Life & Work with Rachelle Stone

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachelle Stone.

Hi Rachelle, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Searching for a purpose seemed to be my life’s overarching theme from a young age. It was a question that was always on my mind, often clouded by my own judgments of what it was supposed to look like. I was raised in Hialeah, Fl. Close enough to Miami to get into trouble and far enough to be less glamourous. I came from a pretty religious family, which taught me right from wrong, but also enhanced my ability to be my harshest critic. Hialeah is 94.7% Hispanic, which also made me stick out like a sore thumb but taught me to be strong and a little spicy. Design has always been a passion of mine, but it certainly took me some time to figure out that I loved it enough to make it a career. As a child, I loved watching home makeover and interior design shows. When it was time to start high school, I looked into attending DASH High School in the Design District in Miami. Unfortunately, their rigorous school hours mixed with one car for our entire household didn’t afford me the opportunity to attend. However, I am a big believer that we cannot expect to see the entire image of life’s puzzle until all of the pieces have been put in their place, and often times we are still finding pieces to place until the very end. Maybe that sounds morbid, but I wholeheartedly believe we are all ever evolving.

In High School, I was a pretty good student and received the Florida Scholars Scholarship which paid 75% of a student’s tuition to any public college or university in Florida. However, I was more interested in arguing with my parents than applying for schools, which landed me at a community college and living at a friend’s house. My priorities quickly shifted from “discovering my life’s purpose” to “A girl’s gotta eat” Soon after I turned 18, I was hired as a cocktail waitress at Niki Beach, the hottest nightclub on South Beach at the time. My first night on the job, I made $1,000 dollars in cash, and suddenly college was not a priority. I ended up cocktail waitressing for ten years, and yes there were nights that were brutal. Ten years and who knows how many miles in heels. Nights when I punched a guy in the face for groping me, but also nights when clients tipped me $5,000 just because they wanted to “round the bill up” and never laid a hand on me. Cocktail waitressing afforded me a lifestyle I never could have fathomed. I was given the opportunity to live, work, and learn in New York City, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Marbella, Spain, and Hangzhou, China while traveling to numerous places in between. The experience and knowledge I gained from my time as a waitress were inevitably what educated my eye in design. I’m absolutely in love with discovering design in other countries and cities, especially when it comes to patterns and colors. When I finally landed back in NYC, I went back to school and eventually graduated from NYU, but there were still some pieces of my puzzle coming together.

My degree was a BA in Organizational Behavior and Communications, and I landed a position at the Gansevoort Hotel Group as their Director of Branding and Strategic Partnerships. My time there allowed me to explore my creativity in events, and partnerships that elevated the brand, while also working with the Interior Designers they hired for future projects. It was fun, but it was also exhausting working office hours and continuing to entertain and maintain relationships with clients at night. The grind quickly took its toll on me so I decided to start my own business with a friend. We designed and launched a bikini line and even ended up in Sports Illustrated with our suits worn by Nina Agdal and Hannah Jeter. Excited for the new opportunities and growth of our brand, we decided it was time to move our HQ to Venice Beach, California. But the universe had other plans. The moving truck caught fire in Arizona during its cross-country trip with none of its contents unscathed. Unfortunately, we weren’t business savvy enough to ensure our business (A HUGE, EXPENSIVE LESSON), but for some reason, I was relieved. Suddenly, I had an excuse to start over. Again. And so I did. My husband, who was my boyfriend at the time, asked me to renovate his home, and that became the first project that parleyed me into my new career. Soon after, I enrolled in UCLA’s design and architecture program. Today I am taking on clients from home renovations and apartment rental rehabs to office designs and zoom consultations.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an interior designer. I specialize in rehabs and love a good makeover. Any space can be reimagined, and that’s the fun part. I love the challenge it presents. It’s not always easy, as rehabs usually mean fixing problems, and often times you don’t know what to expect until you open a wall or knock something down. My business is small, I try not to take on too many clients at one time, but that makes the client experience a little better. I am able to be on site more, multitask at a higher capacity, and lower the turnaround time on a project because of it.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Being detail-oriented and communication. Contractors are busy and just want to get the job done. It’s my job to analyze their work with a fine toothed comb in order for the project to get done properly. If you aren’t detail-oriented in this job, then you will surely end up with brass fixtures and nickel drain in a bathroom or a wall painted the wrong hue. Communication is also so important because oftentimes, you are working with people from many different cultural backgrounds, therefore English is the second language. It’s important to take the time to communicate with each person and ensure they understand the look you are trying to achieve. Communication with your clients is also pertinent to success. I like to manage their expectations, as it eases the pain of living through a renovation. Renovations can be tough on the family unit, especially if you decide to remain on property.

Pricing:

• Design Services – $100/hr
• Procurement – $50/hr
• Consultation — $150

Contact Info:

• Email: Rachelle@rachellestonedesign.com
• Website: www.RachelleStoneDesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachellestonedesign/?hl=en

Image Credits:
Marisa Vitale Photography