We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashley Fiocco a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ashley, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
About 5 years ago, once my youngest son was weened, I went back to school and got my certification in residential interior design. When I began working, I didn’t really have an established business plan or end goal in mind. I’m a 1-woman, small business owner, as well as a (more than!) full-time mom and wife, so can only handle so many clients at a time. I wanted to have a sustainable business and succeed, but attracting a certain type or number of clients, making a set amount of money, working in a specific style, etc. were all unanswered questions – I just knew I wanted to help people come home to welcoming spaces that embraced them.
Once I landed my first client job, this led to a referral, which led to another, and to date, I’ve been operating on a referral basis. The types of clients that have come to me, I’ve realized, are a bit different from traditional interior design clients. They are not looking for luxury high-end homes. They are not in the top 1% of earners. They are, for lack of a better word “regular” people who fall in the middle to upper-middle class rungs of society, who just want to come home to a space that they love and that is theirs. In working with this client base I’ve quickly realized that good design doesn’t need to be expensive, 100% custom or lavish. Even people on a budget deserve to be able to come home to a space they find beautiful and where they feel comfortable, supported and inspired.
And so I’ve asked myself:
“Why is the interior design service deemed an unreachable luxury, reserved only for the elite?”
“For what reason is the desire to have a functional and well-designed home a privilege, rather than an attainable goal for most if not all?”
“What can I do to change this?”
Through a popular design blog, I came across Pen + Napkin, which is a small 501c3 approved CA non-profit design community that furnishes and decorates homes for families and individuals transitioning out of homelessness.
What better way to volunteer my services, fulfill my desire of helping people who otherwise would not be able to have even a furnished space, let alone a well-designed and beautiful one to come home to.
I contacted the founder, Catie, and ended up being matched with a local woman and son who had gotten off the streets and secured an apartment after fleeing domestic violence, but had nothing leftover to afford even basic furniture. They had no interior lighting aside from the recessed can light in the kitchen, were sleeping literally on the floor, and felt unsafe as they didn’t have sufficient window coverings for appropriate privacy. There was no sense of comfort, stability, dignity or home apart from four walls and a roof over their heads.
I consulted with my new clients, taking measurements, asking questions and listening to get a sense of who they are and how they would like to feel in their ideal home. With the help of donated items and fundraising, we were able to secure more than enough to make their rooms sing, and over a weekend with a group of volunteers we transformed their apt. into a home.
Their home.
The visible relief in their body language when they were able to walk in the door for the first time was truly fulfilling – it was joyous for all involved.
Being able to take this desolate and dark apartment and create the home that it is today was a transformative process for me as well. As Pen + Napkin says, when you give “You are helping design a better tomorrow for someone who needs dignity today.” I feel this strongly and want to continue to give in big ways. I’ve since joined the Pen + Napkin team as a board member. I am a co-founder of a women-run giving circle of like-minded people who pool our quarterly donations and grant them to small non-profits with low annual operating budgets, yet still helping make our community a better place for all. One of the two voted in recipients of our inaugural grant was Pen + Napkin.
I now also know what my purpose is as an interior designer and business owner. Obviously, sustaining my business is a goal, but the benefits of assisting anyone and everyone I can to realize their visions of homes that will bring them joy, confidence, and serenity are so much more fulfilling to me. I want to help people, even if that means I volunteer a substantial amount of my time and don’t bring in as much income as most/all other interior designers I know.
Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote “Home is the nicest word there is.” For many people that does not ring true.
My goal is to change that, one room at a time.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I come from a creative background, having worked in merchandising for a major clothing retailer, as well as in the culinary industry for over 10 years both in NYC and LA. I’ve always been interested in expression through visual aesthetics, whether that be through fashion, art, how food looks on a plate, and/or how interiors look and make you feel. I remember as a kid going to open houses with my parents, enjoying having a little peek into others’ lives, ultimately gaining a sense of the people who lived there based simply on how their homes made me feel.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The fact that I didn’t know my end goal when I opened my business and began working enabled me to pursue an open path and find my purpose organically as I progressed forward. Don’t be afraid to go into something with a completely open mind. In this way, the road will take you naturally to exactly where you should be.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
If there are any other people who want to know how to best be of service, who are able to lend a helping hand, take on a volunteer project, and help spread good in their local communities, helping hands are always needed. Interior designers can donate their services, contractors can donate their time, retailers can donate their furnishings and goods, media outlets/influencers can run stories or give shout outs to spread the word, and anyone able can donate funds or hands for install days in their area. Feel free to reach out to me at ashley@ashleyfioccodesigns.com to learn more. And, if anyone feels their home is lacking inspiration, isn’t functional or supportive for them, but always believed an interior designer was out of their budget, reach out to me and we’ll see what we can do! Thank you!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ashleyfioccodesigns.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleyfioccodesigns/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-fiocco-64b4314
- Other: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/interior-designers-and-decorators/ashley-fiocco-designs-pfvwus-pf~1354731955?
Image Credits
Ashley Fiocco Image – photographer Tiffany Rose After Interior Shots – photographer Olivia Katz
