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Introduction: How do you grow an architecture and interior design business while raising a family, managing employees, and expanding into new markets? In this conversation with The Chaise Lounge host Nick May, CIRCLE Design Studio founders John and Theresa Dorlini discuss starting their firm in a home basement, moving into a dedicated studio, balancing residential and commercial design, exploring hospitality projects, developing furniture concepts, and learning the business side of a creative practice.
Editor's note: This transcript has been edited for clarity, length, and readability. It reflects the firm and projects as discussed at the time of the interview, not necessarily their current status.
STARTING AN ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN BUSINESS AT HOME
Nick May: Welcome back to The Chaise Lounge. How long has it been since you were last on the show?
Theresa Dorlini: I measure everything by our children’s ages. We had a very small baby during our last interview, and she’s now three. So it’s been about three years.
John Dorlini: I think we originally connected after sharing some of our ASID and IIDA awards on LinkedIn. We had mutual connections, and you reached out to us.
Nick: Last time we spoke, you were working from your house, weren’t you?
Theresa: Yes. We had a separate entrance to the basement. One of the large bedrooms became our conference room, with a conference table and chairs, and another area was our workroom. At the time, I think we had our junior designer, Stephanie, and were about to hire Josh, our CAD draftsman and project manager. We also had a tiny baby.
Nick: Did clients find it strange that you worked out of your home?
Theresa: When I became a mother and needed to stay close to home, I was self-conscious about it. But the arrangement made sense for our family. We held some remarkable presentations in that basement conference room. Ultimately, we had to get past our own insecurity about saying, “This is where we work.” We were running a design business while nursing babies, caring for children, and managing school schedules.
John: Most people were understanding. The bigger challenge was separating work from personal life. I could roll out of bed, walk downstairs, and start working. After the children went to bed, it was just as easy to return to the office. We were always on the clock. Some representatives also became so comfortable visiting that they would walk in without knocking, forgetting it was our home.
Theresa: I was back at work within days of having our fourth child. Clients were already asking John when they could meet with me again. It was an intense period, but we made it work.
Nick: What happened to the basement when you moved the office out?
John: The former office became a playroom. The built-in desks are now craft stations, and there’s a television and Xbox. The old conference room became a bedroom for our au pair. Having help with the children, especially during summer breaks and snow days, has made a tremendous difference in our ability to focus on the business.
Theresa: Our au pair is from Thailand, where my mother is from, so that connection has been particularly meaningful.
WHY GOOD WORK MATTERS MORE THAN AN IMPRESSIVE OFFICE
Nick: I can relate. My company also started in a basement. One employee moved across the country before learning that his new office was in my house! But I think a lot of designers need to hear that working from home doesn’t mean you’re not a serious business.
Theresa: Exactly. The quality of your work speaks for itself. We have always been careful with overhead because we’re both in the same industry. When the economy suffers, it affects both of us. We remember what happened in 2008.
Some of our strongest projects came out of that basement, including healthcare work and the Oakey’s crematorium project. We even presented for a $2.5 million lake house there and won the project. If you’re technically competent, talented, and driven, why should the location of your office define you?
Nick: You’re putting resources where they matter most. Eventually, a dedicated office may make sense, but there’s no reason to assume you need one immediately. There are also coworking spaces, showrooms, and shared conference rooms for client meetings.
Theresa: And designers need to stop apologizing for their circumstances. When I first became a mother, I felt I had to apologize for my schedule or for needing a short break to pump breast milk. Eventually, I realized that being a parent and being a professional were not incompatible.
Nick: I once watched a designer rent and decorate an office before she had enough work to support it. She hoped the beautiful space would bring clients through the door, but that’s not necessarily how it works. Overhead matters.
Theresa: When we started, we used to say, “Build it and they will come.” We learned that isn’t how business works.
GROWING INTO A DEDICATED DESIGN STUDIO
Nick: You have an office outside your home now. How has that changed?
John: We’re in our second office since leaving the basement. The first was about 900 square feet, with a three-year lease. As we grew to six employees and took on two large commercial projects, we quickly ran out of room for staff and material samples.
We found a freestanding building in a rent-to-own arrangement, with almost four times as much space. It has a lobby, a large workroom, storage for our materials and staging inventory, and shelving that one of our staff architects built. We even had room for an employee gym.
Theresa: With a punching bag for stressful days!
Nick: That’s fantastic. It sounds as though you expanded when the work and the team genuinely required it.
HOW JOHN AND THERESA DORLINI BUILT THEIR PRACTICE
Nick: For listeners who missed your first interview, how did you both get into architecture and interior design?
Theresa: We knew from a young age that we wanted to work in design. We both went to architecture and design school, and eventually found our way back to each other.
John: We first met when we were 15 and reconnected after college, when I was heading to graduate school. We worked at several firms together before realizing we could build a practice of our own.
Theresa: We knew design, but we didn’t know much about running a business.
Nick: That’s a common story. After interviewing hundreds of designers, I believe success depends heavily on the business side of the practice, not just the creative side.
Theresa: Absolutely. Passion matters, but you also need business knowledge.
Nick: That’s the point behind my High Point Market panel, “Passion Sucks: It’s All About the Money!” Passion is the baseline, but it doesn’t guarantee a successful firm.
Theresa: The title certainly got our attention. We attended the panel and loved the discussion. Once you’re running a business, you understand why both passion and business discipline are essential.
RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, AND HOSPITALITY DESIGN PROJECTS
Nick: What kinds of projects are you focused on now?
John: Our work is roughly half residential and half commercial. On the commercial side, we’re involved with a senior center in Charlottesville, a historic hotel project in Max Meadows, Virginia, and a manufacturing and office project in Asheville, North Carolina. We’re excited that projects in different markets are finding us.
Nick: Tell me about the historic hotel.
John: It’s a public project associated with Virginia’s Department of Conservation and Recreation. The building originally operated as a hotel and later became an orphanage. After a fire, it stood vacant for decades. It’s on state park land, and funding was allocated to stabilize the building and then complete its interior. We’re part of the architecture team, helping with interior design and furniture specifications. Our goal is to make a government hospitality project feel compelling and memorable.
Nick: Is this your first hospitality project?
Theresa: We’ve designed restaurants and clubhouses, but this is our first hotel. I’ve always been interested in boutique hospitality. I love creating a distinct identity and experience for guests. We haven’t historically had many opportunities for that kind of work in our immediate market, so it’s exciting to expand.
Nick: Hospitality can take you anywhere. You don’t necessarily have to live near the project. Trade shows such as BDNY also offer opportunities to build relationships in that market.
Theresa: Exactly. We’re looking forward to meeting more people and learning about the industry.
THE BLURRING LINES BETWEEN RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL INTERIORS
Nick: What are you looking forward to seeing at High Point Market?
Theresa: We’re interested in the growing crossover between residential, commercial, and hospitality design. Commercial furniture manufacturers are developing products that look and feel more residential. Offices and hotels increasingly want spaces that feel comfortable and welcoming rather than institutional.
John: We toured Steelcase’s research and development facilities and saw how manufacturers were exploring these connections.
Theresa: It’s a meaningful shift. The boundaries between home and office, or home and hotel, are becoming less distinct. Design businesses and manufacturers are looking at how to serve that changing market.
Nick: Hotels are creating lounges and meeting areas that feel more like living rooms. People want spaces where they can relax, gather, and feel at home.
Theresa: That’s especially important when you think about how people actually use these spaces. The experience matters as much as the individual furnishings.
WHAT VACATION RENTALS CAN TEACH HOSPITALITY DESIGNERS
Nick: You’ve mentioned bringing your children along to High Point Market and staying in a rental house. That connects to another hospitality trend: vacation rentals are changing what guests expect from accommodations.
John: We’re renting a house and bringing our children and au pair. We can work during the day and spend time with the family in the evening. It makes business travel much more manageable.
Theresa: With four children, having a kitchen, living area, and enough bedrooms makes an enormous difference. It’s more flexible than trying to fit everyone into hotel rooms.
Nick: Hotels could learn from that. Imagine suites with flexible bedrooms, a central family area, and somewhere to prepare meals. The amenities that attract people to rental homes could influence hotel design.
Theresa: Hospitality businesses have to pay attention to how their customers live and travel. They need to adapt as those expectations change.
WHY A MULTIDISCIPLINARY DESIGN PRACTICE CAN BRING FRESH IDEAS
Theresa: We’ve always wanted to stay agile and relevant. There’s value in specialization, but there’s also value in approaching a project without preconceived ideas. When you work across different project types, you’re willing to ask questions that a specialist might overlook.
John: You aren’t simply recycling a solution from the last project. You can approach the design from a fresh perspective.
Theresa: That curiosity is a strength of our practice. We’re excited to explore new project types while bringing our architecture and interior design experience to them.
FURNITURE DESIGN, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, AND 3D PRINTING
Nick: What else is happening at CIRCLE Design Studio?
Theresa: My early career was in corporate design, although we later moved more into residential work because of our market. I’ve always loved furniture, product, and textile design, and I’ve built furniture in the past. Recently, I’ve been developing furniture prototypes, and we purchased a 3D printer for the studio.
Nick: That’s not something I hear from many design firms.
Theresa: It’s addictive! Our intern and I plan the printing schedule because some pieces take hours to produce. You can start a print, come back the next morning, and find a miniature furniture prototype waiting for you. It’s exciting to turn a concept into something physical.
For now, it’s a passion project. I don’t know exactly where it will lead, but I love the process. After having four children in less than seven years, I’m finding more room to explore creative interests beyond the immediate demands of family and client work.
DESIGNING CUSTOM HOMES AS A COMPLETE EXPERIENCE
Nick: John, which projects are most exciting to you?
John: Theresa and I have different creative interests, and I think that’s one reason we work well together. I’m particularly excited about houses we’re designing in scenic locations. One overlooks the New River Gorge in West Virginia and includes an infinity-edge pool. We’re coordinating with landscape architects to bring the building and site together.
We’re also working on a highly customized home at Lake Norman, with a strong emphasis on detail. I love that we can approach a house holistically, from its architecture and relationship to the landscape down to the furnishings and interior experience.
Theresa: It’s helpful when the architecture and interiors are developed together. If I think a living room needs different proportions to accommodate the furniture or how the family will use the space, we can have that conversation early and adjust the design. We don’t have to treat the interior as an afterthought.
John: We design in 3D, which helps us study the rooms in detail. On one project, the owners shared images of their art collection, and we incorporated the pieces into our model. We even planned a space around an original Banksy. That’s the level of integration that makes the design process exciting.
THE CHALLENGES OF MANAGING A GROWING DESIGN FIRM
Nick: What’s the hardest part of running the business? Is it finding clients, managing staff, or keeping up with demand?
John: Theresa is more focused on creative direction, while I oversee much of the day-to-day management. My biggest challenge is understanding what everyone is working on, keeping deadlines and milestones on track, and making sure the business has the cash flow to support payroll.
That kind of management can take time away from design. We’re always looking for better software, processes, and ways to work more efficiently. But technology is only part of it. You also have to understand each employee’s strengths, limitations, and the type of work that suits them best.
Theresa: I focus primarily on the client relationships and creative work, with some construction administration when needed. We have a talented team, and I want people to feel fulfilled in their jobs. If everyone is doing work that suits their abilities and interests, they’re more likely to enjoy coming to work and contribute effectively.
Nick: It’s like helping children discover a sport or activity they love. Once people find the right fit, they become more confident and successful.
Theresa: Exactly. It’s about understanding how people are wired and putting their talents to good use.
MOVING BEYOND SURVIVAL MODE AND CHOOSING THE RIGHT PROJECTS
John: For a long time, we operated in what I call the “whack-a-mole” stage. Whatever opportunity appeared, we responded to it. When you’re growing a business and raising young children, you often focus on what’s immediately in front of you.
Now that the team is larger and the business has more structure, we can ask a different question: What kind of work do we actually want to do? We can be more intentional about our direction rather than accepting every opportunity out of necessity.
Theresa: Raising four young children while running a firm required a lot of energy. As the children have gotten older, we’ve gained more flexibility to travel, attend industry events, and develop relationships.
John: We’re ready to pursue larger projects, work in more locations, and explore hospitality. Even though the firm has existed for years, this feels like a new chapter in deciding what we want the practice to become.
WHY RELATIONSHIPS MATTER IN ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN MARKETING
Nick: How do you approach marketing and finding new projects?
John: We’ve tried different kinds of marketing, including print and online promotion, but we’ve learned that nothing replaces face-to-face interaction. Our enthusiasm and ability to communicate ideas are among our strongest assets.
When we meet people in person, they can understand how we think and what it would be like to work with us. That’s why we want to invest in opportunities that put us in front of prospective clients and industry colleagues.
Theresa: It’s hard to attend networking events when you have babies at home. Being able to participate more fully in the design community has opened up new possibilities for us.
ADVICE FOR INTERIOR DESIGN STUDENTS AND EMERGING PROFESSIONALS
Nick: I noticed you have a design intern from Virginia Tech. How important are internships?
Theresa: They’re incredibly important. One of the best pieces of advice I received as a student was to intern at a small firm, a medium-sized firm, and a large firm. I did that, and it helped me understand what environment suited me best.
You learn about different office cultures, the level of structure and bureaucracy, and the type of work you enjoy. Students need exposure to practicing professionals, not only classroom instruction.
We participated in an ASID firm crawl in Roanoke, where students visited small, medium, and large firms. I thought that was a wonderful way to introduce them to the realities of the profession.
Nick: Internships let students see how design businesses actually operate. That experience can be invaluable before graduation.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Nick: Where can people learn more about your work?
John: Our website is circledesignstudio.com. We’re also on social media, where we share our projects and some of the activity behind the scenes.
Nick: It’s been great reconnecting and seeing how much the firm has grown. Thanks for joining me again.
Theresa: Thank you for having us. We love seeing other small businesses succeed, and it’s been wonderful watching the podcast grow, too.