Sadie Beachy The Dwelling Bnb Kitchen

Behind the Design: Sadie Beachy of S. Flynn Designs


Designer Spotlight: Sadie Beachy of S. Flynn Designs, Kidron, OH


Sadie – how did you get where you are today?
I am from a small farm town on the Western edge of Ohio.  For as long as I can remember, I have always loved all things Interior Design.  As a little girl I would watched Trading Spaces instead of cartoons. My mom recognized and encouraged this. At a young age I also watched my father build our family home and later help him with their second, these things only fueled the fire. I got a Bachelors of Science in Interior Design from Indiana Wesleyan University in ’12 and was married a month later.  I moved and made my home where my husband is from, Northeast Ohio.  This is an odd tid bit but it is crucial to the success of my company, we from Homes County, the largest Amish settlement in the World. All of my sub contractors are skilled tradesmen from the conservative community.  All of my kitchen are custom made and installed by local Amish shops.  Most of my furniture is as well.  We live in and are apart of the community, so I can get anything I dream up and design made locally by wholesale Amish shops.
S. Flynn Designs is known for creating gorgeous, functional, livable spaces – what’s the most exciting part about starting a new project?  
Meeting our clients and seeing their need and opportunity to serve them!
Sadie Beachy The Dwelling Bnb Bedroom

12Stones Photography

How do your established relationships with the Amish community influence your designs?  
Greatly, this allows my final designs to be not only custom, but of high quality material and workmanship.
Who are some of your favorite Ohio vendors that you work with? 
We have so many great local contacts, but most are small shops and to the trade only so their names are not recognizable to the public.  Two that are would be are Norwalk Furniture and Keim Lumber.
Sadie Beach The Dwelling Bnb

12Stones Photography

How do you stay current and source interesting, new-to-market products and materials to incorporate in your designs?
Social media is great for this!  I love Instagram and follow many many designers and firms.  I go to Markets and Trend Forecastings.  I also just love it! This passion keeps me moving forward! It’s a blessing and curse, but after I implement an  element once, I tend and try not use it again.  Partly because I don’t want to use the same elements in different client’s home. This causes me to always be searching for what is next.
What colors and materials are you particularly into right now? 
Well texture is my favorite element, so I love crispy whites and warm wood tones!!! Thick knits, fur throws, moroccan rugs…love it all! But I am really really into, and I cannot believe I am going to say this, but hunter green.  But not the hunter green of the 90’s!! It’s back but with deep tones and a strong modern and masculine influence.
Sadie Beachy Christmas House

12Stones Photography

How does designing make you feel? 
I love it! It is a way of life! To allow my clients to live beautifully and functionally, it is SO rewarding!
What’s your business mantra?  
To be approachable, maintain integrity always, and for the end design to reflect our clients!   We never want to seem intimidating and want to always be easily approachable.  Being upfront with costs and staying on budget is of highest priority.  We take pride in our portfolio being extremely diverse in style.  We do not force our own personal style onto clients.  We dive into what they love, get excited about it, and then use our train eye, the principles of design and trend forecasts to pull it all together!
Sadie Beachy The Dwelling Bnb Bathroom

12Stones Photography

How do you maintain healthy relationships with the tradespeople and contractors you work with?
We work hard to stay in clear communication with one another, which can be tricky when some of my contractors would prefer to speak Pennsylvania Dutch.  I try very hard to respect their schedules and keep the workplace professional but light hearted.
When you start a new project, how do you get to know your client and the space in order to achieve personalized design? 
I ask many questions and have them collect even more images and examples they like.  Houzz and Pinterest are great tools for this.  Or the old fashion way, ripping pages out of magazines. I tell them, “Even if you don’t know why you like, if something catches your eye, save it!”.
Sadie Beachy Farmhouse Bathroom

12Stones Photography

How do you manage multiple projects at once and stay organized?
We do try to limit the number of projects we work on at a time and try to control our schedule as much as possible.  That can be hard because there are so many moving parts and contractors to oversee and work with.  If we cannot start a project when a clients wants to, we are upfront and let them know when we would feel comfortable starting.  Most clients appreciate the honesty and are fine with waiting until we are available. Also, I could not do it without my assistant!
In your opinion, what’s the most essential element to a room? 
I cannot pick just one! Color is the most emotional element but lighting is so important as well.
Sadie Beachy The Dwelling Bnb Kitchen

12Stones Photography

Why did you join Ivy?
I was searching the market for a new bookkeeping program, hopefully one geared to Designers.  I LOVE the home page for Ivy! The whole program is so user friendly and easy to learn.  I didn’t have time to learn a new accounting/bookkeeping program… plus that is not what I am good a, so I didn’t want to waste time on it. Within minutes I learned Ivy.  The YouTube videos are so helpful and short, sweet, and to the point!  Most importantly, and what really won me over, was your customer service! I love the instant chat window! Also, the pricing is an investment but feasible.
How was the initial transition onto Ivy?
So nice! My accountants are fluent in QuickBooks Online, and Ivy maps easily to it! So there was no risk there.  Also, the interface is simple and quick to pick up on.
Sadie Beachy The Dwelling Outdoor Area

12Stones Photography

 
In what ways has Ivy helped streamline your workflow?  
It keeps me more organized.  The time sheets are nice.  Ivy allows me to get paid faster! I can easily see financial reports for my business.  It is a central location for my assistant and I to store info, like vendor log in and contact.
What’s an Ivy feature you can’t live without? 
Again, I cannot pick just one. Vendor List and Time Sheets!

Are you an interior designer in search of an easy interior design software and project management tool to run your business? Learn more about Ivy here.