A Quick Chat With...Roxy Te Owens of Society Social

Note: This post was originally published on my old lifestyle blog, monicadutia.com.

You guys, I'm so excited to introduce a new series to the blog! It's one that I've been thinking about starting for over two years (not really sure exactly why it's taken me this long, but better late than never?) and it's one I hope you'll find as inspiring as I do. "A Quick Chat with" will be a [roughly] monthly post featuring a Q&A with an inspiring creative or business owner.

Ever since I started thinking about creating this series, the person I wanted to feature first was Roxy of Society Social. Some of you may have heard of her–her pieces are beautiful and her Instagram makes you want to have the most colorful home–or from me raving about her, but if you're hearing the name for the first time...well, you're welcome!

A little background... when J and I started talking about moving in together, I immediately mentioned wanting to invest in a custom SS couch. They're quite reasonably priced as far as custom goes–most styles come out to less than you'd pay at a large retailer–and I loved the idea of being able to invest in something one of a kind with the idea it would be in our home for years to come. Luckily J was on board, but we ended up moving into a place that was too small for a full-sized sofa and wanted to hold off on making the investment until we were able to get one that would fit better in future spaces. Since the idea of  starting off with one really nice piece of furniture was still appealing, we decided to splurge on a custom headboard. Our thinking was that it would see the least wear compared to other furniture and as long as we went with something neutral, we know it'd work if our color scheme changed (with let's be honest....it probably won't.). I unsurprisingly gravitated towards stripes and per Roxy's recommendation, we ordered a handful of fabric samples from Decorator's Best. After a few weeks of considering the options, we decided on this simple Ralph Lauren ticking stripe. It was pricier than the others but the quality was significantly better and the stripes were a nice distance apart and the blue was a nice, neutral shade.

In addition to the headboard, we also ordered a lovely Duchess chair for our desk, which currently sits in the living room. This chair is something I'd personally been saving up for for over a year...I had the worst desk chair at my old place and knew I wanted to design my own Duchess. I stopped by Roxy's studio back in January (that's when the studio photos in this post were taken!) and we went through pretty much all the performance fabric options. The chair isn't photographed at our desk in the photos below (to be honest, the lighting was tricky and the space is really tiny, plus of course the desk had lots of stuff on it so until we have a professional photographer in there, it's going to be hard to snap those shots) but it's functioned really well as a desk chair, accent chair, and comfortable seating option when we have guests over. As much as I wanted a wing chair, having something as multipurpose as the Duchess was the right decision for our small space. In addition to a desk chair, it's something I can totally see being part of the entryway in a future house!Long story short, I'm so thrilled to a) have Roxy help launch this series and b) to have two of her beautiful pieces in my home. While custom furniture is an investment, I'm a firm believer that it's a good investment–especially when you get to work with a family-owned small business who produces the most unique designs that manage to be both current and timeless at the same time :)

A quick chat with…Roxy Owens

You're throwing a last minute gathering at your place for 10 friends + acquaintances and have 30 minutes to throw something together. What do you serve?

Almost any person has the everyday items in their fridge to make deviled eggs. Make sure to have a deviled egg specific serving dish for impressive presentation and you'll always be ready for a drive-by guest. Serve as a quick app!

If you didn't live in NYC, where would you live?

The beach, of course!

Top three favorite places to eat in NYC + NC?

Root & Bone, Fish, and Seamless for those nights in!

Favorite place you've ever traveled?

Positano is positively magical.

Favorite food to cook during date night?

Pasta. It’s a treat that we both love.

Favorite way to unwind after a long day?

305 Fitness (there’s a DJ in every class!) followed by a big glass of wine.

Best part of having your family be part of the business?

It’s more fulfilling to know that my hard work takes care of them and the families that work for us.

You have an HGTV show in the works–congrats! When will we get to see you on TV?!

We should have an air date this month! My brother, a contractor, and I will be helping families make their forever homes their forever homes! The furniture will be made at Society Social!

Realizing that it probably depends on the person and circumstances, if someone was going to invest in one "big" purchase for his or her home, what would you recommend?

A sofa or luxurious bedding. You’ll use these more than any other item in your home. Or a fun splurge like custom art if you’re feeling fancy.

Along those lines, splurging and saving is such a delicate balance. What are some of your favorite budget home decor shops, for things like accent pieces and for people looking to have in certain areas?

I love to vintage shop! You can score amazing and unique finds for a few dollars.

Oscar is such an adorable pup–how do you keep your home and furniture so tidy?

He’s actually very tidy so I don’t have to worry too much, but if you have a messy pet definitely invest in performance fabrics! [Editor's note: our Duchess chair has performance fabric–amazing knowing red wine literally rolls off the surface!]

What are the organizational tools you can't live without?

GOOGLE CALENDAR!

Would you mind sharing what one of your biggest challenges has been in building your business?

You are going to be your biggest cheerleader and biggest obstacle if you let yourself, so it’s very important to stick to your guns and be confident in your direction. Doing your homework as far as product and competition and being in tune with your customers helps you stay on track and motivated.

Congratulations! You have a baby on the way! Do you have any plans for how you'd like do decorate the nursery, especially given the close quarters many NYCers are faced with?

I find I’m always putting clients before myself so I actually haven’t tackled our nursery yet! It will be our bedroom so it will be interesting to see how I can make it a place for my husband and I as well as baby. We are due in December so stay tuned!

A huge thank you to Roxy for being my first interview and for making my headboard + desk chair dreams come true :) Can't wait to add more Society Social to my home!