Audrey Scheck Design: Vintage Charm Meets Modern Living

Embark on an inspiring journey with Audrey Scheck, the visionary force behind Audrey Scheck Design, as she shares her captivating story from humble beginnings in Fairchild, Texas, to the vibrant design hub of Austin. Through candid reflection, Audrey reveals the roots of her design ethos - a celebration of warmth, accessibility, and the timeless allure of home.

Discover how Audrey's upbringing, steeped in her parents' construction projects, and her background in advertising unexpectedly converged to shape her business acumen. Her time in Los Angeles, immersed in diverse styles while working at Us Weekly, ignited her passion for crafting narrative-driven homes.

Explore the intricate dance of vintage charm and contemporary flair in Audrey's signature style, as she unveils the creative process behind a recent Westlake bathroom renovation. Learn how Austin's collaborative ethos and commitment to sustainability fuel her business philosophy.

Learn more about the transformative role of social media in design firms like Audrey's, where platforms like Instagram and Pinterest serve as vital tools for engaging audiences and storytelling. Look ahead as Audrey hints at exciting product collaborations and the eagerly awaited launch of their pop-up shop, promising a perfect blend of past and present.

Join us for an episode brimming with personal anecdotes and professional insights, showcasing the profound impact of place in the realm of interior design.

SHOW LINKS:

• Follow Audrey on Instagram
• Website: Audrey Scheck Design
• Westlake Remodel
• Lake Mint Tiles by Tile Club

Transcript

Lindsay Fluckiger: 0:00

Welcome back to another exciting episode of Tile Trends by Tile Club, the podcast where we dive into the world of tile design and trends. I'm your host, lindsay Fluekiger, and today we have a very special guest joining us Audrey Scheck, the founder of Audrey Scheck Design. Audrey, welcome to the show. We are so excited to get to know you a little bit better today. So, Audrey, your small town upbringing in Fairchild, texas, influenced your love for welcoming spaces. Tell us how those roots continue to shape your design philosophy today.

Audrey Scheck: 0:39

It was definitely a small town. I am actually from a rural farming community where there were 400 of us. I went to school in a larger town that had about 2,000 people, but definitely small town upbringing, all the wholesome goodness of small town Texas living. I would say that that time in life was. It was really just pure and warm and welcoming. I didn't have that exposure to daily big city life so it was just very humble. Looking back, I'm so grateful that I grew up in such a community because everyone was supportive of one another. Everyone knew one another. My grandpa was a pharmacist with a pharmacy on Main Street. My dad is still a dentist in my hometown, also with his office on Main Street. My mom was a teacher at the school, so was my grandma, so everyone knew everyone and it was just really approachable. And looking back on design, if you will, during my upbringing, I would say that nobody took it too seriously. It just wasn't something that was overthought and that's really refreshing.

Lindsay Fluckiger: 1:50

So middle school often marks the beginning of our interest. How did witnessing your parents build a custom home at that age impact your career path in design?

Audrey Scheck: 2:00

It's so fun to look back on that time in my life in particular, because I really think that that's when the seed was planted, even though I obviously didn't know that was happening at the time. But yeah, when I was in middle school, my parents took on the project of building a custom home. It was across the street from the house where I lived, so I truly got to witness it all unfold every day. But from the beginning, I got to see them working with an architect, going to design centers. They actually went out to North Carolina to furniture showrooms, and so I got to see them go through the process of making all of the selections and then actually being on site in my neighborhood as it was being built from the ground up. But what was really impactful was that they let me design my own space and I got to pick the wallpaper for my bathroom.

Audrey Scheck: 2:49

I used a Sharpie to draw patterns and designs on the knobs and my cabinet hardware and my vanity. They're actually still there and I was just given complete freedom to furnish and decorate my room. However, I wanted no judgment. They just let me do my own thing. And of course, it evolved every few years, just like now. Trends evolve in design. Even back then, going through middle school and high school, I went through a purple phase. Everything was purple and then everything was bright colored florals, and so they just really let me be myself in that space. Could have totally been because there were four kids and they didn't have the time to worry about it, but that freedom was great for me.

Lindsay Fluckiger: 3:27

That's amazing. My previous interview I was chatting with a real estate agent in Silicon Valley and we were chatting about keeping things neutral and I said you know, I still have just a little bit of resent for my childhood. My mother insisted on every wall being white. She was like we're not painting anything or getting neutral, and I just I love hearing that you've had that opportunity to just make it your own and have that creative spirit. So your parents did a great job. So, Audrey, graduating near the top of your high school class, earning a degree in advertising in just three and a half years, is impressive. How did your advertising background prep you for your future in interior design?

Audrey Scheck: 4:10

Advertising is such a fun industry and so I think it really lent itself to that perfect balance between corporate America and having enough corporate structure to understand the flow of a business while being in an inherently creative environment where you're storytelling for a brand or for a publisher. So it was really just a great blend of a first dabble into a career, because it gave me that exposure into how companies are run in a creative environment where you're still marketing and you're advertising to tell the story of the company that wants to get their message out to the public. So I have a deep passion for storytelling. I love the social media aspect of my job.

Audrey Scheck: 4:52

Now because of that, and then looking back of course, I think that the experience in corporate America has given me the ability to navigate growing and scaling a company. You know that, managing the team, hiring, all the, all the fun things that go along with growing and scaling a business. And we have a joke internally that we only hire people who have a background in advertising and marketing. Because I just gravitate towards those types of people who have that, that mix of enough corporate experience but also enough passion for creativity to blend the two together in a way that's professional, yet fun, and you know, it's been interesting to see like as the team has grown, just naturally. So many of us, inherently, are from advertising and marketing background.

Lindsay Fluckiger: 5:35

Amazing how diverse backgrounds can really contribute to success in this field. So your career took an exciting turn when you moved to Los Angeles and worked with us weekly. Tell us how your role there influenced your passion for home design.

Audrey Scheck: 5:51

I was really a pivotal moment in life in general, because coming from such a small town and then going to school in Austin and working and advertising in Austin back then Austin was still a pretty small city and then going to Los Angeles, it was like the floodgates opened and suddenly I was like, oh my gosh, there are so many different types of people in the world and there's so many different styles and ways to live, and I was far from home and I'm so grateful that I took that chance when I was 23 and accepted a job offer and just went for it and I was there for 11 years and so really having the exposure to the diversity of a huge metropolitan city is something that I will never take for granted.

Audrey Scheck: 6:33

I'm so grateful that I had that exposure In my career. Of course, there was just more opportunity because it was a bigger city, but when I look back on that time and design in particular, la is so big. There are so many different types of neighborhoods that were established at very different times in history, so naturally you just have exposure to lots of different styles of architecture. There are many different types of, you know, preservation in place throughout LA and historical neighborhoods. So holding on to that heritage is really important. Our first home that we purchased was in a historically preserved Spanish zone, so all the homes were Spanish style, built over 100 years ago, and so I think just having that exposure being in the big city really influences a lot of what I am passionate about and design now.

Lindsay Fluckiger: 7:19

I can see how that had such a remarkable influence on you to be inspired by so much creativity and style. So balancing a thriving career in digital media with a budding passion for design must have been a whirlwind. You mentioned that it was a pivotal moment being in Los Angeles, but can you tell us what the pivotal moment was for you that encouraged you to pursue interior design full time?

Audrey Scheck: 7:45

Yes. So once we bought our first house and I really had the freedom to do whatever I wanted, it was that feeling that was reminiscent of my childhood when my parents gave me my bedroom, but now it's on a larger scale in my own home and I had never owned my own home before. So I remember vividly feeling like I can do whatever I want. It was just so liberating and at the time we didn't have children and I was working at us weekly and I just had a passion for everything vintage, which started with my grandmother actually willed her wedding ring to me when she passed away and so when my husband proposed, he proposed with my grandma's ring and it's what I wear every day and it's from 1950. And it really sparked my passion for vintage and being in LA, I had exposure to amazing flea markets and antique malls.

Audrey Scheck: 8:33

So once I got this ring and I just felt drawn to vintage, I started dabbling with curating vintage home decor, because we owned our house now and I was filling it and decorating it.

Audrey Scheck: 8:42

So I started going to flea markets every weekend and then I quickly ran out of space in my house and I decided I would just start selling it on the side and cherish was actually launching out of San Francisco around the same time and I was one of the very first sellers on cherish back in the day. I was front and center on the homepage and my little shop I would like go and curate from the Rose Bowl flea market on the weekend and then put it online and my cherish shop. And during my lunch break at us weekly I would ship all of my sales from my office. So I was doing my own little like vintage decor side hustle while I was working at us weekly and putting together our first home. So having access to that plethora of vintage flea markets and estate sales you know, in in such a big city was really a turning point for me and realizing how much I loved it.

Lindsay Fluckiger: 9:30

Yeah, that's so awesome, audrey, wow. So I mean obviously takes a ton of courage to pursue your passion full time, and especially when you have a successful career already underway. I love you had the side hustle going on. It's really, really fun to hear about your journey there. So remodeling your own home in LA while starting a family is quite the feet. What were some design elements or challenges that stand out from that experience?

Audrey Scheck: 9:59

Oh well, we were also starting to have children at the same time. So then it became this balancing act of career side, hustle, home ownership, children and that's when everything started to fall into place for me and I started realizing I was really burnt out on corporate America. So that was likely the most challenging time because it was having that fortitude to just to be able to step away from that right, to be able to say, like I can step away to figure things out. So I gave myself that grace and I just quit. I was like I don't know what I'm going to do. I had nothing else planned but I just I knew that it wasn't feeling right and so I left.

Audrey Scheck: 10:39

And doing that gave me the opportunity to focus on making our house a home. I obviously that meant like bringing children in, but really like aesthetically making it our own and focusing on that in a way that was just really natural at that time in life. So it gave me the space to start to play around with different ideas and concepts. I started remodeling the exterior of our first house. I had never remodeled anything before, so it gave me the mental bandwidth to be like I could do this and I enjoy doing this. I knew that I liked it.

Audrey Scheck: 11:12

I was obviously like at the side of the where I was selling home decor and I was putting our house together, but I didn't really give myself that mental bandwidth to know like I'm truly passionate about this. So, taking the breather, giving myself that space, it was challenging to step away because, like you said, you know you've gone to school all these years and there's this track for your life and you have a successful career and why on earth would you leave? It was so fun. I loved working at us weekly. I mean, it was so, so fun. But yeah, taking the leaf, I'm also glad I did that, just like moving to Los Angeles. I'm equally as glad that I had the courage to leave.

Lindsay Fluckiger: 11:49

It sounds like you're a little bit of a adrenaline junkie. You, like the left, see what's going to happen and somehow someone's going to catch you or something, and you just stand with it. I love that. I think every woman to look a little deeper at not being afraid to just go for it.

Audrey Scheck: 12:07

Yes, I thrive in chaos. That's what I say. Some of my girlfriends joke. They're like if you want something done, give it to the busiest person that you know, and that's Audrey Nice.

Lindsay Fluckiger: 12:16

I mean you've got a track record. Many aspiring entrepreneurs look up to your journey of launching Audrey Scheck design. What advice do you have for those wanting to follow their passion and start their own design business?

Audrey Scheck: 12:34

Don't overthink it. If I had overthought anything in life moving to LA, quitting my job, having children, starting my business I probably wouldn't have done it. And I feel like most of the pivotal things that have happened in my life, I tend to walk away with this feeling of gratitude that my younger self had the courage to do it. And if I knew now what I knew three years ago when I started my business, there's no way I would have done it. Not to say that I'm not glad that I did, because it just becomes really intimidating the more you know. So I'm really glad that I did it and I went for it and I just didn't overthink it. I was like, well, figure it out, fake it till you make it. Of course I can do that.

Audrey Scheck: 13:15

I think that just has to be the mentality. You just cannot be afraid. You just got to try. And my grandma told me before she passed away you don't want to regret not trying. Like at least try Right. And I remember thinking that when I accepted my job in Los Angeles, like I can come home, I can walk away from my business, like I just go into things with that mentality. At least I tried, awesome.

Lindsay Fluckiger: 13:38

Well, it sounds like you got a lot of your passion and gut from your grandmother. That is so amazing that aspects of Austin inspire your design work today.

Audrey Scheck: 13:49

I love Austin and cannot imagine living anywhere else. Coming back here really felt like coming home in a sense, because even though I didn't go home to my small town where I was raised, coming back here I was still welcomed by people who I went to college with and who I had worked with in advertising. So I knew enough people that it still felt familiar. And it's your college town. It's fun, and so many moments I have like reminisced on fun experiences that I had being here in college. So living in your college town as an adult is very fun, but there's that. The warmth that comes from the people here is really something that I again I didn't overthink when I started the design business here. Both.

Audrey Scheck: 14:32

Something really beautiful that has unfolded is that sense of community and Austin and support. Like immediately I just had I had clients and I had people who were supporting me and wanted, wanted me, to succeed with them and you know so I had a network of people who gave me a chance to build a portfolio and then the Austin market being so intertwined and connected it's really a small big city, if you will. The design community is so supportive. We lean on each other a lot Some of my best friends here now are also in the design community in some capacity in Austin, and so a big takeaway now that our firm has grown and we're helping, you know, service so many clients. Something that's really important to us is involving the local community, so bringing in local artists, mill workers we work with several local contractors like having that sense of community and supporting other small businesses here, whether they're in construction or they're an artist or a very skilled tile installer. You know like that now is so important to us that we're able to support other people in Austin.

Lindsay Fluckiger: 15:39

Yeah, that's so wonderful. What a labor of love, for sure. So, speaking of skilled tile installers, you cut our eye and of course we had to reach out and invite you to be a guest on the show today After we saw the beautiful bathroom remodel of featuring our lake mint ceramics of wett tiles. Can you tell us what drew you to that particular tile and tell us more about that actual renovation or installation project?

Audrey Scheck: 16:06

So that project was at a beautiful house in Westlake and we were hired to completely revamp the primary bathroom and their kitchen and in their bathroom we reconfigured the space entirely. We brought in a freestanding tub and then the shower itself is so exposed by open glass, which was part of the concept in that space. And we wanted a tile that was subtle but still interesting, and I love the size of those. The subway brick is the ceramic piece. The size of it is so beautiful and unique. And the color. Even though it's mint, it didn't feel overtly green. It still felt really neutral. In a way that gave us the bandwidth to play around with other tones and textures in the space. And then the install pattern that we did was a mix of horizontal and vertical. So even though it was a neutral tile, we still made it really fun and interesting by mixing up the vertical and horizontal positioning.

Lindsay Fluckiger: 17:06

It was so lovely. We actually brought up your particular design when we were talking about an upcoming trade show and we were all just like sharing photos from that installation and we're like, look at this pattern, no, it looks so good like this. Maybe we should display it like that. So this is very inspiring and a fresh take on subway tile. Audrey, you've talked a little bit about vintage design and how that has played a part in your own design journey. I also know that your firm is known for blending new and vintage styles to create inviting spaces. Can you share some recent projects or trends that perfectly encapsulate this approach?

Audrey Scheck: 17:44

Yes. So vintage has always been important to us and as sustainable design continues to grow and to be more prominent, it's a natural segue into leaning on that vintage inspired design that we've always had as part of our portfolio. So a lot of our projects will include a heritage piece from someone's family a piece of furniture or a rug or a piece of artwork that someone's grandparent gave to them or that was in their childhood home. So naturally, those pieces are meaningful and are so important and it will be like a cornerstone of our design. But also, when we're thinking about eco-friendly and sustainable in the environment, leaning into vintage is such an easy way to achieve that and to not be, you know, mass consuming, to be reusing things that can really withstand the test of time. So we incorporate a lot of vintage rugs and, you know, anything vintage that will fit with the aesthetic is always something that we lean into.

Lindsay Fluckiger: 18:41

Wonderful, yeah. It sounds like a beautiful blend of styles and just fascinating to see how you seamlessly integrate different elements to create those warm, inviting spaces. Let's shift over to recent successes that you've had as a designer. So winning design awards is a remarkable achievement. Can you tell us about a specific project that holds a special place in your heart and has earned recognition?

Audrey Scheck: 19:09

Yes. So one of my first projects that was not at my own home was for someone who I used to work with in the advertising industry in Austin, and we remodeled her whole house to the family, moved out for several months, we remodeled everything, helped them furnish it and move back in, and then it won an award for the best use of accents and decor, which is really just the styling throughout the home. And so two years ago we launched styling services where we will come into people's homes locally in Austin. We'll bring our hand picked, curated inventory, reminiscent of what I used to do in LA with my side hustle. Now I just do it through my business.

Audrey Scheck: 19:48

So we curate our own inventory that's a mix of vintage and new pieces. We bring it to people's homes and use it to put the finishing touch on their house. So we'll style any surface, any spot in their home and we'll incorporate their own items as well. And that award in particular is one that we recently won for styling, and it just felt really rewarding and gratifying to be able to say like, yes, like we were acknowledged for our ability to style a home and to make it feel complete, and the fact that it was for someone that I knew, one of our very first clients. It just felt like a wholehearted, like embrace. It just felt very gratifying.

Lindsay Fluckiger: 20:30

That's a wonderful service that you offer. We would absolutely love to link your website and any and all services that you're currently offering to clients. I love that so much. Sometimes it doesn't have to be a full-scale remodel. It can be something as simple as coming in and helping someone with their overall aesthetic. So, as a design expert and you touched a little bit on this with vintage and sustainability how do you see the role of sustainability evolving in interior design and can you tell us a little bit more about how your firm incorporates eco-friendly elements into your projects?

Audrey Scheck: 21:06

Yes. So lots of salvaging, you know, and tile even. So much demo work happens during projects and so just being more mindful of being able to salvage things and repurpose them. So we work with a lot of partners who will donate materials to people who are low income housing or donating them for resale anywhere. All of that's really important to us, that we're not just demoing and trashing, we are really truly salvaging and repurposing and sharing things that are no longer needed aesthetically but are still functionally totally fine. So lots of plumbing and lighting fits into that category. So that's really important to us. And then, of course, supporting makers who are doing really great work in the industry and being more eco-friendly and environmentally friendly.

Audrey Scheck: 21:52

We work with many different rug companies who are very focused on that same approach with sustainability and you know all the chemicals that they use, making sure that everything has certain qualifications that makes them environmentally conscious and good decisions. And most of our clients have pets or children in their home. So it is a conversation that we have often with our clients around making sure that the things in their home are safe for their family. So it's always top of mind. Regardless, you know, there's just so many factors that come into play the aesthetics, the way that it looks, the performance of it. Is it durable and where did it come from? How was it made? How long will it last? Like it's naturally, we're starting to hear that more and more, and I feel really grateful that there are companies who are really dedicated to that practice.

Lindsay Fluckiger: 22:40

Oh, it's fantastic to hear how your firm is embracing sustainability. It's such a crucial aspect of design that can make such a significant difference in our world, so that's wonderful. So, moving along, social media has played a significant role in your entrepreneurial journey. What are some of your favorite platforms for showcasing your designs and connecting with your audience?

Audrey Scheck: 23:05

Well, given my background in advertising, I love the social media aspect of it all. But if I could do that all day, that's what I would do all day long, because I just love the storytelling and the engagement that comes along with social media. And it's how it started I was sharing my journey of remodeling my homes on social and then people started asking for help, so it's something very near and dear to my heart. Instagram is the one that we put the most effort into. We typically post twice a day. We try to be active in stories every day.

Audrey Scheck: 23:34

Sharing what we're doing and what our services are doing is just an important part of the business and, given the platform, it lends itself nicely to aesthetics and visuals. Pinterest, similarly, is very photo forward, so we're very active every day on Pinterest as well. Most of our clients are using Pinterest as a tool whenever they're pulling inspiration, so it's important that we're active there too. We get leads every now and then that have seen our work on Pinterest and that will link back to our website, which is another visual tool. So we're pretty focused on those three, if you will Instagram, pinterest and our website, all having a very cohesive look and feel to tell the story of the work that we're doing.

Lindsay Fluckiger: 24:17

That's great. It's amazing how social media is revolutionized, the way we connect and share ideas. So obviously your presence on these platforms has inspired many designers, I'm sure many clients. We love looking and browsing and getting ideas ourselves as a tile company so great. So, audrey, just to wrap things up, we would love to pick your brain a little bit about what is next for Audrey Schecht Design. Are there any exciting upcoming projects or ventures on the horizon that you can share with us today?

Audrey Scheck: 24:52

Yes, we have our first product collaboration launching soon. So we are currently working on designing that and getting all of the marketing materials in place for the launch. And we are also always curating for our own inventory to have the vintage and new inventory available to the public. We offer that quarterly at a pop-up shop that we do here in Austin. So those same items that we would take to style someone's home we make available to the public at a pop-up shop that we do once a quarter in Austin at our office. So we're always working on gathering fun things that catch our eye, whether they be new or vintage. So that's also something exciting to look forward to.

Lindsay Fluckiger: 25:34

Yeah, lots of fun things on the horizon for you guys. So, Audrey, it's been such a treat to talk with you today. Our last question for today is what are some of your go-to design elements when creating cozy and beautiful spaces?

Audrey Scheck: 25:48

So I tend to always just take my eye and look out the window and in California we're seeing a lot of the ocean and the beautiful blue tones. Here in Texas there's so much beautiful greenery and the rolling hills, so I just always gravitate my eye outside and draw on those colors and those textures. We incorporate a lot of earth tones into our design, and it doesn't have to be just green or brown. There can be really beautiful burgundies or mustard hues that you can find organically in nature. And then also pulling in wood, we do lots of natural wood. We'll incorporate the warmth of wood in any space that we design. And stone, bringing in natural stone like a marble or even just like a geode that you put on a vignette. Having that feeling is reminiscent of the outdoors and any landscape and any environment is a cornerstone of the work that we do.

Lindsay Fluckiger: 26:39

Thank you so much for sharing everything with us that you did today, audrey. What an inspiring journey and woman that you are. Thank you, and we are just so excited to push this out to our listeners and viewers. So, for our listeners, be sure to follow Audrey Shek Design on Instagram. We're going to link all of those wonderful social media platforms and website for you all to follow along. And if you're local to Austin, texas, be sure to check her out.