What happens when you mix a respected interior design firm and the chicest coworking space in Saratoga? Here’s what:
Since opening three years ago, luxury Saratoga design firm Interior Designs Atelier (IDA) has been growing—so much so that earlier this year, the small-but-mighty team needed more space. After purchasing The Workers Club at 3 Franklin Square, IDA owner Linda Gerace-Skinner and her husband, Andrew Skinner, sought to expand the coworking space, and the idea to share it with the local design community came naturally.
Enter: Saratoga Design Collective, a coworking opportunity created by and for interior designers and design-related industry partners. “The Collective,” Gerace-Skinner says, “is a collaborative (not competitive) space where like-minded professionals in Saratoga and the greater Capital Region can exchange ideas and share resources.” While non-designers are the core of The Worker’s Club’s clientele, Saratoga Design Collective gives those in the design field even more than the traditional coworking perks of free wi-fi, printing services and access to conference rooms.
What types of perks, you ask? Think to-the-trade lunch-and-learns, ASID continuing education seminars, procurement and receiving services, white-glove delivery services, and access to one of the area’s most extensive resource libraries, complete with samples of fabric, wallpaper, furniture, tile, stone, carpet, rugs and trim. Gerace-Skinner explains: “It’s for the designer who doesn’t have time to travel to New York City whenever they need access to the resources of a design center.”
Beyond the library of samples, the Saratoga Design Collective offers à la carte services including both private offices and open seating within cozy lounge areas, a full kitchen, a large conference room, and access to established trade accounts with more than 450 vendors. Basically, it’s a desk that doesn’t double as a dining room table like at home, plus everything successful “solopreneurs” or up-and-coming designers need to run their business successfully. “We’re also open to partnering with leading luxury brands to elevate the studio to become a showroom for their product lines,” says Skinner, who currently manages the space.
“We simply designed a beautiful interior design studio that inspires, motivates and encourages us as design professionals,” continues Gerace-Skinner. “Then we just added a few more desks.”
theworkersclub.com | saratogadesigncollective.com
518.223.9786 | @saratogadesigncollective
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