behind the brand

This month I'm taking you behind the brand and sharing more about me, my business, and my services. I don't usually like to share too much of myself on this platform, but I want my readers to get to know me a little better. Stay tuned for more blog posts in this series this month!

who am i?

​For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Cassandra and I am an Interior Design Technologist. I graduated in 2018 from the Lethbridge College from their Interior Design Technology program. Interior design has been a passion for me from a young age. I loved going to show homes and watching HGTV growing up (weird I know!) and those are both still my favourite things to do in my free time. I love being able to see the potential and transform a space and take it from nothing to something.
​Another passion of mine is teaching ballet and I hope to be a certified ballet teacher through the Royal Academy of Dance soon. 

Even though both jobs are almost at the opposite end of the spectrum, I really love them both and enjoy what I do. I am very excited to see what I can accomplish in both careers! 

What's my style?

Image source: Restoration Hardware

Image source: House & Garden

I would define my style as traditional with hints of contemporary and antique elements. I am a huge fan of Restoration Hardware and would probably purchase everything from there if it were not for the fact that my bank account wouldn’t survive. I get so excited whenever I find a dupe for RH items because I love a great deal and items that look expensive. I am a huge fan of antiques and love old furniture or decor items that add character to a space. Going to design school has given me an appreciation for all design styles and what they have to offer. 
My branding is a reflection of my favourite colour palette, black and white. I think those colours are so classic and you could never go wrong with them. It is also a reflection of my all time favourite print, the black and white stripe. In design school my friends may have made fun of me for wearing a striped shirt a few too many times, but I just can't get enough of that print!
I love embracing trends each season, but I always go back to an elegant and classic style. I love staying classic with cabinetry or large furniture pieces and adding trends in through accessories or colour. It keeps the space feeling fresh and you can easily switch things up each season if it's starting to look dated.
If there is one designer that I am a huge fan of it would easily be Sarah Richardson! I love how effortlessly she mixes patterns and uses texture to add warmth to a space. She is definitely one of the reasons why I wanted to go into interior design!

Why did i start schinkel house of design?

​I have always wanted to have my own business and I am proud to have one that also has my name on it. It was quite break into the industry for me once I graduated college, so I took it upon myself to make my own work and get my own name out there. I really wanted to bring a design studio to Lethbridge that is chic, trendy, but also affordable to the everyday consumer. Lethbridge may not be the most stylish city there is, but I want to bring touches of my own personal style and good taste to people’s homes.
Besides the desire to operate my own business I really wanted to provide affordable design services to clients. I want to end the stigma that interior design is “expensive” or “luxury”, because it doesn’t have to be! I want to give clients the highest quality of work and without having to pay a large price for it.
There was one thing that I noticed the Lethbridge interior design market was missing, and that was affordable design and a wide variety of services. I wanted to change that and create a business that caters to a wide variety of needs that clients may have. I feel like interior design services are just one big secret and it does not have to be that way! It is such a pain for clients to phone and ask for quotes and services that I wanted to eliminate that process so I can get to your project faster. 

what do i hope to accomplish?

I hope to transform client’s homes and create spaces that are functional, but still have a lot of style. I don’t want to be redesigning clients homes each year because of how fast the trends change. I want to be designing spaces will still look fresh, classic, and sophisticated years later. Most important of all is the fact that I genuinely want to help people to design spaces that enhance their lifestyle and increase the value of their home.
I hope to also change the stigma or misconception that interior design is a “high-end luxury service”, because it can be affordable too! Stay tuned for next week’s blog post where I talk about that topic and how I hope to change things.

​Thanks for taking the time to read this blog post about me. If you’re interested in working with me you can get started right here. I would be happy to work with you on creating the space of your dreams! Be sure to follow Schinkel House of Design on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more inspiring and insightful content.