Meet Michelle Sturgis | Interior Designer

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

Hi Michelle, how do you think about risk?
By the time I started contemplating making a career switch, I had spent a decade building skills and rising through the ranks of ad agencies. The idea of leaving that behind to start my own interior design business was terrifying. I fell into the sunk cost fallacy, even though I knew that being a designer would ultimately make me happier.

The real mental shift happened when I realized that the risk of failure is far less scary than the risk of regret. I would much rather give something my all and make mistakes than wonder “what would have happened if I actually went for it?” As someone plagued by perfectionism, it took me until my 30s to arrive there, but once I realized that regret is actually the bigger risk, it helped put things in perspective.

Another thing that helped me finally make the leap was telling myself that this decision doesn’t need to be permanent. It was freeing to frame the career switch as something I owed to myself to try, and if it didn’t work out, advertising would always be there. You don’t have to map out your entire future when taking a risk, just do the next best thing that aligns with your true passion and keep following that path. Maybe it leads you somewhere else entirely, or maybe it leads you right back to where you started, but at least you’ll know you let passion be in the driver’s seat instead of fear.

There is a famous speech by Roosevelt called “The Man in the Arena” that I always come back to for inspiration:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I noticed there seem to be two main buckets of interior design services available: one being full service firms that often come with a six figure price tag, and the other being large virtual design companies that churn out furniture shopping lists and don’t have a personal touch. When I started Slate Studio in 2020, I wanted to bridge that gap and offer highly personalized design while also guiding my clients through purchasing and implementation. I find that I can make the biggest impact by providing an overall vision for the space, including renovation recommendations, spatial planning, paint colors, finish selections, lighting, etc., not just furnishing and decor. Because I don’t have the overhead cost of a full-service design firm, my clients are simply paying an hourly rate for my time and expertise.

I also believe that your physical space can have a huge impact on your mental health, which is why I use a portion of the proceeds from my for-profit clients to help women transitioning out of homelessness. Everyone deserves to wake up in a space they feel good in.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is a tough one because I just moved to Atlanta from Chicago three months ago! For a causal night out, I’d do Fox Bros. BBQ and a stand-up show at the Tabernacle, and for a fancy night out I’d take them to Lazy Betty and a show at the Fox theatre.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to my biggest cheerleader, my husband. His unwavering support has meant the world to me, and I’m not sure I would have made the leap to start my own business without his encouragement.

Website: https://www.slatechicago.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slate_studio_chicago/

Image Credits
Photo of me: Layne Dixon Photo