Meet Amy Rogala of Rogala Design

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Rogala.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Amy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I founded Rogala Design in 2009. I was working as a scientist but have always had a deep desire to be a creative and real affinity for good aesthetics and fashion. The idea for Rogala Design came to me when I was building my house in Observatory Park. Everybody kept saying it would be overwhelming and a real headache but I loved every bit of the process. I realized that I was kinda good at design elements, color and patterns. But, I was a working scientist so I didn’t think it would ever materialize. However, during the kitchen counter install, I was left with a beautiful piece of Calcutta marble the perfect size of a coffee tabletop. So I designed and had fabricated a simple metal leg base and created my first custom table. After selling the table to the first person to lay eyes on it, I knew I was onto something. This spurred the creation of multiple Calcutta table designs, ultimately becoming my custom table business based only on marble remnants.

In 2011, I started finding any kind of wood or stone remnant and started really pedaling tables. I used live edge and sliced remnants of trees that I found in a firewood lot. I would spend hours sanding them so they were level and I would have my metal guys fabricate the legs. I was working out of my garage and selling to friends and referrals and even Revampt in Cherry Creek. Over the years, I was developing a clientele of custom furniture and entering people’s homes often. That seemed to naturally progress into interior decorating. After my home was on the home tour in 2011, I was pushed by many clients and friends to expand my business to interior design. I went from color consults to full remodeling. I thought myself and studied window coverings, pattern play and whatever my clients needed. Another large and unexpected part of my business was re-upholstering and what I call “re-loving” pieces. This means I will encourage my clientele to let me re-paint an old dresser or re-upholster (I don’t reupholster myself) an old chair with good bones. We also work on finding things to re-frame like old art, pieces of tapestries or kid’s art for a new display.

Recently I rented a studio space on S Broadway and I am getting back to the sanding and creating while offering a shop filled with custom pillows, reupholstered furniture and local artist’s work, a place I call Ecclections by Rogala Design. I sometimes think I have too many irons in the fire, but I just keep thinking of more things that, as humans, we can tackle and do ourselves. I love creating with my client’s input so that they feel involved in the process and love the space we create together.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I wouldn’t call it a bumpy road mainly because the whole business was happenstance. I just kept having fortuitous events that pushed me to grow. I would say the biggest struggles have been whether to grow bigger. Being a one-woman show limits how big I can get. I also had some bumps in the road finding the right contract workers. It took a while to find the right people to work with that showup and are accountable and will do the small jobs.

One struggle in the past few years is that I am not particularly good at the business stuff, like invoicing and media management. I have had no time to update my website or advertise. I know I could be doing better with money management. I would rather be running around and meeting with clients. I love the human interactions and creative aspects of the business and don’t love the back-end stuff. Lately, the virus has forced me to focus on where I am going with all of this. I am working on a new logo and a branding package. I would like to hire an assistance very soon.

Please tell us about Rogala Design.
Keywords for my business would be: full-service interior design, re-purposing furniture, re-purposing anything, custom stone tables, custom wood tables, stump tables, re-upholstery, design consultant. I can work with any style but I am particularly good at an ecclectic approach. I can pull pieces together from different design genres and make it work. I think I am known for being the table lady and the stump lady. I get texts from neighbors all that time that alert me to a tree that is being removed or stumps on the side of the road. I guess I am the stump chaser.

Rogala Design Tables, got me started and earned me the artist hat. Many people probably don’t know I do interior design, too. Having the ability to offer custom tables that come from a remnant is pretty cool I guess. That would set me apart. I have several tables in high end professionally designed (by other designers) homes, which makes me feel good. I am proud that my approach has stayed partly true to a re-purposing brand. My projects certainly include new furniture and fabrics but I always try to “re-love’ an old piece or make the pillows from revenants of other projects rather than buying from a store.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I sometimes regret that I didn’t just jump right end and get a business loan, hire a staff, open a shop and studio and maintain a website that you can purchase from. But, I don’t think I was ready. I needed to learn so much. I needed to “find my way” and figure out how this whole process works. I probably could have used a business plan and a consultant somewhere along the way and would suggest any new business person young or old do that first. You will be better off financially and will grow faster.

Contact Info:

• Address: Studio and Shop address:
  1321 S Broadway
  Denver CO 80210
  Mailing address: 2376 S Cook ST
  Denver CO 80210
• Website: rogaladesign.com
• Phone: 619 342 6538
• Email: amyrogala@sbcglobal.net
• Instagram: Rogala Design
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rogaladesign/

Image Credit:
malvitzphoto

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