Exploring Life & Business with Robin Olascoaga of RMBO Studio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robin Olascoaga

Hi Robin, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs and graduated from The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a degree in Journalism.

My early career in Chicago included marketing and PR for boutique architecture and package design agencies as well as wardrobe styling for an image consulting firm. At the time, it seemed that I was amassing a ton of arbitrary skills that didn’t quite seem to fit together. Add in my years of serving in restaurants throughout high school and college and my resume could be described in one word: random. I lacked focus and direction and I felt really lost. A fateful decision to follow my best friend to LA in 2007 changed the trajectory of my life and set me on a very exciting path.

Newly on the LA scene, I was introduced to the incredible world of event planning and production and was instantly hooked. Finally, I had found a way to bridge my creative talents with my obsessive desire for organization and my extensive hospitality experience. What can I say, I love design decks and spreadsheets and properly-set dining tables equally. In 2010, I joined forces with a wedding planner friend, and for the next 6.5 years, we produced weddings and events around Southern California together. As we were getting our fledgling business off the ground, I also spent time bartending, serving and booking catering jobs for luxury hotels and acclaimed chefs in LA.

In 2016, I ventured into solopreneurship and founded RMBO Collective, a multi-service creative agency providing event production, hospitality consulting and event industry educational resources. My work was focused primarily on high end weddings and ancillary events. By 2019, I felt burnt out of the wedding scene and longed for the days of more intimate experiences that felt less pressure-filled and emotional.

In 2020 when the pandemic hit, events came to a grinding halt and it gave me a chance to re-focus and get more clear on what I really enjoyed about my work. It was the intimate connections and the creation of incredible spaces. With my free time, I ventured into the world of interior design and instantly fell in love. I had always enjoyed decorating my own living spaces, and with a bit more thought, I discovered how complementary interior design and event design really are. So many of my creative and logistical skills acquired in producing large-scale events lent themselves to the process of designing spaces in a home. I took some additional courses and polished up my technical interior design skills. I began offering interior design and styling services quietly for friends and referrals.

In that time, I continued to curate intimate events alongside my interior design projects. I was happily involved as the Event Director at the Well Lived Woman for its first 2 years in business, getting the event programming off the ground and building out their private events offerings. I am an event planner through and through and enjoy the process of bringing a celebration or gathering to life.

I recently pivoted once again and re-launched my brand to include event and interior design under one roof. RMBO Studio focuses on creating exceptional environments that feel resonant with the people living and celebrating within them.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Of course not, but it certainly has been fun!

It took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. And when I finally found the event world and started my first business, it still took a number of years until it could independently support me. In the early years of my first business, I felt so much imposter syndrome while first starting my own business and working simultaneously on side jobs to support myself. And all these years, and all this experience later, I still feel that same imposter syndrome creeping in as I incorporate interior design into my offerings. But the pressure I put on myself helps fuel me. I wish I would sometimes go easy on myself though and try to focus on what I’ve already accomplished sometimes rather than dwelling on what I still need to master. I’ve been trying to overcome my perfectionism all my life. I’m a work in progress.

And aside from that, owning a business and keeping it running is simply challenging. There’s no other way around it. But if you’re passionate about what you offer, and it’s valuable for others, and you see how people benefit from the work you do for them, it’s always worth it.

As you know, we’re big fans of RMBO Studio. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
RMBO Studio is a full-service agency creating extraordinary environments and experiences from brand and product launches to intimate social events to enduring interior spaces. We infuse soulful intention with thoughtful hospitality and meticulous attention to detail to create curated, connected spaces that bring people together.

My core brand values are integrity, beauty, balance and excellence. It’s important that my clients know they can trust me — with their precious investment dollars, with giving them the right advice, with telling it to them straight. My word is everything. Everyone deserves to reside in a beautiful space and celebrate beautiful moments in their lives. The balance comes in because we can’t just have beauty with out function and practicality. A space is meaningless if it’s only serving aesthetics but doing nothing to function properly for the user. I hold myself and others to a high standard and, while I have realized that perfection is unattainable, I aim for excellence every time. It keeps me striving and challenged.

Being deeply rooted in hospitality, I bring a special perspective and approach to designing spaces and experiences. I’m always thinking about the primary user of an interiors space, but also how their guests and visitors will experience it. For events, I like to make the host happy, but I also want to ensure that every single guests feels comfortable and taken care of as well. It’s an immersive approach that I think leads to a much better outcome for everyone.

We provide full service design as well as e-design for both events and interiors.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was precocious, smart, creative, a leader. I used to pretend to be a waitress named Trixie and take my family’s orders for dinner. I guess my desire to serve others was in me from an early age.

I have always gravitated to the arts. I was in all of the fine art classes from the time I was young throughout college. I was in drawing and ceramics classes in high school and college. I have always worked alongside creatives throughout my career. I recently reconnected with throwing and drawing and it was so incredible to feel the flow of creation with my hands once again. It’s so powerful.

I was a performer as a child and young adult. Dance recitals, gymnastics, the dance team. I liked to be in front of an audience performing. These days, I love a performance, but much prefer to be behind the scenes orchestrating the experience.

Contact Info:

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

Image Credits
Krista Mason Photography
Hailley Howard
Whitney Darling Photography
Kristina Adams Photography
Rachel Havel