Design has been a passion of mine since I was a teenager. I started with sewing classes, but it didn’t take long before I realized I didn’t just want to follow someone else’s patterns, I wanted to create my own. That spark pushed me into designing dresses for proms and weddings, which slowly expanded into children’s clothing and eventually home décor like custom pillows and quilts.

By 2015, years of sitting behind a sewing machine had left me burned out. Around that time, a friend introduced me to painting furniture. That small moment of inspiration lit something new in me, and Rustic Deco Incorporated was born. I began working alongside a woodworker repurposing vintage furniture and selling the pieces locally. Everything sold quickly, which only fueled my drive to keep expanding.

By 2017, my house was overflowing with furniture, so I moved into a dedicated work studio. But by 2018, I once again felt the strain of trying to physically produce every piece while also running the business and managing vendors. That realization led to a pivotal shift: instead of manufacturing everything myself, I began focusing on design. I started researching outsourcing options, attending furniture shows, and that’s where I first discovered industrial-style furniture. The way it combined history and artistry captivated me. I launched rusticdeco.com and stepped into the world of e-commerce.

Within months, we imported full containers of product. At first, we relied on 3PL companies and drop-shippers, but the quality of shipping was terrible, and damage was constant. I knew we needed control, so I took a leap and secured our own warehouse. Through trial and error, we developed shipping methods that nearly eliminated damage, reducing our claims from around 30% to just one or two a year.

By early 2019, Rustic Deco had grown into a 10,000 sq. ft. warehouse. In 2020, we launched Knox Deco as a sister brand. And in 2024, I stepped fully into leadership as CEO, proudly establishing the company as a woman-owned business.

But most importantly, over the years, I’ve built an amazing crew. Not only do they work their asses off, but they also care deeply about Rustic Deco’s success, about our customers, and about each other. They’ve helped shape this company into what it is today: a team with pride, creativity, and heart in everything we do.

What started as a teenage curiosity with patternmaking has grown into a thriving furniture design company that continues to evolve. At its core, Rustic Deco is still built on the same belief that has driven me since the beginning: take inspiration, create boldly, and keep bringing visions to life.