After a business trip to New York, where she was assisting clients in rearranging and decorating their homes with knickknacks and paint they already had, she went back to her home in Montreal and started ECO DECO, to help people do the same thing professionally in today’s YEDaily…
Elevator Pitch: Describe your business in a nutshell.
I decorate interiors using what you have and I do it in one day. ECO DECO. It stands for ECOnomical DECOrating—no throwing, no buying. My service is tangible because positive results can be experienced in your home or office within a matter of hours. But I also offer traditional interior decorating services such as homestaging, color consultation and decor shopping.
Why did you start your business, what was the inspiration?
I knew I was on to something when, during a business trip in New York, I found myself in domestic situations whereby I ended up redecorating the homeowners’ apartments using their existing furniture and accessories. Throughout this time, the process was every bit physical and creative. After these interventions, I began to dream of room configurations and could not wait to spatially re-think other habitable spaces: to make them look their utmost for better, smarter living—with soul. Upon returning to my native Montreal, my business idea was concretized into my concept named ECOnomical DECOrating.
What is the best part of what you do on a day-to-day basis? The most challenging part?
Nurturing human relationships is what I enjoy on a daily basis and seeing these turned into reliable business contacts, happy decorating clients and true friendships. As for the daily challenges, well, after a busy day I do enjoy slowness and the sound of silence, and aim toward achieving a co-existence of these two states of mind.
Where do you see your business going in 5 years?
I’d like to move to the next level by working with international teams of hoteliers and other visionaries where I can best use my language and relationship-building skills, creativity and business acumen.
What does success look like to you?
Success is strings of small, sensorial pleasures that allow you to do what you like, when you want—and sometimes on a whim.
What is the most memorable milestone in your career?
As a native, bilingual Montrealer, I was naturally pleased to have received coverage in La Presse a year and a half after the launch of my interior styling business. However, it had taken more than three years before The Gazette, Montreal’s leading English daily paper, had taken note. As a reward to finally garnering media attention here, I indulged in the purchase of an Andrée Putman-designed silver necklace from Christofle.
Do you have any advice for other young professionals?
Be tenacious. Be thoughtful. Be consistent. Be true.
Do you support any charities? If so, which one(s) and why is that important to you?
Charity is giving time and sometimes it is also giving money. It is my strong belief that charity starts in the home. If friends and family need a helping hand, an attentive ear, or a shoulder to cry on then that’s where one should start to give of themself. Compassion and non-judgment are key to a charitable heart.
What is Notable to you?
Tact and discretion; gentle manners and stylishness; quiet confidence and transparency; generosity and elegance…ah self-awareness.
Blackberry, iPhone, Android, or Other?
Other. Am absolutely responsive but not necessarily reactive.
How do you keep active, energetic, and vibrant?
I love playing and watching tennis. I also enjoy long walks in cities, parks, forests. But equally energizing is actively participating in conversations with strangers and with those who know me best on subjects that lead to a level of truth awakening, absorption and wisdom.
You can follow Natasha on Twitter @ecodecoARORA and like her on Facebook.