Today we’d like to introduce you to Hanah Shaw.
Hanah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
At a young age, my parents threw me into all kinds of creative activities like sewing, sculpting, and cooking so I guess you could say I have always been a creatively driven person. In high school, I continued to pursue my creative itch by joining our fashion class where I quickly became invested in all aspects of design and knew that I would pursue a career in design one day. Upon graduating from high school, I immediately left for design school in Nashville, TN where I enrolled in the fashion design program. I completed one year there and realized that while I liked fashion design, I couldn’t see myself doing it forever so I then transferred to FIDM in LA. My eyes were opened to all of the new opportunities there were in the design world and I was drawn mostly to visual merchandising and interior design which is what landed me where I am now.
I graduated early and instantly went to work for myself, creating Iron & Oak Studios. I knew that I had a unique style that hadn’t surfaced yet in the design world but I also knew that I had a great ability to see through the lens of my client and understand not only how they wanted their home or business to look but also how they wanted the space to make them feel. To this day, the main thing we strive for as a company is to leave our clients with a designed space that meets all their senses and gives them an experience they want to keep coming back too.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t think owning a business is ever a smooth road, there are always challenges and curves thrown at you along the way. For us, all of the struggles have only lead to us being able to define ourselves as a brand more clearly which makes it easier to say no to things that would have compromised that in the past.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Iron & Oak Studios – what should we know?
Iron & Oak Studios is a full-service interior design firm that specializes in remodels or new construction of commercial and residential properties. I think first and foremost our design style is what separates us from most designers. We like to describe it as “industrial modern” – hence our name. We use a lot of clean lines with natural materials so that the texture and contrast creates itself. We also pride ourselves on knowing the construction side of things very well. I grew up having a dad as a steel contractor and worked under him for several years which has come in handy time and time again!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My family has without a doubt been a huge support to me from helping me hang artwork and move furniture to simply cheering me on every step of the way. Another huge influence in my life has to be one of my high school teachers, Terry Pederson. She truly pushed my design skills and ability and never steered me away from pursuing design as a career – I’ll always attribute some of my success to her.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ironandoakstudios.com
- Phone: 6613428593
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: ironandoakstudios
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ironandoakstudios/
Image Credit:
Makenzie Photography
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