Laura Greco has always been drawn to the way a space’s design can enhance the way you live within it. As the lead in-house interior designer for Urban Natural Home, she spends most of her time working one-on-one with customers to find the perfect furniture, accent pieces, and thoughtful furnishing details to suit their style and needs. “I like to know where the problems are,” she says, and will often begin a consultation by asking lots of questions, listening attentively to the answers, and even compiling a list of factors that her client may not have even thought to consider in their decision-making process. For example, comments like “We just had a new baby,” or “It’s just me now” might seem like afterthoughts when you’re furniture shopping, but Laura believes every detail about the way you live, and the way you’d like to live, are important. New parents might be interested in more forgiving upholstery options and performance fabrics that are easier to clean but don’t compromise on comfort or beauty. A customer looking to downsize their space or reduce clutter might appreciate furniture that offers creative, built-in storage solutions too. “There’s usually something people really care about or need to have,” Laura says; “I like to know those things first, and then balance out the moving chess pieces.”
Laura spent her earlier career as a designer and visual merchandiser for Crate And Barrel’s flagship store in New York City. She also had the opportunity to open six of their stores around the country, but soon felt the limitations of a larger, more corporate experience. “I wanted something more personal and hands-on,” she says; at a smaller company, she’s able to offer advice and see that advice put into action quickly. With an approach to design that’s equal parts left and right brain, Laura feels she’s able to balance the mathematical tasks of spatial and budget planning with the more creative elements of color, style, and out-of-the-box thinking. “You need both sides to do well in this job,” she says, and it’s one of the things she finds most fulfilling about her work at Urban Natural. When you take advantage of a complimentary design consultation with her, she’ll likely recommend bringing photos of your space, your style inspirations, the pieces you already know you want to keep, and the ones you’d like to replace. Style is personal, so when a client has a larger idea of what they feel inspired by– a Pinterest board or Instagram page– it helps Laura and her team find more of what they’re likely to be drawn to. In the end, it’s all about “empowering people to find what they like first, and then we can build on that.”
Working for a more sustainably minded furniture retail company like Urban Natural comes with its own specific set of added rewards. “We have customers who are very specific and diligent about sustainable materials and processes. Some have chemical sensitivities, or have had mold infestations… they might be looking for low or no VOCS, and they want to know everything that’s been put into the product. We’re great resources in these cases” because Urban Natural’s offerings prioritize these values too.
Laura also enjoys getting to open customers’ minds to more possibilities for their spaces: “Maybe they never thought about moving a piece to a different room to make the flow work better,” or “they’ve had the same layout for so long, and don’t know how to change it.” Your home and all of its furnishings should represent your personal style and aesthetic preferences, but it should also support your lifestyle, and is often easier than you think to adjust, rearrange, or reimagine as needed. “Lots of people have really nice spaces,” says Laura; “they just haven’t explored how to use them better.” Fortunately for them, that’s one part of the furniture shopping experience that just happens to be her specialty.
To learn more about Urban Natural, or to schedule a complimentary design consultation with Laura and her team, feel free to drop a line anytime!
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