development. I have to be involved, make sure we're talking to our tax attorney. We're talking to this person, we're talking to that person. And so for us, it's definitely. pivoting and what our role is and learning to like it. And so [00:51:00] it is interesting for me, seeing how my, my job is changing.

Um, and that there, there are parts that I actually really genuinely enjoy that I didn't think I was going to like. Um, so I think that that's it. Each, each year it's just different. It just changes.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: I love it.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: if people wanted to learn more about you guys or Superette, what's the best way for them to find more?

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: I would say go to our website. We're super at studio. com. you can look at the projects that we have published on the site. We're going to be adding a bunch more in the next couple of months. Um, you can reach out to us through the website, uh, and we'd really love to hear from you. We'll, we'll give you our emails too.

Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: Cool. Well, I, I want to thank you all so much because an interesting thing. I recently looked at, um, A demographic sheet for my, for the podcast

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: I guess this podcast has 73 percent more female listeners than other [00:52:00] podcasts.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: No, I'm not. Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: amazing and incredible. And I think part of the reason why is because I wind up speaking to so many women entrepreneurs.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: think that we go back into the beginning where it was that those first steps you're giving, I don't know, um, I forgot how you said it, but it's, um, giving people the courage or the The strength to take that first step. I think it really resonates. So I just want to say thank you to both of you for sharing your story. And I know that this is going to impact many people, positively as they're, as they're on their life journeys as well. So I

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Oh, great.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: I, I thank Leanne

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: I know. Thank you, Lee. Yeah. Thanks.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: if anybody

She's

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: got us the end. Yeah. Yeah.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: so yeah, I just want to like wholeheartedly thank you for sharing your story and congrats on all of your success. It's, it's amazing. And I, I can't, I'm so excited to keep following you and, and working with

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Yeah. All right.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: you.

superette_1_10-04-2024_095707: Thank you. Thanks so much. This has been so fun.

dan-ryan_32_10-04-2024_095709: Cool. [00:53:00] And also I'd be remiss. Thank you. All the, all of our listeners, please don't forget to like, and subscribe.

And if this impacted you in some way or changed your way of thinking about hospitality. Please share it. We grow by word of mouth. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you.