Meet Danielle Deojay of Deojay Design + Consulting in DTLA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Deojay.

Danielle, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve been on a creative’s journey for as long as I can remember. From writing and illustrating a “book” in the 2nd grade to rearranging the furniture in my room in the middle of the night during high school, a creative path has always been my calling, it’s been about finding the right avenue.

After earning a BA in film and television and embarking on a career in entertainment for many years, I began to realize my calling to interior design while taking on small design and organization projects for friends and family. A large renovation project armed me with necessary confidence and affirmed I had the ability, talent, and skillset to take this pursuit seriously. That became the moment everything started to shift.

From that point, I took a few foundation-building steps — I had a solid tenure in marketing and branding to lean on and the associated skills to utilize — like collaborating with a photographer to capture that first major project, designing business cards and building a website, starting an Instagram account, and filing for a Seller’s Permit.

That Instagram account landed me my first staging project, and I’ve been fortunate to have slow and steady progress and growth. Today I am working hard to authentically and organically grow my business and exploring different channels to create great design whether it’s interiors, staging, interior styling, or production design.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Starting a business and working for yourself is hard and scary. One day you might feel like everything is falling into place and the next day you’re having an anxiety attack – there’s nothing smooth about it. But I believe if you’ve found what you’re both passionate about and able to do for a career, you have to try to make it a reality. You have to do what you love. I’ll take scared over bored every day.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Deojay Design + Consulting – what should we know?
I love working in a variety of design verticals to challenge myself in different ways. At Deojay Design, I do interior design and renovation projects, real estate staging, interior styling for photo and video shoots as well as estate sales, the occasional organization project, and I’m also embarking on production design in the new year which feels like wonderful synergy with my background in entertainment.

I fell in love with staging because of the hard and fast pace you’re required to work at to bring a property to market, the creativity, ingenuity, and problem-solving skills required to make it happen, especially when you’re just starting out and don’t have a warehouse of inventory at your disposal! The pace and intensity are familiar to me – having spent so much time in the entertainment industry, I felt innately prepared to succeed. It’s insanely gratifying to stand in the end result, and even more affirming when that property that you became so close to in a very short time, sells in a week at full-asking price.

The tangibility of the “after” in interior design is equally delicious. The process and joy of creating is just a bit different. I love creating something new from scratch, collaborating with an artisan who is a specialist in their craft, whether it’s discussing grout lines with a tile contractor, hashing out measurements and construction options with a cabinetmaker, or finding that perfect tone with a metal-plater. The breadth of option when embarking on a renovation or large interiors project is incredibly fun and digging in with a new client to understand how to enhance their daily life through their environment is wonderful.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
There are countless people who touch our journeys and support and influence our paths, and it’s certainly no different for mine. The smallest moments matter to me just as much as the big gestures. Every person who takes time to compliment my work deserves a moment of gratitude because it encourages me more than words can say. Each person who has lent constructive criticism, a tidbit of business advice, or provided a learning moment deserves a thank you.

Each contractor and vendor who has taught me something about their specialty as I’ve sketched, spreadsheeted, or explained my vision to them, has earned my appreciation. My family and friends have always had my back. There’s the realtor who was one of the first to reach out to collaborate, placing her trust in me with my first staging project. And, there are two of my closest friends who stand out as the biggest cheerleaders along my journey to reinvent my career and start my business, I’m not sure I would have done it without them – I appreciate them to the moon and back.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.deojaydesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deojaydesign/

Image Credit:
Project images: Tim Hirschmann | photo of me: Francis Orante

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.