The modern Calgary home has come a long way since the first one-storey log buildings built in the late 19thcentury. Those early simple structures with wood-shingled exteriors, gabled roofs and brick chimneys have been eclipsed by a vast range of abodes: single-family homes, row/townhomes, condominiums, rentals, mobiles. The definition of home today is whatever someone makes it.
Irrespective of the type or size of dwelling, everybody wants their home to be comfortable, inviting and functional. To be a place to unwind in private, relax, enjoy life. To be a reflection of who the dwellers are.
For the many Calgarians in need of a little (or a lot) of professional help designing their personal spaces, there is SmithErickson Designs, an interior design firm founded in 2015. Lead by principal designers and co-founders Jenelle Erickson and Stephanie Smith, SmithErickson has enjoyed steady growth since inception, thanks to a stream of referrals in a growing city and a bit of fortuitous timing.
“We’re experiencing strong growth and positive momentum,” says Erickson happily. “We’re fortunate that currently we have exciting projects, a couple of the largest projects we’ve ever done. We also have a couple of collaborations in the works, and a team of four fantastic women. Sometimes I think to myself: ‘Wow, we have a team!’ It is a privilege to support and empower other young women.”
The pandemic actually provided a boost to SmithErickson’s business, since people were spending more time in their homes and less money on trips and similar things. “The growth of Calgary has kept us very busy, but COVID brought us over-the-top, beyond busy,” Erickson explains. “This year we’re starting to normalize in the sense that we have a very steady load of work. Calgary is still hustling and bustling, but the number of projects coming through the door is levelling out to a good manageable amount.”
Two born-and-raised Calgarians, Smith and Erickson’s individual journeys to their partnership share a curious similarity: neither had interior design as their childhood dream job. Smith wanted to be a teacher like her mother, and Erickson a psychologist. Both women attended post-secondary school for these careers and each soon discovered it wasn’t her passion.
Smith always had an interest in interior design, but it took a little encouragement from her boyfriend (now husband) to jump into the industry. “I’m quite creative,” she reflects. “Growing up, we would always go look at show homes and I would design my dream house in my head. I always had an interest in interior design. My husband encouraged me to go back to school for design which I did at Bow Valley College.”
Erickson’s first taste of interior design happened when she worked at Pier 1 Imports while going to university. “I had a lovely career there, and by the time I left I was a manager,” she says. “Looking back that was beneficial on the business side of things because although we we’re helping customers with purchasing accessories and furniture and guidance there, I also had to manage a team and watch the numbers. I had to report to head office. It was a great experience.”
Erickson decided to attend Mount Royal University’s interior design diploma program, and upon graduation was hired by Cardel Homes, a large production home builder in town, in 2007. Calgary, at the time, was booming. “I was put under the guidance of a design consultant by the name of Stephanie Lynch [now Smith], at the time, for training. And that’s how we met!”
Smith had been working at Cardel for a few years prior. “I started as a design coordinator, and by the time Jenelle came I was a cabinetry designer,” she says. “I really love millwork and cabinetry design. I did that for a couple of years and then we were both design consultants, working with clients purchasing new homes and helping them to make their interior selections.”
Upon returning to Cardel in 2014 after her second maternity leave, Calgary’s economy was no longer booming, and Erickson was placed with the renovations department.
“While on both of my maternity leaves, I was approached by friends, family and even friends of family to help them design for a renovation,” she recalls. So when Cardel closed the entire renovations department about eight months after Erickson returned to the company, she felt that going on her own was just meant to be.
“And luckily enough, I had a couple clients from Cardel approach me to ask if I would still help with the interior design of their renovations,” she says. “They felt like we clicked. I was eager to do that, and a little bit nervous because I had young kids and hadn’t tried anything on my own yet.”
Knowing that things were very slow in the new home building industry, Erickson asked Smith if she would work with her on some of the projects.
“We met up at a Starbucks, and Jenelle was telling me about these clients that wanted help on their renovations,” Smith reminisces. “I remember the moment we sort of looked at each other and were like ‘Are we going to do this?’ And we can communicate with each other through our eyes so we could tell that yes, we are going to do this. And when it came to the name, almost at the same moment, Jenelle and I said SmithErickson Designs!”
For the first few years Smith continued to work at Cardel, but eventually, as SmithErickson flourished, she quit her job to focus full-time on the company.
Now in its ninth year, SmithErickson will celebrate its 10 year anniversary next June.
As principal designers, either Smith or Erickson typically takes the lead role on a project, with the help of the other designers on their team. Their approach starts with the client.
“In the initial phase we have an in-depth meeting with our new client to understand what they want, but then after that, we kind of pull away and collaborate as a team and work on the project without the client,” Erickson explains. “We want to have creative freedom with our design. We find sometimes with the client involved too much at the start it clouds the vision or confines it too much, since we are people pleasers.”
Once the initial design concept is created, it is shared with the client so they can see the vision. Then the back and forth begins.
“A lot of our clients come to us with some inspiration or images to describe their design style, but they don’t know how to put it together,” Smith continues. “So we show them what we see for their home and it opens their eyes to the possibilities and also how we’re able to create the design concept around what they’ve brought to us.”
Projects range from small spaces, for example a powder room renovation, to a furniture update for one room to a whole home design. “We do a lot of renovations,” Smith notes. “It could be just a kitchen renovation or maybe a whole home. We also do custom builds which is the complete project from the ground up. We work on show homes for some builders too.”
Timelines vary depending on the job. “We don’t want to rush the design, so it’s probably at least six weeks for a design,” says Erickson. “And that would be for the initial concept presentation. Then the actual construction, depending on how in depth it is, takes time. It really depends on the project.”
Clients come in a variety of ways: through referrals, via Instagram marketing, and thanks to trades and vendors. “They have sent us a lot of work,” Erickson says of the firm’s many partners. “It’s a huge compliment to have your peers in the industry share your name with their friends and family.”
“The one thing Jenelle and I strive for is building and maintaining good relationships with clients and trades, because they are the backbone of our business,” Smith continues.
SmithErickson focuses primarily on residential interior design, but has done a number of commercial jobs too. “Typically these are a little bit more of a boutique style, so a small business or small office space that is trying to create a little bit more of a home feel, and welcoming vibe,” Erickson explains.
And while Calgary is the bulk of its work, SmithErickson offers virtual interior design for clients farther away. “We’ve had some clients in Ontario and many in the U.S. as well,” Smith notes.
With the cost of everything higher than ever, the team at SmithErickson strives to meet every client’s needs, whatever they are. “We really do try to balance everything,” Smith continues. “We always look at each other and ask: ‘Would you spend money on this?’ And if we really question it, we don’t suggest it.”
“We want design to be attainable for everyone,” Erickson adds. “Everyone is loving their home more, and they want it to function better. They want to invest in design, which is lovely and great for our industry. Our style is more transitional, clean lines, sometimes traditional, but graceful and not stuffy.”
“We want our homes to feel lived in, comfortable, not too fussy,” Smith continues. “That’s what we strive for. Where you can walk into somebody’s home that we’ve designed and it doesn’t feel like they’ve had a designer come in. It reflects their personality and their lifestyle. It’s very important to us to achieve that and make it attainable.”
One major accomplishment this past year: SmithErickson collaborated with Hudson’s Bay on a furniture line, including living room and bedroom furniture, bedding, towels and accessories. “It launched last fall across Canada in their stores and online,” Erickson marvels. “It’s a really amazing opportunity for us and we’re just blown away that we’re able to do so!”
The firm also did a collaboration with Maison Roseau from Quebec.
Always looking to support the local community, SmithErickson donates funds towards Cancer Cares, and has donated services for Camp Kindle of Kids Cancer Care. “Cancer has affected us both personally, so that charity is near and dear to our hearts,” Smith says.
With an exciting nine years accomplished, both Smith and Erickson are looking forward. “We want to keep the momentum and excitement going,” Erickson says. “We hope for more collaborations. And we launched another branch of our business called Curated by SmithErickson, we hope to grow more. This is another avenue to bring design and style to everyone’s home.”
