Meet Emily Taber-Moore | Interior Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Taber-Moore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I am probably one of the most risk-adverse people out there. Despite my desire to establish my own interior design firm for years, my focus was always on the potential obstacles rather than the opportunities. My fear of failure held me back, and it wasn’t until 2019 that I finally took the leap and founded my own firm. But I didn’t stop there. In 2022, I took another leap of faith and made the bold move to completely rebrand my company. But the good news is that I gained valuable knowledge from both endeavors, which ultimately turned out to be some of the most rewarding decisions of my life.

Nowadays, I view risk through a different lens – one that is tinged with regret. If we don’t take risks, we’ll never know what could have been. For me, the act of challenging oneself is paramount to success. How could I possibly have achieved success if I had never challenged myself to go out on my own? I have come to apply this same thought process to how I interact with clients. It is crucial that I challenge their perceptions of space and design, encouraging them to envision the limitless possibilities.

After finally embracing my intuition and ignoring the fears that had paralyzed me for over a decade, my business venture blossomed. Even in the face of failure, I have learned that such setbacks are opportunities to curate future successes. In fact, my favorite adage has become “success is a collection of well-curated failures.” I encourage everyone to take risks and not fear the potential failures. After all, they are merely opportunities to gain even more knowledge and propel ourselves forward.

The moral of the story is this – in both design and life, we must be willing to take risks. If we never try, we will never know what greatness we could have achieved.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Having graduated college at the height of the 2008 economic recession, it has been a journey. With the preconceived notion that my five-year plan after graduation would go accordingly and be smooth sailing, it was anything but that. With my new Bachelor of Fine Arts degree I worked in furniture showrooms for several years. Slowly but surely, I paved my way into established design firms, receiving promotions up the corporate hierarchy from design assistant to junior designer to senior designer. All the while, I was hungry to do more and branch out on my own but still terrified of the idea at the same time. I took on a few side projects over the years through friendly referrals and acquaintances. I would go to my 9-5pm job and then come home and work another six to eight hours, all the while thinking I was an insane person for doing this. The hustle was very real. A work/life balance did not exist for me, but I promised myself this would not be forever. I eventually burnt myself out, which was when I knew I was no longer meant to work for someone else. Circling back to the initial question of risk — I was ready to gamble. As Ellen Johnson Sirleaf once said, “If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough” — and there has been no truer statement. I did it, I went all in and bet on myself. In all honesty, I wish I had done it sooner. However, I truly believe that timing is everything and have no regrets about my career choices leading up to the moment that Studio Henree was born. I acquired an immense amount of knowledge in previous years, and the culmination of lessons learned and values gained sculpted my firm into what it is today.

Presently, Studio Henree is a full-service interior design firm specializing in high-end residential and boutique commercial projects from coast-to-coast. As a company and interior designer, what I am truly proud of is offering a fresh approach that challenges the typical SoCal coastal style. Through my international travels and years of experience working with a range of distinguished designers, I have cultivated a deep passion for intermixing styles in my projects. Standing firmly behind the principle that every space should be a reflection of its inhabitants, I believe that designing with authenticity sets my style apart from others. Great design transcends boundaries, and the Studio Henree brand fully embraces that philosophy.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Anytime I have friends in town, the beach is always the focal point. We would grab brunch at Jrdn along the boardwalk in Pacific Beach and then head to Torrey Pines State Reserve for hike down to the beach. Another favorite is Balboa Park full of artisan shops, museums and lush gardens. Liberty Station is an infamous spot to tour the indoor market, play some mini golf at Loma Club, and finish at Buona Forchetta for authentic brick-oven pizza. We would take the ferry to Coronado Island and walk-through the historic Hotel del Coronado and then have a yummy lunch at Serea or The Henry. Next stop would be catching an outdoor concert at the Rady Shell downtown and finish with some cocktails and city views from the Born & Raised roof deck in Little Italy.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I can honestly say that I would not have been able to reach this point without the unwavering support of my parents throughout the years. They were the ones who taught me not to be afraid of asking those with more experience how they achieved their milestones and accomplishments. As a result, I was that annoying college graduate asking designers and design firms alike for ‘informational interviews’. Maybe every one out of ten gave me a shot, and I want to say thank you. Their stories and practices not only encouraged me but also made me want to do more with my career.

Website: www.studiohenree.com

Instagram: @studiohenree

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/studio-henree/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/studiohenree

Other: Tik Tok: @studiohenree

Image Credits
Jenny Siegwart, John William