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Swell Space Case Study

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Founder's Story 2. CONTEXT Hannah Ruskin started Swell Spaces in 2011 as an interior design firm specialising in modern commercial spaces. Hannah comes from a background in fine art, photography, and installation art. Her decision to move into commercial interior design came after the realisation that she spent more time arranging the staging of her photography than she did on the photography itself. Hannah started by collaborating with startups and tech companies and has worked with over sixty clients including Stackmob, Shyp, Hipmonk and Softtech VC. They offer design consultation, interior styling, furniture selection, custom fabrication, spacial organisation, art consultation, and horticulture. Swell Spaces’ studio is located in a shared 2000 sq. ft. loft space in West Oakland, California. Design Service and Business Model. Swell Spaces currently offers three levels of interior design services: full service, bootstrap and hourly. Full service is a comprehensive design package that …show more content…

Three one-on-one staff interviews highlighted an organisational weakness of minimal delegation to staff, and issues with lack of respect from clients for contract boundaries. Swell Spaces has targeted the notoriously volatile startup sector. The Bay Area is currently undergoing another large tech boom which is both a blessing and a curse. Although business in this sector can be lucrative, there is considerable risk that the tech bubble will burst as has happened historically, putting Swell Spaces in a position of a shrinking client base. Diversifying into other commercial sectors, such as brand aligned retail spaces, restaurants and event design would be one way to mitigate this risk and is something Hannah has expressed an interest in

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