Today we’d like to introduce you to Jana Robertson.
Hi Jana, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Growing up in small-town New Hampshire in a Victorian home built in 1886, I regularly rearranged my furniture and repainted my walls and ceilings (I honestly don’t know how my parents let me, but god bless them, they did). I loved making my space beautiful. Many years later, after exploring multiple creative pathways–see response to next question–I found myself in Mexico City for my husband’s work with five kids ages four and under (two-for-one special at the end) I was exhausted but as a trained artist and designer, I knew I needed creativity. While feeding my twins I would stare at whatever room I was in and design it in my mind. Since custom furniture is very accessible in Mexico City, I met a man named Jose and started drawing pieces of furniture for him to make. The custom pieces he built by hand were often the missing final touch in each of the rooms as far as furniture went. I would then add accessories, bedding, area rugs that I thought fit just perfectly and then style the space for both beauty and function (remember I had a tiny basketball team at the time…and I knew too many designers who made beautiful spaces entirely impractical for kids). Friends would come over and say, “clearly you know how to do this can you please do it for me?” The scope of work for my first client was styling a bookshelf in her husband’s office. That’s how Roberts and Lamb started.
In the years since, I have had the privilege of designing this same first clients homes in Mexico City, Miami, and Seattle, which is a pretty good description of how R&L has grown. We are known almost entirely word of mouth, and are thrilled to have had the repeat clients going back many years, across multiple projects, and in different states. I’ll get into what makes R&L distinctive in a few questions, but we’ve built our reputation around the idea that the highest compliment we can receive from a past client is to work with us again and to recommend us to their friends. And that’s saying a lot–if you’ve even been through a renovation or a new build, they are not always smooth sailing!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been a journey to reach where I’m at. I’d call out a few struggles on the way.
The first struggle involved determining how to use my creativity. I’ve always been drawn to creative expression. My background is in both fine arts and design – which is not unheard of but rare for a designer. I studied fine arts with a concentration in sculpture, then received a design degree with a concentration in fashion design, and then received a masters in Education in Arts and Learning (focused on creative ways of educating others). My first stop in my professional journey was in fashion designing sweaters for Joie, Diane Von Furstenburg, and Anthropologie as well as intimate apparel for Victoria Secrets (which honestly was NOT my thing!), But I ultimately found the industry to be quite duplicative of itself and not overly inspiring. I went on to earn a Masters in Arts and Education and taught high school art, while painting professionally. I left the classroom after my first child was born and shifted to painting with dye on silk, which I sold for several years. It was during my silk painting years that I returned to my childhood love of furnishing and interior design, and I haven’t looked back since.
A second struggle involves building a business from the ground up. As mentioned, the first chapter in what became R&L was helping friends design their own spaces, from styling shelves to picking paint to helping with floorplan. As friends asked for more advice, and as the scope of work grew, I had to concurrently build out the necessary infrastructure to support that growth. From invoicing to ordering to accounting to contracts to websites to tracking to you name it, I had to figure it out, with the help of my husband. As any new business owner will tell you, the eas(ier) part is doing the thing you love to do –in my case–creating beautiful spaces. The hard part is figuring out the business side of the thing. And then, the challenge of the ups and downs of growth, wondering if we’d get another project (we always have), wondering how people would hear about us (primarily through word of mouth), and simply lacking a crystal ball to see the future.
A third struggle is balancing out my calling as a wife and as a mother with being a professional/business owner. As my kids have gotten older, the time with them feels more and more precious. Yet over the same time the opportunities with the business have continued to grow, which is super exciting. I try to regularly reevaluate my time and my stress load to ensure my priorities are being reflected in how I spend my time. It’s a constant process, and a focus of my prayers to stay centered first on God, family, friends, and health, and then my business. My faith is at the foundation of my identity, and I’m thankful for God’s love and grace, both in the times I get it right and the times I get it wrong.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Roberts & Lamb?
We are a team (now 5 of us!) of fun, honest, efficient and reliable creatives who listen, ask questions, and design intentional and beautiful spaces – mainly residential homes- that our clients love. What sets us apart are not only the characteristics mentioned above but that we are being recognized as an interior design firm with a distinctive, artistic style that creates spaces which bring peace and joy to our clients.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I generally would not view myself as a big risk taker. That said, if phrased as being adventurous and decisive, I would say yes, I can be a risk taker. In my twenties, I sold everything I owned so I could backpack around Europe for nine months with my best friend. When my husband and I had a three year old, a two year old, and an 11 week old, we moved our family from Virginia to Mexico City, where we lived for four years, and where our twins were born (yes I gave birth to twin in another country!) After my husband left his first career in government, we both went all-in on Roberts and Lamb, me doing all the design work and him building and running business operations. Oh, and when we moved to Utah I joined crossfit despite not having lifted weights before (though I was a college athlete back in the day).
The way I think about risk is dreaming about adventures, putting some forethought into some semblance of a plan, and then acting on those dreams. There are ups and downs. Some days I’m excited and optimistic, and leaning forward in my dreams. Other days, speaking honestly, I’m tired and not overly hopeful, and it takes some effort to keep pressing forward. That’s where faith comes in for me, trusting that God is looking out for me as I seek to live for Him, even when I can’t see the good in the moment.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.robertsandlamb.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertsandlamb/
