Commercial Design Awards Winner: Ellecor Design & Gifts

After five years in a traditional retail space, Ellecor Design & Gifts owner and lead designer Haden Long was looking for a change. She wanted a space that made her design style and services come alive for potential clients while also showcasing a furniture line, decor and accessories for sale. So she bought a house built in 1925, of course. Long shares how a year-long renovation made a home in Pickwick a design showroom that sells cozy, comfortable living.

Biz 417: When you started Ellecor in 2013, did you know you eventually wanted to have your business in a house?
Haden Long: I always wanted to have it in a unique space. We were about 3.5 years in, and we were looking at spaces. We had a realtor who kept sending us properties that weren’t quite right. I wanted something unique, not a strip mall, not an office center, just something different. This house came on the market and was zoned commercial but had always been used residential. As soon as we walked in, we knew it was perfect. We made an offer the day it was listed.

Biz: From the front porch to the greenhouse, this showroom feels inviting and lived in. How did you design the space for both retail customers and private design clients?
HL: It’s a Pinterest board come to life in here. When they walk around, clients can see how items work in different spaces and lots of different vendors that we work with. When we talk about floating shelves with tile up to the ceiling or quartz countertops, they can see and touch and feel all the things we talk about while also seeing what we’re capable of and our design style. 

Biz: There's so much beautiful decor in the new space. Is everything in the store for sale?
HL: Everything is for sale with the exception of the shop dogs.

Biz: Your design services office is also located in the space. How did you combine a showroom, an office for your team and a retail space?
HL: We were limited on space, so we had to think creatively. Our studio space is in here, and we had to create a space for all the samples and swatches and have room for a desk. We have TVs that run slideshows of our projects in the house, but we also can do presentations on them as well. Everything has to be multipurpose.