Office Style: The Guys of Homepolish
What can I say about Homepolish that I haven’t already here on Style Girlfriend? I think what founder Noa Santos is doing to bring accessible interior design to the masses is inspiring (seriously, we reference the industry-disrupting service on the reg’ at SG HQ). We believe changing your clothes can change your life, Homepolish is riding the same wavelength; they just start with your home and not your closet.
I’m also hopelessly in love with the amazing talent and big heart that is head of commercial design Shelly Lynch-Sparks (which makes sense, considering the company calls the goal of their designer-matching service finding your “platonic soul mate”). She helped me revamp my home office space way back when – the “after” photo of which still lives on in “dream office” Pinterest boards everywhere (and as Shelly’s Twitter profile!)
And I look forward to the day when Noa, Shelly, and team design the new Style Girlfriend headquarters (it’s coming, it’s coming…)
In the meantime, we decided to pop by their headquarters – recently relocated in the Flatiron district of NYC – to check out their new digs and cop a little style inspiration.
Below, check out Noa, and a few more from the Homepolish team, and let us know what you think of the interior design startup staffers’ looks in the comments below.
Inside everyday style at Homepolish with five stylish employees:
Noa Santos, CEO and Founder
“Your home is the second most intimate space you’re in. The first being your clothes and skin, so if you don’t take care of it then I think you’re probably missing out.”
On the Homepolish office dress code: We’re a creative company so we try not to limit people’s creativity. We operate more like a business than a start up, so we also expect people to maintain a certain level of professionalism/polish. We’re a little different than certain startups that have “sweatshirt” outfits, that’s not us.
If I were a piece of furniture, I would be a bar cart because it stores the liquor.
A man’s home decor matters because it’s an extension of who you are, it says something about what you think of yourself.
On bringing personal style into your home decor: I like to keep things relatively simple. It’s all about pinpointing what it is about your personal style that you like and actually taking those understandings and applying them to your home.
The first thing I notice when I walk into a room is probably the lighting. I think lighting has so much to do with how a space feels, me and my fiance keep the apartment with pretty dimly lights because we’re more of a night time cocktail type of people. Lighting it’s so important because it allows you to tailor the space with the mood you want. Get a dimmer, it’s so simple.
Chris Campbell, Director of Sales
“The space that you surround yourself should reflect your personality.”
My interior design mantra: The space that you surround yourself should reflect your personality. I have a very colorful house, I’m not afraid of color and have a hot pink TV cabinet and art and that makes me feel very good. So I think that if it reflects your personality it will make you feel good.
On bringing personal style into your home decor: Fabrics and patterns are a really good way. If you’re a more conservative dresser and you wear neutrals, you can bring that into the drapery and rugs. But for me, I like a lot of color in what I wear and the choices I make for home.
Most recent home addition: I just bought some art at the Cooper Hewitt Museum store, they’re original prints that I’m excited to frame and hang.
Top closet organization tips for guys: I moved a year ago into a new apartment and for the first time a got a shoe rack inside of my closet and it makes a huge difference because if you don’t have that you usually end with a pile of random shoes.
Dave Lifson, VP of Product
“I run the engineering team so my office style ranges from “straight out of the Bonobos catalog” to that t-shirt you got in an engineering conference one year ago.”
Most recent wardrobe purchase: A pair of shoes from Greats brand, a Brooklyn startup.
My interior design mantra: I’ve been told this is very common for guys but I’m into textures, a little bit of leather, industrial, etc.
If I were a piece of furniture, I’d be a giant comfy leather sofa because I’m all about comfort when I’m home. For me, my home needs to be that safe space where you can relax and let all of the stress out.
Where to splurge on home decor: I found these chairs by Ben Goods, they are metal wire chairs and they come in copper and fell in love with them. CB2 has a knock out that’s half the price and I thought that I should save here but I didn’t. There are signature pieces that you’re definitely going to hold onto.
Matt Powell, Senior Editor of Homepolish’s Magazine
“Homepolish dress code is very laid back, you can really get away with everything as long as you look polished.”
My interior design mantra tends to be extremely minimalist with a lot of subtle details that you have to discover for yourself. It’s very much like the way I dress.
On bringing personal style into your home decor: For me, I focus on subtlety in design. It’s the small accessories or the artwork that you choose that tells more about your story as opposed to bold overall color theme. The same goes with the way I dress. I tend to wear a lot more muted colors, but when it comes to accessories like jewelry or even the way that you style your hair can be more of a personal choice.
Where to splurge on home decor: I often say the foundational pieces, like your sofa. It’s a good place to invest because it gets a lot of traffic and action in your house. Its also one of the first pieces that people see so if you can, go for a nice high end sofa.
Samir Remtulla, Head of Finance
“A man’s home decor matters because it’s a reflection of who you are as a person, your personality and what do you stand for.”
On the Homepolish dress code: Everyone dresses really well except for me. I’m the athleisure guy, they call me “sporty spice” over here.
The first thing I notice when walk into a room is the energy and vibe of the room and also the people that make up the room.
If I were a piece of furniture, I would be a table lantern because it illuminates the area, and its subtle.
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