Inspiring Conversations with Gabrielle Aker of Aker Interiors

Hi Gabrielle, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always been a lover of “all things beautiful” and a rebel. I’m not one to follow a traditional path or do things because I’m “supposed” to. After graduating high school early, I traveled and wandered, not really knowing what I wanted to do or where I would end up. I’ve been creative since the day I was born and have always loved art in all forms, but I had no idea where that would or could lead me. With no college degree and no clear path, I really believed I’d never find “my thing”. I dabbled in fine art and fashion styling, but nothing seemed to fit…until I accidentally stumbled into interior design. With no formal training and no understanding at all about interior design, I started by designing my loft in Downtown LA out of pure pleasure. I’ve always loved historic architecture so the original brick and concrete alone inspired my process. People would come over and gush about the space which made me think maybe this was something I was good at. And from there, Aker Interiors was born!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I don’t think starting a company is ever a smooth road hahaha! Because I have no formal design training and I’ve never worked for another design firm, everything I do is based on gut instinct and trial and error. While I prefer to learn through experience, it has come with its challenges. The reality is, when you’re on your own and winging it, the only way you learn is through your (sometimes costly) mistakes. At the beginning, the biggest challenge was creating a portfolio and finding clients. I don’t have a marketing brain so I was completely lost on how to market my business and get myself out there. I designed my own loft and used that as my first portfolio piece. I had an amazing response to it and grew from there! I would ask friends if I could come to their apartments and style rooms or little vignettes to photograph for my portfolio…really anything to start to create a body of work to be able to show potential clients. For me, the biggest challenge is dealing with difficult clients. We’ve only had a couple of nightmare clients, but if you’re not careful, those experiences can completely derail you; they can steal all the joy away from the beauty of the design process. As a company, we’re now able to spot those potential disasters before we embark on a project, and now we just say no to working with those people.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I’m the owner of a family-run, full-service boutique interior design firm. We specialize in remodeling, renovating, and designing residential properties from start to finish. This includes working with architects and contractors from the beginning planning stages to the final install of furniture and accessories. We come up with an aesthetic vision, create a design plan, source all materials, source all furniture, fixtures, & accessories, and manage the project all the way through to the final installation. We also have a custom shop where we create custom pieces based on the needs of our clients! In this world of Instagram and Pinterest enticing people to copy what they see online, we’re passionate about creating unique spaces that reflect the personality and individual style of our clients. We dig deep in our initial meetings with clients to discover who they are and how they live so we can create a home that inspires THEM. From the inception of Aker Interiors, one of our core principles has been to support other small businesses. We’re committed to partnering with small (and local when possible) craftsmen, artists, & artisans to help bring our designs to life.

What makes you happy?
Beauty makes me happy! Travel inspires me and makes me feel alive. Discovering new artists I love makes me happy because it makes me feel like I’m tapping into the beauty the world has have to offer. Montana makes me happy because I love trees and feel like I can breathe there. Trying new restaurants makes me happy. Sitting on the couch with a magazine and a glass of wine makes me happy. Finding a new book I can’t put down makes me very happy. Discovering makes me happy.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.akerinteriors.com
• Instagram: @akerinteriors
• Other: Pinterest.com/akerinteriors

Image Credits
DTLA Loft-Evan Schneider @schneidervisuals Santa Monica Living Room w/ gallery wall & bedroom with black pendant-Jess Isaac @jess_isaac Venice Bungalow-Amy Bartlam @amybartlam