Today we’d like to introduce you to Adena Boris.
Hi Adena, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
The path of success is not linear. I never imagined when I turned 50 I would be the owner of a design firm in Orlando, Florida, But when I look back through the threads that have weaved my career- home, helping people, and creating a feeling in the physical space, these have all been central themes.
I could start talking about how I got to where I am today with stories and examples from childhood through my early career, but I’ll just note that every decision, every job, every life choice had a direct impact on getting me to today. The most recent choices began when I moved to Orlando, Florida in 2013. My love for homes and the desire to learn more about the neighborhoods and the communities within Orlando, I earned my real estate associate license and started working as a Realtor. Part of the job I loved the most was preparing homes for sale, staging them, space planning, and the emotional connection I developed with the clients as they made the transition from selling or buying a home. I paused this career in 2020 as Covid took over. In 2021, I was diagnosed with stage three cancer and dedicated the next couple years in treatment. This also gave me the opportunity to decide what did I really want to do with my time? This is when I created Crafted Interiors. It started as a home staging company to help families sell their homes quickly, and for more money. As clients began asking for design advice, and design help, I found that 80% of my time was working in design with limited capacity for staging. I once again chose to pivot and focus my energy on helping the design clients, especially people who were facing transition. When I say transition, in particular, I love working with men in divorce and couples in transitions. These clients are my ideal because the work combines design work with the emotional connection and helping another human move through a crisis period, all done intentionally to come out the other side in a better place, both physically and emotionally. This is what drives me and I’ll work hard every single day to improve their daily life.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
If I focus on the time period from when I started the company until today, I can see there has been a shifting and narrowing of who my ideal client is and what this company is about. As I started in the home staging realm, I assumed I would primarily work with Realtors and I felt I could do that well. But ultimately, it didn’t provide the emotional fulfillment I was looking for. Each day I questioned my decision, I doubted my ability, I hesitated reaching out to new potential staging referrals. As I was telling myself I could do it, my gut was telling me I didn’t really want to. What did that mean for the business? My design projects increased and I realized designing for a person was a more personal experience. I knew I needed to have emotional connection in the projects I was working on. A friend helped me narrow down a niche that I really love to work with- people in transition, especially men going through divorce. This immediately stood out as my ideal client. They are the population who combine design, emotion, transition, and connection. We design an emotional journey that moves them from a place of struggle and high emotional volatility into a place of peace and calm, within a short period of time. Working with clients in transition has clarified what my purpose is in the design world.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am the owner and lead designer of Crafted Interiors in Orlando, Florida. I specialize in working with people in transition to design a new home that meet their changing needs. One of our primary client populations are men going through or having gone through a recent divorce. This time period of change can be stressful and many busy professionals don’t have the time or emotional energy to design a new home for them and their children. We take the time to understand what the client needs and ask the questions – What do they want this new home to be? What design choices would they love to see in a space that is all created for them? Often times there are children involved. Focus on designing spaces where the children can feel happy and thrive in a new environment can be challenging, so we are able to come in and provide a space that the children are excited to move into. And the relief a man has knowing that his children will be happy, that his new home is ready for him with curated items that he likes and cares about- this is a game changer. He is no longer having to wonder what the future looks like. He can physically see his next step. With the emotional stress and weight of the divorce and the move, suddenly the transition becomes much lighter. This helps the couple, the family, the attorneys and everyone involved when the stress level is lowered, and the emotions can be muted.
I design not only furniture and decor pieces, but we are unique as a full service design firm who will select everything from dishware to bedding if that’s what the client needs.
I am most proud of the personal connection I make with my clients. Many of them become friends. They’ll call me for other projects, and I become a trusted ally. I am with them as they go through one of the hardest times in their lives and I’m still standing with them when they come out on the other side.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Without a doubt, trust and connection are the keys to success in design. There are many people out there who can design a home, who can decorate a room, and who have great ideas. Being able to connect with a client is a skill that is about understanding and wanting to understand another person. The designs I think would be great in an home are meaningless if I’m not connecting and understanding what my client wants and needs. I have to design for the client’s lifestyle, not mine. And like so many jobs, this involves listening and asking questions. And I say trust because as a designer, we are holding a lot in our hands. A client needs to trust we understand what they are looking for and what they’re needing and what they’re expressing to us. A client has to trust when we make a recommendation it is in their best interest, and it is meeting the goals of their project. A client has to trust financially when we discuss cost that we are open and transparent. A client needs to trust that what we say we’re going to do actually happens. A client needs to trust when they come to us with personal struggles, emotions, or fears that we can hold space for them. A client needs to trust that their home and personal lives will remain private and personal while we’re there. And I need to trust my client impeccably. My husband likes to joke that I collect my clients because often when I meet somebody as a client, they become a personal friend. He’s not wrong about that, but that’s more about the trust and connection that we have built as we work together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.craftedinteriorsfl.com
- Instagram: Crafted.interiors.fl
- Facebook: CraftedInteriorsFL
Image Credits
Tamara Knight, Adena Boris
