Forever inspired by the creativity in all realms of art, sophie meiers has channeled all of that and then some into a soundscape listeners can easily imagine into their own realities on ‘spark__space,’ out now on Epitaph Records. The new record was on the table when it came to this back-and-forth exchange, as well as trust, anime, and what’s to come.  

Kendra: You dropped a couple of records before 2023, and this year you’ve already got one under your belt. What made you want to break up your releases this year and share them with the world a couple of months apart from one another?

sophie meiers: Breaking up the releases for these EPs has allowed me to showcase the visual and sonic landscape for each individual world. I had an expansive body of work, spanning many different genres – so I created “portals” that embody and capture their varied styles and identities. I want each project to be an entryway to the next world, their stories to guide the listener through this immersive art project.

Kendra: When I listened to ‘shine__space’ I felt transported to my teenage bedroom in the early 2000s watching indie movies like ‘Ghost World.’ On the flip side, ‘i was the right one’ feels a little more present. Did you find yourself drawing from different places for ‘shine__space’ and ‘spark__space?’

sophie meiers: Ahh that’s so cute. I definitely agree with you, it was my intention to create a strong contrast between the (three) projects. ‘shine__space’ is very metallic and sequenced — lots of inspiration coming from synth-wave/synthpop/new wave electronic music. whereas ‘spark__space’ is warm and stripped back; leaning primarily towards organic production, live instruments, and lots of alternative/indie influence. Drawing from these different feelings and places is what makes writing so rewarding and interesting to me.

Kendra: Speaking of ‘i was the right one,’ this came after a sour relationship but it’s more about yourself. Did you find yourself working all of this out inside your mind as you penned this track?

sophie meiers: Absolutely. That day in the studio I was able to digest and vocalize what I had been feeling over the past two years — and how it all came to a point. It was really revelatory to be able to understand that the pain I was experiencing was due to self-betrayal, not the actions of anybody else. Untying the convoluted knots and confusion in my own mind allowed me to look at the situation for what it was. It was such a memorable day for me, looking back. finding words to put to something so complicated is powerful and freeing. I can’t describe the feeling.

Kendra: For those who may not have music as an outlet, do you have any advice for those looking to work out their own internal trust issues?

sophie meiers: Shit hahaha, you’re asking the wrong guy. Something that has helped me tremendously is acceptance. You truly and objectively cannot control other people’s feelings or actions, and worrying about hypothetical situations is just subjecting yourself to suffering that hasn’t happened yet, and might not ever happen, surrendering yourself to the unknown is terrifying, but trying to control things beyond your power is impossible. I have to remind myself that I don’t want to sacrifice my tenderness or love; caring is truly one of the most special and pure feelings in the world.

 Why should I deny myself of feeling happiness, experiencing warmth, and small little moments of understanding? (even if i end up getting hurt) it hurts to hurt. It hurts to not hurt. Authentically feeling your emotions and showing your care is infinitely more courageous than fighting it off or becoming closed-hearted. it’s okay to be sensitive and vulnerable, and when you trust yourself it becomes your shield and safety net. because even if other people hurt you, you understand your own value and can hold yourself to that standard. baby steps. 

Kendra: It’s also hard not to notice the visual artistry that goes into what you do. Who were some artists you loved growing up that not only inspired you musically but also visually?

sophie meiers: Thank you so much! I’m heavily inspired by the world around me – by earth and science and stars. Organic and inorganic forms. Destruction and decay. Outside of my vague and ambiguous answers- I fucking love art; painting, drawing, photography, sewing, graphic design, textiles, digital art, 3d/CGI, VFX, makeup, sculpture, early net graphics – anything I can get my hands on. 

I was heavily inspired by my early exposure to the internet: meme pages, Tumblr, forums, early HTML websites, and primitive CGI. Also ancient practices like woodworking, masonry, architecture, classical painting. I have a hard time naming any artist individually because I was always so absolved in the art itself versus who was creating it. I have a lot of respect for people who work across different mediums to breathe life into their ideas.

Kendra: Your style reminds me a lot of anime. With that, is there an anime that you’d love to have your music featured in?

sophie meiers: I love anime. God this is hard. It would be fucking amazing to score and write the soundtrack to a limited series. I love psychological/horror/avant-garde/sci-fi/mecha/supernatural/disturbing shit, so it would be really cool to do something within that realm. I’d have to think about something that is still coming out with new episodes!

Kendra: Time for a side note – So August is a huge month for me, with so many loved ones’ birthdays being celebrated, so I’d love to know what song you’d dedicate to your loved ones, be it friends, family, or both…

sophie meiers: I hope you have a great month celebrating with your loved ones! My song “things will change” is dedicated to one of my little brothers. 

Kendra: Lastly, with ‘spark__space’ out on August 24th, what else can the people out there expect from you as 2023 rolls along?

sophie meiers: Tons of new music, visuals, and art projects. I have the last EP in the trilogy coming out after ‘spark__space.’ Different sound, different visuals, different world. Can you guess the name?

The post finding the right one with sophie meiers appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Kendra: To say a lot has occurred between 2019’s ‘Short Stay’ and this year’s ‘One Way Ticket to Midnight’ would be an understatement but on a personal level – what aspects of your own lives do you think attributed to the overall growth of Mainland Break when comparing your debut EP to this new LP? 

Mainland Break: Like many bands, the pandemic kept us from practicing together or playing shows. It also forced one of our guitarists to move out of Colorado for an extended period of time. The rare occasions when we could see each other and practice together became much more valuable, so we learned to write and share ideas remotely. Then when we finally got back together in the practice space, we didn’t waste any time getting new songs up and running. 

Learning to write more independently has definitely helped us grow as individual songwriters, but we still rely heavily on each other for feedback and inspiration. Ultimately, the whole experience has helped us become more confident in our songwriting and our sound, and we think that change is evident throughout the album.

Another huge step forward for us as a band was working with our producer, Mark Anderson. Once we had all these new songs, we asked him to help us polish and record the new material. That has been a tremendous learning experience for us. He is incredibly talented and knowledgeable and he has changed the way we approach music. He helped us to experiment with keys, vocal harmonies, effects, and a ton of other stuff that made us rethink what Mainland Break could be.

Kendra: The new record has this running theme of reflection, something that usually tends to happen at night when sleep is a mission impossible. How much of the record would you say was formulated in the wee hours of the night?

Mainland Break: A lot of the lyrics and emotional substance of the record were taken from those wee hours of the night. “Calling After” was written after a long night in Los Angeles, where we found ourselves walking miles around the city in order to see a favorite band play and to find the perfect karaoke dive bar.

Kendra: The album shares its name with the lead single, which has a video out now that features a game of pool in this sort of dive bar setting. With that, is there a spot in Denver that you feel perfectly pairs with the tone of ‘One Way Ticket to Midnight?’ 

Mainland Break: The tone of ‘One Way Ticket to Midnight’ certainly changes throughout the record which makes it difficult to perfectly pair a single location to it. The songs revolve around people we were either with or not with in the moment, and either celebrating the moment or wishing we could have it back. But for us, that setting usually happens to be a lot of dive bars and Taco Bells.

Kendra: ‘Under the Radar’ said the single “fits the mold of a windows-down road trip tune.” Of course, the best road trips, at least for bands, revolve around getting out on tour. Will you be heading out on tour this summer or in the fall? 

Mainland Break: We’re prepping the van for a 3.0-mile trip into the indie rock heart of Denver to play in support of Kiwi Jr. and our own album release in July. Then, once we get the tires rotated, we broaden our horizons.

Kendra: Time for a side note – this month we’re asking everyone to pick a song for our ‘ZO Summer 2023’ playlist. So what summer anthem would you add, and why? 

Mainland Break: Speaking of Kiwi Jr., we’d add their song: “Sound of Music.” It is an instant mood-booster with a singable melody and sunny lightheartedness that makes it a great summer tune.

Kendra: Lastly, with ‘One Way Ticket to Midnight’ out on July 21st and possible tour dates, what else is on the horizon for Mainland Break at the moment?

Mainland Break: Right now we’re in a bit of a writing streak and working on our next release. We have a single release set for late 2023 and a limited run of vinyl going out for ‘One Way Ticket to Midnight.’

The post One-Way Ticket to Mainland Break appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Kendra: How did you two manage to find your way to one another?

Luke: Rachel and I went to the same college in Indiana, but at different times. So we had some mutual friends and we were both in the music scene in Denver. Me with the band Lotus and Rachel with the band Raven Jane. We did a couple of tracks together, one with Lotus, and one with my DJ project Luke the Knife. But we were both interested in doing an original, more electronic-pop-oriented project.

Kendra: Were there any duos, music-based or not, that you feel you two are like when it comes to creating together?

Luke: We looked at duos like Sylvan Esso, DRAMA, and Sofi Tukker, but less musically and more to envision what a live show could be like.  

Kendra: And how long after you connected did the wheels start turning for what would eventually become your debut, ‘Halogen?’

Luke: We started working on songs during the pandemic. It took a little while to land on what our sound was going to be. How electronic would it be, and how much live instrument focus. Eventually, this dreamy sound emerged that we rolled with.

Kendra: Was there anything you learned from your partner in writing and recording that you feel helped elevate you as an artist? 

Rachel: As a producer and multi-instrumentalist, Luke is thinking about each song’s arrangement with both a breadth and a depth that help me move out of a silo-like focus on the fundamentals of chords, lyrics, and melody. He sprinkles in a lot of ear candy in his production that you don’t realize is missing until he adds it, and the song levels up from these little touches.

Luke: I’ve spent most of my musical career in an instrumental band. So working with a vocalist helped me learn about the intricacies of different vocal timbres. You can sing one note a million different ways. The human voice is extremely expressive.

Kendra: The album is full of goodies, including “Send Me Higher.” What sort of instances in your life helped bring that song about?

Rachel: I was at a small club dancing to a DJ set, and everyone was mesmerized by the guy spinning. He was a really engaging performer, and the room was electric with sensual energy. I came home and went straight to my studio and channeled the feeling into the first draft of “Send Me Higher.” Luke picked up on the disco-inspired vibe I was going for on that first rudimentary pass and added this kind of Nile Rodgers-esque guitar, re-arranged the chords, funkified the bass line, and produced an infectious beat.

Kendra: I felt attacked by “Finish What You Started” because I’m one of those “get a hobby and abandon it 5 minutes later” types of people. Do you have anything like that that you recently took up and then thought, nah – not for me? 

Rachel: Ha, I love this question. I’m definitely that way with various workout routines like pilates and yoga and trail running. But the song is calling a partner out for starting a fight and not seeing it through to the end.

Kendra: By the time this drops, you will have already played the ‘Halogen’ release show. Would love to know how that went!

Rachel: We played our debut show to a packed house in Denver. The crowd showed up and showed OUT, singing along to our lyrics and dancing nonstop. So many people were decked out in sequins and shimmery clothes – seeing it from the stage was like looking out into a sparkly night sky with multi-colored stars. They channeled such good energy that we were feeding off. People think of performers sending out energy into the crowd, but it’s definitely a two-way street.

Kendra: Time for a side note: This month I’m asking everyone for a song they listen to when they’re feeling a little lost creatively and are in need of some musical inspiration…

Luke: I have a bunch of songs that fall into this category. One that jumps to mind is “Born Slippy” by Underworld

Rachel: I go outside of Sugar Nova’s genres for inspiration usually. It helps me bring something fresh to my own writing so I don’t feel like I’m copying someone else. Right now, I’m really into Jensen McRae – her lyricism is so intimate and confessionally raw, and the production is usually super stripped down and naked. Love it.

Kendra: Lastly, with ‘Halogen’ out now, what else can fans be on the lookout for as we roll into summer?

Luke: We have a couple more remixes we’ll be releasing over the summer. We will be performing at Summerdance Festival in Ohio Labor Day weekend, and we are going to start working on songs for our second album.

The post Finishing What Sugar Nova Started appeared first on ZO Magazine.

When he isn’t taking home huge accolades for his editing chops, the multi-instrumentalist behind Whoa Sequoia is working diligently on his music. From the beaches of California to the mountainscapes of Denver, Whoa Sequoia found solace in just pushing his creativity forward, and from all of that came his latest, ‘David Letterman.’ Out on November 11th, we talked about the record, redoing a film score, and more in this back and forth exchange. Also, may we suggest the next album be Conan O’Brien?

Kendra: You’ve had quite the career but I want to go back to when you were 14 and the moment you decided to take things into your own hands and teach yourself guitar. Did you have any sort of guidance or were you just trying to imitate what you heard and go from there?

Whoa Sequoia: I am about 95% self-taught. I was just really eager to play guitar as a kid. My favorite bands at the time all had amazing guitar players, and I wanted to be able to do what they did. Playing guitar quickly became my favorite thing to do, and I played as much as I possibly could. At first, your fingers hurt, and then it becomes fun, instead of practice.

I would go to parties during high school and college and just sit in the corner with a blank look on my face, playing guitar for hours. It was a running joke with some of my friends for a bit. “Dude put the guitar down! Come party!” But I loved it. And it soon defined me to an extent. Playing guitar soon became much more than just “playing the songs of my heroes” – I wanted to write a lot of original material, play live shows, produce, do it all.

Kendra: Over the years you’ve managed to work just as much behind the scenes as you have in the spotlight. Does your mind ever switch modes when you’re helping someone else with their music as opposed to when you’re just doing your own thing?

Whoa Sequoia: I’ve produced a lot of music over the years, and collaborated with lots of people. Lots of friends who are amazing musicians. I’m very comfortable in my own little home studio zone these days when I’m able to write and record whatever comes to me on the spot. With no preconceptions or restrictions. But I love working with all types of talented people.

Kendra: Now, your 2021 release, ‘David Letterman,’ is based on the foundation of time but with songs like “Bet Middler” and “Film Review,” and the video for “Hold On, My Brother” featuring over 100 movie clips, I have to ask…If you could redo the soundtrack or score of any movie from the past decade, which would it be and how would you revamp it?

Whoa Sequoia: Great question! Hmm. I don’t know necessarily: there are so many amazing film scores that have inspired me over the years. Maybe a Pixar movie or something. Maybe ‘Wall-E’. And give it a darker, more dramatic, electronic feel, instead of the minimalist, classical score. Love that movie.

Kendra: Let’s talk a bit more about a couple of those songs I just mentioned. In “Film Review” you sing, “It’s been a long month since like a week ago.” That pretty much summarizes how time has felt since March 2020. Did you ever get discouraged during those times in the past year or so when time just felt like it was dragging along?

Whoa Sequoia: Totally. I spent the first 6 months of the pandemic in a tiny studio apartment near the beach in Los Angeles. It was the craziest time ever – but also became oddly productive, because there was nothing else to do. I wrote two screenplays and wrote and recorded a concept album, ‘The Geyser Saga’ – 2020.

I moved to Denver a year ago. I started writing some new material pretty quickly. When I was writing that new song “Film Review” last January, we had just started to see a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel – with vaccinations on the horizon – while also knowing there was still a long, uncertain road ahead. This whole thing has been confusing, chaotic, insane. But usually when I have nothing else to do…I just hunker down and work on creative stuff. It’s sort of how I process the world.

Kendra: On top of all you do musically, you’re also an Emmy-winner TV and doc editor. How do you feel the two mediums, music and TV, play off one another in your life?

Whoa Sequoia: I think they are forever linked, in my life at least. I’ve worked as a documentary editor for a while now, and a huge part of making a scene work is the right music choice. Sometimes I’ll go through 50 different tracks until the perfect one works. Or sometimes, I’ll just score it myself.

I’ve always viewed good Film and Cinema as the ultimate art-form…when it’s done well at least. It comprises all the creative elements: acting, cinematography, storytelling, music, set design, etc. It’s all of the great artistic pursuits and lots of human collaboration meeting up for one special experience. At the same time, movies, TV, streaming content on our phones, VR… these are forever evolving visual mediums. I’m not sure what devices or aspect ratio we’ll be watching movies on in 10 years.

But music might be the most fundamental and universally human experience that exists. Maybe only besides food. We all love music. We cry and laugh to music. People get married or have funerals set to music that means something powerful to them. Music has always been there for us. And for me. And it always will be.

Kendra: With the new album ‘David Letterman’ out in November, what else can we be on the lookout for from you as we say goodbye to 2021 and hello to 2022?

Whoa Sequoia: I’ll be staying creative and staying healthy.

I wrote a movie that I’ll hopefully be filming at some point, so I’m excited to get back to some of that stuff. And on the music front, I’ve already started to write some new material for another release hopefully in another year. I might have to call that album ‘Jay Leno.’

The post Late Night with Whoa Sequoia appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Whether it was her parents coming to America to give her better, or trying to create during the wild ride that was 2020 – resilience has always been the underlying tone when it comes to YaSi. We talked with the Denver-based artist about being first-generation, recording here and there during a pandemic, ‘Coexist With Chaos,’ and more in this back and forth.

Kendra: When did your love of music go from being a mere fan to wanting to be an artist?

YaSi: I honestly always wanted to be an artist, but drifted away from it and then back to it in life. I think after high school I realized music was the only thing that made me feel understood and happy.

Kendra: The college I went to was heavily filled with first generations in terms of seeking higher education, and the drive we had was just as apparent as the hurdles we had that others did not. As a first-generation American, do you feel your family’s struggles in many ways are what pushed you this far?

YaSi: I wouldn’t say their struggle, I would say my parents’ resilience is what pushed me so far. I graduated college for them because that’s what they wanted for their child; a good education and a happy life away from politics that create war and revolution that they faced. So when I chose to go against the grain, I knew I had to push myself to be the best I could be for my parents, and their sacrifices.

Kendra: Your debut, ‘Coexist With Chaos,’ is out now, and you worked on that in between LA and Denver…How was that during a pandemic?

YaSi: It was scary at times but more than anything it was very isolating. At the beginning of writing this EP we didn’t have rapid testing or knew much about this virus, so I would get a test the minute I knew I was heading to LA and isolate for two weeks and the same process when I arrived back in Denver. I didn’t see anyone other than my producers for a good chunk of writing this EP.

Kendra: You noted that you found yourself asking if anything you were doing at that time even mattered because of not just what was going on in America, but also overseas from where your parents are from. I think that was something 99% of us felt throughout the past year. For you, what would inevitably help you shake those thoughts and help you continue to work towards your goals?

YaSi: I think again, it was the resilience of the people around me and them pushing me to do my job to the best of my abilities. And a lot of this EP was created from was that feeling of confusion, and shameless promotion, of coexisting with chaos.

Kendra: The idea behind your single, “Guilty,” is something I think we’ve all thought about in relationships; innocently flirting but feeling bad. I mean, my guy is not opposed to me flirting when I’m out to get a free drink because…we on a budget! Was this idea more personal, or just a universal thought?

YaSi: Hahaha! Yeah, I understand that. The initial idea from this song was something personal but when I shared it with the guys I was creating this song with, they all assured me that they’ve felt something similar one way or another throughout their different relationships. And hearing that it was somewhat universal made it more intriguing to write a song about.

Kendra: You’re also singing in Farsi for the first time on this record. I talked to an artist last year who would intertwine Mandarin into her hip hop and it was so…I guess the word is refreshing in a way because it added a beautiful layer to the song. Do you think you’d ever do a full record in Farsi in the future?

YaSi: I am singing in Farsi verrrrryyy minimally on this record, but yes I would love to one day do a record that’s in Farsi and collaborate with other Persian artists throughout the world. I have connected with so many Persian artists like Afta Hill, Danny Asadi, and CHAII, this year thanks to the internet and they have been very inspiring to me.

Kendra: It’s getting a little easier with the vaccine rollouts, but it’s still kind of hard to have a definite answer when it comes to future plans given the current state of everything, but as far as what you can control when it comes to your career and creativity – what do you have planned in the coming months for yourself?

YaSi: Writing more music, making more visuals, and finding and connecting with people who love and understand the music I am making.

The post Coexisting with YaSi appeared first on ZO Magazine.

The post Taking Advantage of Time with Record Thieves appeared first on ZO Magazine.

The post Elise Lieberth Continues to Prove Her Invincibility appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Kendra: When did your fascination for fantasy and the likes of the Renaissance era begin? Also, have you always had a passion for fashion, and when did the two interests come together as Elven Forest Creations?

Ashli Hara: I have always loved clothing from bygone eras. From the courtly garments of the Renaissance to the earthy rags of the Paleolithic era. I’ve always been fascinated by the meeting of style with utility. I look for ways to blend styles into one piece that not only looks coherent and naturally, has a flow to it, but also that is comfortable all day long like a second skin.

Design has always been a strong suit of mine. My mind works in a 3D way and I love thinking about how things fit together. I think I found the niche when making clothes for myself to wear to festivals and underground parties. The clothes naturally incorporated historical elements from both of these time periods as well as my very active imagination. It was about ten years ago when I was making these clothes for myself and people started asking me to make clothes for them as well.

I actually got asked to be a part of a fashion show and I sewed up-a-fury in my bedroom for two weeks straight to make my first real collection. They took professional photos of my work which was really exciting. I took those photos and made the Etsy shop and it just took off.

Kendra: Etsy has changed everything for independent creators. Where do you feel you’d be without a place like Etsy to showcase your work?

Ashli Hara: Etsy was a hope and a prayer the first day that I launched it. I had $20 to my name and I spent that $20 on the materials to sew my first order. I was basically homeless the first year. Staying with friends and subletting a room once every few months and trading handmade clothes for rent. Every year Elven Forest kept growing, I didn’t do any advertising, but it just grew by word of mouth since people were happy with their orders.

By the beginning of the third year, I was working 80 hour weeks. Only seeing friends for four hours every other weekend. So I opened up and started adding people to the Elven Forest team. Now we have some of the most amazing and lovely ladies at Elven Forest ever. We make a great team and I could not be happier with how everything has turned out. It allows us to live a dream, create a sustainable local company made up of ladies who work from home, make their own hours, and create beautiful things for people who love them.

Kendra: Now, what I truly love about your pieces are that they celebrate those fantasy, fairy elements without being costumes. People who buy your pieces can rock them at work and not have to worry about being reprimanded. Was that the initial goal? Create pieces that are fairy functional?

Ashli Hara: Yes! You got it! The first goal was exactly that. To create pieces that bring a little bit of fairytale magic into everyday life. So they could be versatile and worn to both to festivals and costume parties but also transition seamlessly into going to work or to a family event. My next goal was to make them as absolutely comfortable as possible because, at the time, most clothing was stiff and hard to wear for a whole day (that was when everyone wore jeans instead of leggings for example). Elven Forest clothes are comfortable enough to wear all day and then sleep in them

Kendra: Usually, designers in this realm stick with the elegance, the royalty, but again you’re fairy functional. With that, I also feel like your pieces represent not only that magical fairy element but also people during that time that would’ve been on the outskirts of royalty. The rebels, the artists, the troubadours. Was that ever something that came to mind when designing – who would’ve worn these back then?

Ashli Hara: Haha, well yes. I was deeply immersed in an underground culture based both in Chicago and San Francisco when I started. Which focused its efforts in reinventing modern day life, traveling and going to festivals as a lifestyle, creating free energy, rediscovering wisdom from our ancestors and native roots and bringing that to our modern day life, in turn revolutionizing the way we see ourselves and our existence here on this planet.

Being creative with one’s way of dress was the norm and is the first thing that drew me to the culture. It was very fun for me to have a supportive community where I could create and experiment with everything.

At first, a lot of people who wore Elven Forest clothes were fire spinners, belly dancers, and festival goers who loved the fairytale style. Now it’s becoming a thing and people from all walks of life are getting into it. The last few years I’ve seen clothing shops pop up all over the place with a similar style. It feels good to have been a part of starting a trend so positive and comfortable. It also makes me so happy to see our customer photos, people wearing our clothes in all walks of life.

Kendra: We also have to mention that every piece is handmade. Kudos because that is quite phenomenal when looking at the details in most of the garments. Having done these by hand for several years now, could you possibly make one in your sleep?

Ashli Hara: That’s so kind of you to say! Yes, a lot of the early designs that we sell I could make possibly still with my eyes closed. And you know what, when I’m thinking up new designs I usually do it first while I’m sleeping. In my mind’s eye, I shape every detail in 3D, every curve of the pattern and stitch of the fabric, in my sleep, before waking up, drawing them, and cutting out the patterns for all the pieces. So in a way, I guess I do already make a lot of the designs in my sleep.

Also, at this time with Elven Forest, my duties have shifted. I mostly come up with the new designs, make the patterns for them, take the photos of them, and help organize the shop. It’s a testament to the wonderful women on our team that those details are made with so much care and love, and to our amazing store manager who keeps everything running so smoothly. We could not do this without all of us working together to create this magic.

Kendra: What’s next for Elven Forest Creations as 2019 gets underway?

Ashli Hara: We’ve been growing fast and for 2019. I can’t release the all the details yet. We’re going to be opening our own website and are beginning to experiment with new fabrics and materials as well as design elements. Which open up new possibilities for creating. I’m very very very excited about these!

The post Elven Forest Creations Continues to Grow in the Modern World appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Linnore had a successful string of stores before she decided to dive into her decorating business, Décor & You. It has since evolved into a unique experience for clients looking to decorate their home. We talked about what makes Décor & You different from all the rest and even found out what music she puts on when she’s not singing along to 80’s music.

Kendra: Looking back at your bedroom in high school, were there any elements that make you go, “What was I thinking?”

Linnore Gonzales: My childhood home was decorated with my mom’s style and tastes. I never really had a moment when I thought about how awful the design was. I loved every inch of my room and particularly remember the beautiful chandelier from Spain. My mom was very traditional as far as her décor and had a flair for French Provincial. Looking back, I can now understand why I lean towards the more traditional and French Provincial elements in design in my home.

© 2015 Victoria BriAnn Howell

Kendra: Back to the present. You went through a sort of rebirth when you re-branded your company a couple years ago. What brought that need for growth and change about?

Linnore: We re-branded Décor & You to be more of a one-stop and turn-key design company. The re-branding was precipitated by the changes we saw in the design industry as well as the change in our client’s buying patterns. The surge of technology, the availability of everything online and furniture being more disposable are some of the reasons that made us shift how we do business.

We are now a full-service interior design company that not only provides interior decorating and design but can now do kitchen, bath, and basement remodels too. Keeping up with the changes we see now and constantly finding ways to serve our clients is crucial for us to continue to be successful.

Kendra: Like you said, D&Y is truly a one-stop shop when it comes to design. You design, have tips and even have a shop. Is there more on the horizon?

Linnore: Our goal is to provide everything our clients need. Decorating and remodeling can be very daunting and intimidating. It can be a source of stress and a big time waster if you don’t know where to start, what to do and where to go to complete the project. We want our clients to know that we do it all for them. We are there from start to finish. No need for them to be running around town trying to find the perfect tile or worrying about timelines, dealing with contractors, scheduling and permits. We will grow and continue to offer new services based on what our clients want and need.

Kendra: You also play the part of the host on your local Good Living by Design. Do you pull from any HGTV hosts for inspiration from when you step in front of the camera?

Linnore: I really do not have a particular HGTV host I pull inspiration from but when I have the time to binge watch HGTV shows, I enjoy watching Property Brothers and Fixer Upper’s Chip and Joanna Gaines. Their authenticity and being themselves in front and behind the camera is what I like about them.

Kendra: You’re a strong woman with drive and her own business. Because of that you garner a lot of respect and admiration from others working towards similar goals. Are you involved with any groups that allow you to share your passion with others? I know you’re involved with some women’s organizations. Are they business based?

Linnore: I am mostly involved in women’s and business groups. I enjoy helping first-time business owners navigate the challenges of business ownership. I truly get excited when someone talks about starting their own business and share their enthusiasm, nervousness, and sense of pride.

Kendra: What’s coming up for D&Y Design in the upcoming months?

Linnore: D&Y Design Group is continuing to take more remodeling projects. In mid-end of 2018, our plan is to launch our commercial design division to supplement our established and growing residential design side. We want to be able to not just make you love your home but make you love your workspaces as well!

Kendra: What music do you have on to calm down when work gets hectic? How about five songs for your “Chill Playlist?”

Linnore: Right now I love listening to current hits. Songs on my Chill Playlist?

“Beautiful Trauma” by Pink
“Havana” by Camila Cabello
“Never Be The Same” by Camila Cabello
“Lights Down Low” by Max/Gnash
“Meant To Be” by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line

The post The Inherited Drive of Décor & You appeared first on ZO Magazine.