6 THINGS WITH ANASTASIA CASEY
6 Things with Anastasia Casey Founder + CEO of IDCO Studio
Based in Austin, Texas, Anastasia is the founder and CEO of IDCO Studio, a boutique design studio specialized in creative business solutions for interior designers and blogger at The Identite Collective. She is also the co-founder of Design Camp, an inclusive business retreat for interior designers. Her mission to bring transparency and equity to the interior design industry recently ignited with the launch of The Interior Collective - a podcast for the business of beautiful living.Â
1. What started it all for you?
After three years in that role, I received a job offer as Chief Marketing Officer at a fun and preppy lifestyle brand here in Austin. Weighing my options, I spoke to my boss about it and she fired me on the spot for being disloyal. To add salt to the wound, she called the company that offered me the job and forced them to retract their offer for poaching me.
Walking out of that office, I knew I could never work for someone else again. The next day, I posted on Instagram (to my 3,000 followers) that I was now taking web design clients. That week, I booked my first 3 clients. That month, I made more than I did in a years' salary at my old job.
I think my passion for interior design was really heightened while working at the luxury real estate firm, and I just paired it with my skillset of branding and web design.
Fast forward 6 years, and now my team has 22 people. I've stepped out of the day to day design grind and am much more focused with company growth, product development, and overall creative direction.
2. What drives your creative spark?
I have a (challenging) balance of creative control and active delegation. I am always so happy to hand off a task to someone, but my team will be the first to tell you, I have strong opinions on how an experience should look, and that's where I'll usually step back in. From the presentation of a brand or website design to a client, to the experience at check-in of Design Camp, I obsess over the little details in experiences.
3. Most treasured home decor item?
I have a big collection of antique and vintage art. Most of which, my Grandmother collected while working for the US government in Paris during World War II. She'd tell me stories of sitting next to Hemmingway in a cafe while he wrote, and picking up a piece of art from a street vendor on her way home.
4. What’s the best advice you've ever received?
Hiring is a revenue stream, not a business expense.
5. It's 5 o'clock at home. What would you be pouring?
At 5pm I'm definitely still at the office, and most likely pouring a Diet Coke over ice. I don't drink often, but if I do, it's definitely a Frozen Gin & Tonic. I pour 1 part Tanqueray, 1 part lime juice, 1 part tonic water and a little cucumber into a blender (or a margarita machine). Garnish with a lime.
6. What are your favorite 6 accounts that you follow for inspiration?
@beccainteriors
@halfbakedharvest
@linecurvematter
@clairebrodydesigns
@jnaydaily
@marymackenziedunn
SHOPÂ ANASTASIA'S 6 HOME PICKS
"Nothing is more inspiring to me than the people I work with. IDCO's very best work comes from collaboration. At the end of the day, surrounding yourself with people as equally passionate as you and asking for their feedback and ideas is what will strike true creativity." -Anastasia Casey
