I would be remiss if I did not mention that 2020 has been a difficult year for all of us during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic. It has been a lot this year, a lot of reflection, sacrifice, loss, and changes. Like every other business and interior design firm, this resulted in me looking inward at Corey Klassen Interior Design and wondering what could be, thanking for what was, and building what is to come. Design, leadership, personal lives, and business operations have changed; so it is only fitting that we become what we have always meant to be - an integrated design studio practice.

When I started Corey Klassen Interior Design in 2011, it was after working in the kitchen and bath industry for a few years, after stepping away for a few years before that, and after opening and failing at another design firm before that. I had no business plan, no team, no resources except for the $298.00 in my bank account. I made the figure up, but you get the point. I operated as a trunk designer for a few years, meaning that I shuffled samples to and from clients and to my living room / under my sofa / in my bedroom closet / under my bed / in the trunk of my car. I worked off a laptop and a 48” wide by 24” deep desk in my 545 square foot, 1 bedroom apartment.

Over the years, things picked up and I hired a few consultants to help here and there. Some of them worked out, some of them didn’t, and all of them I still hold up a glass of wine to and celebrate their personal victories. Eventually, employees become permanent and we all moved into a small office, and then a bigger office. Personal changes aside, the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic hit and everything stopped. I let the office go, I let employees go, but I never let my vision and passion go.

The funny thing about personal changes is sometimes they become professional changes, and I couldn’t be happier that I found a business partner and partner in crime to build a new version of me and business with. But I had to ask “Where does everyone else fit in at Corey Klassen Interior Design? And, what’s my exit strategy?”

Articulated Design Studio was registered a few years ago and I had the intention of slowly transitioning over, but slow transitions turned into obstacles and challenges. It really came down to looking in the mirror and admitting that an eponymous firm is limiting my growth and aspirations in life.

I want to welcome you to the best chapter: Articulated Design Studio and our design approach: Integrated Design: A Three-Legged Stool

Written by Corey Klassen, CMKBD NCIDQ IIDA