How I Started My Own Design Studio at the Age of 22
You know that feeling of being young, empowered and maybe a little naive? That feeling of fearlessness in a world that just wants to see you fail but all you can see is success in your future? Well that was me, at 22, fresh out of college with the whole world at the tip of my fingers and I decided to grab it and never let go.
My name is Sarah Lobo, Founder & Creative Director of Studio Lobo, a multidisciplinary design studio based in Miami, FL, and this is my story about how I started my own design studio at the age of 22.
At the age of thirteen, I started studying Architecture and quickly fell in love with the craft, and with the boundless limitations of creativity. By sixteen, I knew this is what I wanted to do with my life, help create our built environment. So I went on to study Architecture at the University of New Mexico, where I also played Division 1 volleyball. No one warns you that playing a Division 1 sport and studying Architecture is burning the candle stick at both ends and FAST. After a year of playing I was forced to make a decision that would change my life forever. Stick to the sport I’ve loved since I was 10, or follow my passion for design? Although the choice was clear & easy to make, I felt like I had the rug ripped out from under me. Never got the chance to have my last game, or last practice with my teammates. Never got to properly say goodbye to the sport that gave me so much and shaped me into the person I am. I was heartbroken. But like anything in life, one door closes another door opens.
I soon realized that Architecture - in the real world - wasn’t at all what I had hoped it to be, and I found myself fascinated by the environments within. How you can truly shape someones experience through a space. So I decided to pursue a degree in Interior Design, I transferred to the University of Florida and got my Bachelors of Design with a major in Interior Design. With having such an extensive background in Architecture, my knowledge for Interiors blossomed. And my belief that beauty and function are symbiotic carried me through school. I graduated at the top of my class and without wasting any time I moved down to Miami and began my career. I had been working for Shim Projects since my Junior year of college and luckily for me they wanted to hire me full time.
For those who know, moving to Miami fresh out of college means high bills to pay. I was hungry, determined and inspired to create a name for myself but in order to do so I know I needed to put my head down and get to work. So I hustled, on top of my full time job at Shim Projects, I was a pilates instructor at Tremble. I was teaching 4 times a week, 3-4 classes a day. And one day during a study hall meeting I overheard my Tremble boss talking about how they are planning to open up a new studio in Midtown. Light bulbs started going off in my head, and without even taking a moment to think it through I inserted myself into the conversation and asked her “Who’s designing it?”. Which to my surprise, she said she hadn’t found a designer yet. To which I then responded “Well you know, I’m an Interior Designer and I would love to help you bring your vision to life.” So we scheduled a meeting and we talked it through. The whole rebrand, what Tremble means to her and how she wants it to succeed in the future. And with that came my first project debut, the beloved, Tremble Midtown which launched the start of Studio Lobo.
Since then we have done 10 Tremble studios all through Miami, Tampa and NYC. With the latest phenomenon, Tremble at the Barn in Bridgehampton, New York. Studio Lobo has also expanded over the past three years with a range of boutique commercial projects, including Neroli Blume in Wynwood, restaurant projects for Ariete Hospitality Group. And in our recent endeavor - launching our very first furniture collection.
It started off with a bold, and maybe a little naive, question that sparked the start of an amazing career. And we’re still just getting started! Three years in, fourteen projects completed, and six underway. Studio Lobo is me & everything I believe in, and I couldn’t be more blessed, humbled and proud to be where I am today.
Amazing story!!
Beautiful, the feeling the ambition..