Today we’d like to introduce you to Erika Johnston.
Hi Erika, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story with Interior Design started as a kid in Montana, where I grew up. My family built our home, and I witnessed the art selections coming in from around the world and furniture that my parents found on their travels. I saw it transform from a cement slab and studs to my home, a home I loved. My parents were also very creative and fostered a love for art and travel. After graduating high school, being from a tiny town of 40 people (my family was 6 of those), I was ready for the big city and some sunshine.
I moved to San Diego for college at PLNU. I earned my BA in Managerial and Organizational Communication and minored in Public Relations. I intended to go into event planning, picturing myself curating a spectacular wedding, party, and more. Even then, I could feel the joy of turning a regular space into something filled with wonder and laughter. I was energized making others feel that joy.
Thinking I was going to take a small detour to travel (which had grown to be another love of mine), I ended up getting a job with United Airlines as a flight attendant and worked there for 9 years. I traveled the world, and it was amazing. I spent my layovers at museums, walking architecture tours, eating all the good food. I traveled to over 15+ countries and gained an immense appreciation for cultures, architecture, and life.
My husband and I moved to Chicago after I got the job. There we bought our first house, and the renovations began. There, in that brick bungalow, something was reignited and the love for renovating blossomed. I began to get asked by others to help on their renovations, to give advice. I even had another flight attendant work a flight with me so she could bring her set of building plans and material selections for me to look over.
One day, I had just sent a mood board to my sister-in-law with lighting choices and furniture items for her new home and she simply said, “Have you ever thought of being an Interior Designer? You have a gift.” And I registered to go back to school for Interior Design the next week. We moved back to California in 2017. I started to help family members, friends build my portfolio and experience, also absolutely loved getting a formal education in design. Then in 2020, I transitioned to make interior design my full-time job. That year is when Tiny Lane interiors was officially launched; I wanted to launch an interior design business to help others feel recharged by their homes, fall in love with their homes, and be forever changed by their homes. Tiny Lane being the nicknames of our children, Clementine (Tiny) and Elaine (Lane). I also love that it’s a small nod to my favorite place traveling, a tiny cobblestoned lane lined with unique shops.
The past couple years have been an amazing. I am beyond grateful to design homes to bring clients joy in their daily lives. I work on new builds, remodels and even helping clients get proper space planning and furniture selections virtually. I have had clients from New York to Washington to California to Florida (all corners of the US!). And I can’t wait to see where Tiny Lane Interiors goes in 2023.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There is a lot of unknowns in changing career paths. Stepping into interior design full-time was something I knew in my heart was the right decision. Being a parent of a 2- and 4-year-old and becoming “the boss” of a design firm was challenging. I would wake up 5 am and work for a couple hours before my kids woke up, then would work from 7p-Midnight after my kids went to sleep; I did this for the first year of Tiny Lane Interiors. I wanted to be the best mom but felt also very called to help others in their homes. It was a lot to juggle and starting a business is going to be challenging no matter what. I feel blessed to have found my passion which has helped push me through those.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Tiny Lane Interiors?
Tiny Lane Interiors is an Interior Design firm the creates intentional design solutions for your home (or business!) while making it welcoming, livable, and “I never want to leave!” worthy. I believe in a personal and transparent approach. I want the client to understand the goal and how we are going to get there. And making it fun in the process.
Have you ever had that feeling when guests are over, why does everyone always congregate over there? And you are steering them to only see a small corner of your home. Or there are parts of the home just gathering “things” and never really used… Clients come to me because they want change. They want to improve their surroundings and create a home or business that will give them joy. They might see the issues, the layout feels wrong, the home isn’t functioning as it should, and “doesn’t feel like them.” I create opportunity in their space to bring in proper space planning to make life easier and more functional, then add the layer of amazing materials, tile, lighting, furniture! I help it all to weave together seamlessly, to make a cohesive space that feels like home. A space that brings relaxation and comfort.
Services Include:
Home Design:
Construction Documents, helping builders & contractors give you the proper layout of your home & placement of lighting, windows, etc. Including visuals, 3D Renderings, etc!
Space & Room Planning: Furniture Design and Space Planning. Helping you find the right scale of items for your home in the materials that will work best with your lifestyle. And don’t forget the furniture, window treatments, and accessory selections!
Full-Service Design: Construction Project Management, Material Selections, Furniture Sourcing, All Details covered. You are the decision maker but leave all the other things to me!
I tailor my service to the needs of the clients. I create a proposal on your needs and summarized into an hourly package.
Any big plans?
The future excites me! I have goals of having a Tiny Lane Interiors Studio space for our community to gather and to host events that spark creativity. I hope to continue to grow Tiny Lane in all things home. It’s a dream to be a part of designing furniture and lighting while also finding local artisans to help create pieces for others to cherish for generations to come. I am full of anticipation for what is around the corner!
In the immediate future, I’m looking forward to this next year! I have amazing clients that have projects starting in January and wrapping up some fun projects that I can’t wait to share. I would love to chat with you if you are looking to start a home project in 2023!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tinylaneinteriors.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinylaneinteriors/
Image Credits
Zach J Photos
Guilherme Vieira
Tiny Lane Interiors
