Meet Erin McClellan | Interior Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erin McClellan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erin, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The thought of starting my own business was something that never entered my mind. My business journey started when I was a full time teacher who bought a fixer upper. My husband and I started sharing what we were doing on social media, and people loved following along. This snowballed into people asking for my advice on designs and home decor here and there. Slowly over time, people wanted my design help for entire rooms. This was the point in which I started charging for services, but here again, I never dreamed this would continue to grow. Last October, I had my biggest design project yet – furnishing an entire home in Trillith Studios. This project was the game changer for me because I was struggling as a teacher, but thriving as a designer. This project catapulted me into embracing the fact that interior design could be a new business that I loved and thrived in. This was the point in which I committed to finishing my teaching contract, and then pursuing design full time.

What should our readers know about your business?
Sparrow Collective Co. is an interior design company, with a little content creation mixed in, that creates earth toned, minimal, and organic home design. Starting the company was easy, but cultivating the culture around the name and brand was tough. The reason for this is because like my designs, I wanted my name and brand to be intentional. Sparrows are birds that are simple and ordinary, yet they still have an important place in their ecosystems. I used this metaphorically to create my business name because I take ordinary houses, and make them intentional, stunning dream homes for clients. My story as a business owner stems from the loss of my parents. My mom and I would design all the places I lived together, while having my dad do the heavy lifting. The loss of both of them was really tough, but home renovations and designs taught me how to make beauty out of ashes. These lessons are the epicenter that navigates the trajectory of my business.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Atlanta is a vibrant city. I would take them to Ponce City Market, Piedmont Park, the aquarium, Arabia Mountain and Lenox Mall. I would be sure to take them to my favorite restaurants- Pure Taqueria. I would also take them to eat at Ray’s On The River, Shake Shack and Ponko Chicken,

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
This is by far the toughest question because there are so many people who have encouraged me to pursue this venture. My husband Michael, Meredith Huck’s (House of Huck) podcast episode on A Well Designed Business, and my business mentor Mallori Hamilton with Uncommon Studios. These are the top three who deserve shoutouts.

Website: https://www.sparrowcollectiveco.com

Instagram: @sparrowcollectiveco

Facebook: @sparrowcollectiveco

Image Credits
All image credits were taken by myself, Erin McClellan.