2023 Recap
2023 Recap
As we bid farewell to another year, we want to take a moment to reflect on the highlights and the milestones that made this year truly one to remember. Let's rewind and celebrate the moments that made 2023 an unforgettable chapter in our story.
January
New Year. New Start Baby! This month we decided to bring on Emily as we found ourselves needing a little extra help keeping the office organized and off-shooting miscellaneous tasks. But actually, we hired her for her comical relief :) What else happened - I took a flight to Sin City to check out KBIS Market, the largest kitchen and bath expo in the US. I walked through showroom after showroom gaining so much inspiration and connecting with new vendors. It was an incredible time, to say the least. Oh and let’s not forget, on my way home I was stopped by TSA because they noticed that I had two heavy-duty doorknobs in my carry-on. They questioned if I was an insane person but I explained to them that I was an interior designer and I had the opportunity to make custom doorknobs at the Emtek showroom and I couldn’t dare leave them behind. To top off the month we broke ground on our new office remodel project. It’s almost complete, I promise!
FEBRUARY
The highlight of February was no doubt our trip to Nashville for the annual Bridgewood conference. I feel grateful that I was able to bring the whole team with me. Having everyone there made it that much more special. During the morning we sat in conferences and then after, the real fun began. We walked up and down Broadway Street marveling at the colorful business signs and the funky window displays. We also got to check out ENEBY Home which had a beautifully curated selection of vintage & antique furniture. Hannah was in heaven. Last but not least, we had to check out the Grand Ol Opry. I couldn’t tell you who we saw perform, as Country Music is definitely not one of my favorites, but it was still a must to experience.
March
March felt pretty mellow compared to the first two months of the year. As a team, we took some time to visit showrooms in Portland to gain some inspiration and maybe find a few things for a project or two. Our favorite stop was Schoolhouse. They gave us a tour of their facility and where they make their hand-crafted items. In addition, this month we had the cabinets to our new showroom delivered. Getting them off the truck without a lift gate is always a stress-inducing experience. The cabinets all made it without a scratch thanks to our contracting team, the Lopez Brothers. Finally, to end the month we had one of our favorite clients bring us color changing butterfly pea lemon drop cocktails to one of our design meetings. We feel so grateful for our clients!
April/May
For the next two months, the team hunkered down in the office and focused on finishing up the final touches for a huge project. In the midst of all the hard work, we did take some time to learn about Bioliphic Design with NKBA in Portland. We also had a really informative lunch and learn with Waterworks hosted by our favorite local(ish) hardware vendor, Chown Hardware. Oh and I also rescued a kitten and decided to bring her in to the office to meet the team.
June
Okay, so June had a rocky start, but we finished out strong. I filed my first worker's compensation claim. Emily fractured her pinky finger moving boxes around in the warehouse. She is known to be clumsy but we love her for it. We are going to leave it to the guys to do the heavy lifting from here on out. A week later we installed our largest project to date! All the hard work finally revealed itself. This house is the epitome of Mountain Modern design. The perfect place to host family and friends as it can sleep at least 14 people. Every detail of this house was carefully thought out and we couldn’t be more happy with it. GO TEAM! To end the month of June we made a pit stop at Schreiner’s Farm on our way back from checking out a new remodel project. The farm breeds all types of animals that are not native to the area. They allow people to drive through their property in hopes they can get a glance at a giraffe, zebra, or even a camel! If you haven’t been for yourself I would recommend checking it out.
July & August
Both July and August felt like a month of celebration for all of our hard work. Our warehouse space was now empty after the massive install, so we set up a dart board to let off some steam and we spun each other around in the warehouse cart. I took the team to an escape room, which we didn’t escape from, but we were close! The empty warehouse didn’t last for long. We received a cabinet order for another large project that took up 3rd of our 4,000 sq ft warehouse space. It was fun while it lasted!
September
September marked a significant milestone for Strucksured as we welcomed Juliana, our new Senior Designer, to the team. Her wealth of experience, knowledge, and fresh perspective on design have been invaluable, and I am truly grateful to have her on board. Juliana has seamlessly integrated into our team, making it feel complete. To celebrate her arrival, we organized a "Finders Seekers" team bonding game, where we solved puzzles while following an engaging storyline. Additionally, we dedicated a day to all things pink, watching the Barbie movie in the office while indulging in wine, dairy-free cheese, and laughter on our pink inflatable couch. Our build team surprised us with hidden talents, and occasionally, we're treated to lunchtime serenades. Not without its adventures, the month saw us breaking into our storage unit after realizing we left the key at the office. The final highlight of September was our trip to Chicago, sponsored by ECA, where we had the opportunity to present at the Wood-Mode showroom during Design Chicago. While we were in Chicago we decided to start a new tradition to get a tattoo for every trip we go on together. Well, at least Emily, Mason, and I will! It truly was a monumental month for Strucksured!
october
October felt like it went by in a flash. The weather started to turn cold and gloomy, but we had Lady there to boost our serotonin levels. Lady is one of our general contractor’s dogs, who we officially adopted into the 9-5 work schedule. At this point, we really should start referring to ourselves as a team of five. Later that month, we took a trip to Portland where we indulged in the therapeutic chaos of a rage room. Armed with baseball bats and hammers, we unleashed our stress on common household items like windows, plates, and glasses, and we even brought in a monitor from the office that had caused us collective headaches. We also all dressed up like Wednesday Addams for Halloween social content. We made up a skit on the fly and it turned out better than we expected. Finally, we did a tarot reading in the office. Using Hannah’s favorite deck, each of us took turns selecting cards representing our past, present, and future. Surprisingly, the readings turned out to be eerily accurate.
November
November was another month filled with new adventures and business successes. The business was featured in an article in Luxe Magazine, a popular source of inspiration for homeowners, designers, and builders alike. This month we also started a new build project on the Oregon Coast, which has been one of our business goals for the past year. We are so excited to work on this project alongside Capri Architecture. As a team, we took a road trip to the coast to meet the clients and have our first design review meeting. The clients are as sweet as can be and we feel so lucky to get the opportunity to design their dream home. On our way out to the coast, we made a pit stop at Max Humphrey’s design studio in downtown Portland, where we got to check out his latest collaboration projects. Finally, we put together a tablescape shoot for Thanksgiving, which surpassed our expectations despite minimal planning. The creative process led us to run around town, gathering branches from abandoned lots - a detail one would never know in the final result!
December
December didn’t disappoint. We started the month picking out slabs for our new office and for one of our projects. The process took Hannah and Juliana nearly four hours, ensuring the client felt confident in their ultimate decision. Later on, we celebrated the holidays by making gingerbread houses and watching Christmas movies in the office. We also had so much fun doing a New Year's awkward JC Penny photoshoot. It was so hard to keep a straight face. It’s a good thing that we spent the last 12 months together with a handful of team bonding activities scattered in between, otherwise, the dogpile photo may have been pretty awkward…
After looking back on this past year, I have realized how much fun we have had alongside so much hard work. I feel so grateful. Thanks for joining us down this memory lane! We hope that 2024 brings much more adventure and goals being met. I am excited to see what the year has in store.
Cheers!
