... no pun intended. As you may have seen on social media lately - I've been teasing y'all with sneak peeks of a new venture I'm working on. Before I get into the exciting news, let's start from the beginning.
Design Roots has been my creative baby for the last 10 years as I had my own babies. I've done everything from logo design, graphics, wedding invitations, calligraphy, teaching classes, selling kits, addressing envelopes - basically all things paper. I've loved being able to work from home while still being a hands on mommy during these early years. I've loved meeting new people and other talented creative artists along the way. I've been honored to work on collaborations, teach at the Pinners Conference, share my love of calligraphy through classes, and grow personally as an artist. It was and is my dream to do what I love and remain rooted to creativity. I naturally crave growth in my creative life and feel the need for constant evolution, but this time, in an unexpected but pleasantly familiar direction.
Over the past year I've been working with a local company, AquaTerra Outdoors, and have felt myself reigniting a passion inside me. Landscape architecture is what I went to school for, it's what I did for years before Design Roots, and I found myself missing that world more and more. Besides calligraphy + illustration - I have a passion for design. I have a passion for the outdoors. And I enjoy creating spaces that bring others outside. Suddenly my two passions, old and not so old, were coming together in a way that hadn’t quite occurred to me before, at least not quite as clear as it is now. Timing allowed for exploration of what a future might look like if I wanted to bridge together my love for design and calligraphy with landscape and my connection with nature.
It’s also important to note that partnerships are key. Again, it’s not always evident, but finding the right confidant to help your “baby” grow or see it through a new adventure is not something easily stumbled upon. My husband Bob and I met Casey and Tal years ago when our kids were in pre-school together. Today, Tal and I have partnered together to create a new branch of Design Roots. Tal has always had a vision of creating a boutique store to cater to outdoor lifestyle needs. I want to continue using my hand rendering skills and pair that with creating outdoors spaces for others. The finishing touches to your outdoor space. The missing pieces that make your project feel like home.
The details are not the details. They make the design. -- Charles Eames
Now that you know the story, I’m thrilled to introduce you to the (NEW!) Design Roots, an outdoor luxury and lifestyle brand. We believe that life fully lived is life outdoors, and having your own personal space to extend your home and express yourself in an inspiring way is important. Blur the lines between inside and out through design-focused outdoor furnishings and decor while feeling good about your design choices through sustainable design for everyday outdoor living. Design Roots will not only offer exterior design services to bring your outdoor living space to life, but we are also curating a boutique shop. These items will include everything from tabletop items, outdoor candles, garden and pottery to furniture and textiles. Everything you have for your home, but for the OUTDOORS. We are currently under construction for the new office location and showroom that is expected to open late summer! In the meantime, I hope you’ll follow us on our journey and stay tuned as we announce more details over the next few months!
I'm sure you all have lots of questions, so let me try to answer the obvious ones here:
What happens to the calligraphy? I will keep my calligraphy separate at www.designrootscalligraphy.com. While I will be focusing my attention to the new endeavor, I will still take on little projects here and there. (I can't stay away from the pen forever! - ha!)
What about the house sketches? Great news - those will carry over to the new site. I mean, these sketches were the one thing I kept up throughout the years to keep my toes into landscape architecture in some way.
What about classes and workshops? Most have noticed I haven't been teaching for a while now. I do have other artists I'd recommend depending on where you're located and what you're looking for - so feel free to email me.
Excited to see where this takes us together. I am ready to find new and exciting ways to inspire others to be creative in their daily life, and encourage as much outside time as possible!
xoxo - Heather