Author: Artisan

Up Close with Will | Project Manager

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What’s scaling a business without the organization and planning of special projects within scope? Let’s get personal with Will and what he looks forward to in the future. 

Tell us a bit about your experience in the industry and how you came to work with Artisan. 

I spent two years at a start-up working in residential project management in the Hamptons, Fairfield County, Westchester and South Florida, where I handled general home maintenance and larger renovations. In addition to project management, I led new homeowner onboardings and inspections, and managed the vendor supply.

A good friend introduced me to Tucker, and the rest was history. I was really excited to test myself in a commercial market like New York where there is a great need for our offerings, and felt like this was an ideal environment to grow in my career, while working with a strong team that I like.

What would you say is the most tedious part about your role? What is the most rewarding? 

The most tedious part is keeping up with the acronyms. I wish we could use our words! The most rewarding is witnessing the builds over time and seeing the design vision coming to life. 

What is a typical workday like in your role? 

I start my days by finalizing the agendas for our team meetings that are scheduled throughout the day. I then like to direct my focus to processing any invoices that may have come from our vendors the night before, and ensuring that our budget trackers are up-to-date with those figures. 

Working on both project management and furniture has given me the opportunity to interact with a wide array of vendors, and a lot of my day is staying on top of key stakeholders to ensure we fulfill our project needs to continue progressing. My favorite parts of the day are on-site visits where we get to view the work progress and meet the teams that we constantly communicate with in person. 

What do you look forward to doing in the future with Artisan? 

I look forward to continuing to work with exciting clients and growing my expertise in the field. Thus far, I have been impressed by the amount of work that the team has been able to accomplish and I’m excited to be a strong contributor in the very near future. 

Artisan Mentored | Meet Isatou

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You may remember a feature we did back in February of 2022 about our very first mentee, Jania Jones.  We had such an incredible experience working with her and couldn’t be happier to announce that we have a new mentee this year – Isatou Fatty!  Isatou has been working with us since mid-January and brings so much joy, curiosity, and creativity to our office.  Keep reading below to learn how Isatou found Artisan and what she is taking away from the Artisan Mentored experience.

What grade are you in?

11th

What attracted you to the mentorship program at Artisan?

How it’s all inclusive; with brokerage, interior design, and furniture making

Which one of the three departments at Artisan – brokerage, design, or project management – interests you the most and why?

Design, because I love the whole process of completely changing a space especially the decorating part with all the finishes  

What’s your favorite subject in school?

Physics, Math, English ( I don’t necessarily like all these classes but the subjects are interesting)

What do you do for fun?

I read a lot, I love art (painting, sketching, drawing on my ipad), but I haven’t done any in a while.

Where do you feel most inspired?

Anywhere outside, whether that’s the train or the trees or the sky.

What is the biggest takeaway from your mentorship?

How many layers there are to everything, nothing is ever as simple or basic as it looks. There’s so much going on behind the scenes that come together and create a final piece, and all those parts are essential to the creation of the final product.

Interested in reading more on our Artisan Mentored program or applying for a Mentorship with us?  Click here!

Up Close with Alyson | Director of Operations

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As Artisan continues to grow, the operations function has become a full time job! From hiring, onboarding, software implementation, company communication, financial reporting, accounting, forecasting, implementing new processes and procedures – the operations department is truly the glue that holds a company together, especially at a startup. 

Thankfully, we have Alyson to keep us organized, timely, and moving forward!

Alyson- Tell us a bit about your experience in the industry and how you came to work with Artisan.

Alyson: 

I began working in the Real Estate, Design, Build industry in 2016 at WeWork and stayed at the company for just under 5 years. My roles spanned from supporting the Chief Real Estate Development Officer, working on the Development Operations team and Development Finance team. Over the course of my tenure at WeWork, I crossed paths with Sarah in 2018 and we stayed in touch ever since. 

After leaving WeWork, I went to an instant grocery delivery startup, JOKR, where I worked on the Real Estate and Build team, predominantly focusing on existing and new market expansion. Funny enough, Sarah had actually reached out to me my first week at JOKR pitching me to join Artisan. Fast forward about a year after connecting with Sarah, I began consulting for Artisan and now I couldn’t be happier to be with the team full time!

What would you say is the most tedious part about Operations? And on the flip-side, the most rewarding?

Alyson: 

I often find that the operational tasks that are the most tedious and mundane end up being the most rewarding in the end. When I started consulting at Artisan, a lot of my scope was taking things from zero to one with the main focus on our financial reporting and cash flow. It was extremely tedious to understand the billables and receivables for the company since inception and ensuring our current accounts receivable, accounts payable and accounting software were accurate and tying out correctly. Throughout that undertaking, I rolled out different systems, processes and reporting mechanisms to provide visibility to leadership and help the team work more efficiently. Getting us to a place where we are today has been the most rewarding.  

What is a typical workday like for someone in a role like yours? 

Alyson: 

Operations tends to be a “catch all” in an organization whether being at a startup or at a large firm. Most of the role is to mirror the business needs, create organization, and enable your teams and leadership to work efficiently. My workday can range from interviewing new talent, doing due diligence on a new product offering, monitoring our cash flow, generating reporting, everything and anything in between.  

What are you most excited for in terms of working at Artisan? 

Alyson: 

I believe in Sarah and Dani’s leadership and tenacity in growing and expanding our business. They’ve built an amazing team that is very talented, have different perspectives and we all work really well together. Even though everyone has their specific areas of focus, there’s a ton of synergy between the functions that makes a rockstar team. I’m most excited for the clients and initiatives that we have in the pipeline and seeing the team conquer it all and grow along the way. 

Want to learn more about how Artisan can create a space that suits your needs? Click here to take our 5 minute quiz and get started today.

Thoughts from the Founders: Reflecting from Day 1 and Looking Forward to 2023!

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Dani and Sarah officially launched Artisan in January 2021 working out of Dani’s Harlem apartment during the pandemic to Neuehouse when the city reopened, to our beautifully designed offices at 358 Fifth Avenue where we currently reside.  Over the past two years, the founders successfully introduced a new concept to the market, launched a rewarding mentorship program and engaged clients across various industries ranging from Fortune 100 companies to VC funds to nonprofits and startups moving into their first office spaces.  Dani and Sarah have also been working hard at bringing in top talent to the firm – increasing in size from 2 to 8 full time employees in just 24 months with plans to add another 4 full time hires this year.  Our founders recap on the company’s accomplishments and what’s ahead for 2023 below.

What is the biggest thing you have each learned since you founded Artisan?

Dani – It may sound cheesy, but trust your gut.  I’ve always been this way and it has served me well throughout my past experience as a solo business owner but it’s much more challenging trusting that intuition once you’re growing a business and have to find a balance between one’s own perspective, being open to learn so you can grow and therefore become a better business partner and leader.

Sarah – Five years ago when I met our now advisor, Kelly Williams, she matter of factly told me to start my own company.  I thought she was joking – I was in my mid 30s, didn’t have any startup experience and thought I had missed that window professionally.  A couple years later I went to a startup to see how it worked (and how it didn’t work) and knew a few months in, Kelly was right. I met my fearless business partner in 2019 who is by far the most important part of Artisan’s success story.  If I could give one piece of advice to any founder, it’s find the right partner.  Know your strengths and your weaknesses and find someone who has a complementary skill set.  Then build a team of positive people who respect each other, share your values and believe in your mission. Then bring in some of the industry’s most well respected and experienced advisors to support you through the good times, and not so good times … especially the not so good times.  With the right business partner, a team that looks out for each other and a supportive network of advisors and mentors, you will beat the startup odds. Just don’t give up. 

What was the biggest challenge in 2022?

Dani – I think like any new company, a big challenge was generating business leads while growing a team…but also navigating through that with an economy that was (and is!) all over the place made it even more so.

Sarah – Although we officially launched in 2021, Dani and I started working on our full service office advisory concept in early 2020.  Then the pandemic hit. Then the economy took a turn. Then it started to recover right before Omicron hit.  The markets crashed (again), inflation skyrocketed and supply chain issues became an absolute nightmare.  Despite the state of the city, country and world over the past few years, we’ve managed to continue to grow our business with our incredible client base and know if we not only survived, but thrived in 2022, we can get through anything. 

What is the thing you are most proud of from the past year?

Dani -The Artisan team has really grown this year, not only in size but in skill, professionalism and team spirit.  We initially started this company with this dream culture in mind (inclusive, welcoming, entrepreneurial, kind)  and each and every member of our team has added so much to this ideal – I’m most proud of them. 

Sarah – Hands down, our team. They have gone above and beyond to support the dream that Dani and I initially envisioned the first day we met – a better culture in our industry that’s built on teamwork, respect, kindness and mentorship.  Whenever we need a reminder as to why we started Artisan all we need to do is look around the room.  Whether it’s watching them patiently teach our high school mentees about the industry to listening to them calmly resolve issues with vendors or clients to seeing someone on the brokerage team looking at materials with someone on the design team, to bringing in their kids to meet the team for a pre-holiday breakfast break, to hearing music or laughter float around the office … without our team there would be no Artisan. We couldn’t be prouder of them. 

What can the world expect to see from Artisan in 2023?

Dani – Last year ended with so many wins for our team, from incredible new potential clients to brokering excellent deals and winning business from much larger and more established companies – we only hope to continue this pattern in the new year.  We’re just getting started!

Sarah – We have so many exciting projects underway I don’t even know where to begin! It is going to be a very big year at Artisan – our client base is growing, as is our team and business lines.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us to date and please stay tuned for a very exciting 2023! 


Follow along with us on our 2023 journey on  Instagram!  Interested in working with us? Take our quiz to start the process of finding your next office space today!

A Few Of Our Favorite NYC Buildings…

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When you specialize in design and project management specifically for office space in NYC, you get to know A LOT of buildings.  We here at Artisan want to share some of our favorites with you and give you the inside scoop as to why we’re partial to them.

Empire State Building

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING. 350 Fifth Avenue, between 33rd & 34th Streets. Built in 1930. 102 Stories.

Why We Love: This iconic building is not only an incredible tourist attraction, its nightly changing lights represent everything from holidays to sporting events to scientific and healthcare organizations and beyond.  It is a staple in New York City and a building that is recognized all over the world.  We have a particularly special view of it from our office, as we are very near by!

The Helmsley Building

THE HELMSLEY BUILDING. 230 Park Avenue, between 45th & 46th Streets. Built in 1929. 34 Stories.

Why We Love: The history of this building runs deep and the architecture and design incorporate it so beautifully.  The building was originally intended to be the headquarters of the New York Central Railroad and therefore has stunning marble and bronze-clad details throughout it’s lobby and elevator banks.  Just above the main entrance sits a clock that includes a statue of Mercury to represent transportation, and a goddess to represent industry.  It doesn’t get much more New York than that.  

Olympic Tower

OLYMPIC TOWER. 645 Fifth Avenue, between 51st & 52nd Streets. Built in 1974. 21 Stories.

Why We Love: Location is one of our favorite things about this building – if you like luxurious things and are looking to find the best shopping in NYC, you are in the right place at Olympic Tower.  Jimmy Choo, H Stern, and FURLA are just a few of the incredible retailers the building boasts. 

Interested in working with us? Take our quiz to start the process of finding your next office space today!

Artisan x Architectural Digest

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When we heard we were going to be featured in the October issue of Architectural Digest, we were ecstatic and honored.  To be recognized by arguably the most notable design and architecture publication in the world is more than we could have hoped for in only our second year in business!  

Click here to read the article in full and take our quiz to start the process of finding your next office with us!

Up Close with Lauren, Junior Designer

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Each of our clients have different functional and aesthetic wants and needs for their office space, which is where our Design department comes in.  We spoke to our newest addition to the Design team, Lauren, about what she adds to the process. 

Lauren – Tell us a bit about your background in design and how you came to work with Artisan.

Lauren: Before I pursued design in college, I was very interested in fine arts and art history. I became fascinated with the endless possibilities and mediums we have developed over the years to describe art today. I took art programs such as 2D printing and painting at Syracuse University and an Interior Design program at the New York School of Interior Design to determine the right path for me. I knew I wanted to be creative, but in what way? How can I change the idea of visual art and give it a purpose? 

After learning Interior Design at the New York School of Interior Design, I knew that design was the direction I wanted to go. I knew Syracuse University offered Environmental & Interior Design as a major. I adored that the curriculum concentrated on all Environmental aspects in design, not just sustainable design. To them, “environmental” meant working with the world around you. We interacted with local communities and designed based on their needs. We were also taught to understand how the human body interacts in a space to adhere to WELL building standards. 

As graduation was approaching, I was looking to work immediately. I applied to every job I could find until I came across Artisan. I loved how the design completely aligned with the aesthetic of many projects I worked on at Syracuse. I noticed that Artisan strayed away from the basic structure of the typical office space and offered a “resi-mercial” feel to their spaces. I firmly believe that any office you design should feel natural, bright, and energetic. I pushed for that design in my projects, and I knew this was where I should be!

What does your role as Junior Designer entail at Artisan on a day-to-day basis?

Lauren:  I work closely with Dani and Katie to help make their design process smoother. I work on preparatory design elevations, floorplans, and I aid in furniture and material tracking. I am also learning to keep track of the construction punch list to ensure our projects are where they need to be to make our clients happy in their new space. This first-hand experience puts me front and center with the construction and design team to ensure everything stays organized and where it needs to be.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned at Artisan thus far and what excites you about the future of Artisan?

Lauren: Artisan has taught me to be aware of the details needed to create a successful design. From the programming phase to the end of construction, all stages are essential to making the client happy and making the design process easier for everyone. To bring the beautiful ideas we create to life, we as designers must put together a detailed plan of action where we break everything down for our client to make their new office custom-designed to their needs. I am learning that all the elevations, furniture, and floorplans we create are put together with great attention to detail to ensure we all come out with something beautiful!

Want to learn more about how Artisan can create a space that suits your needs? Click here to take our 5 minute quiz and get started today.

Artisan Opens Second Office

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Artisan’s newest office is a virtual replica of our NYC headquarters at 358 Fifth Avenue built in blockchain-based Decentraland (45,10) .  Our Co-CEO & Head of Design, Dani Arps designed both locations using a neutral, warm and chic palette, along with a similar furniture layout and inviting aesthetic.  An interconnecting staircase in our virtual office easily connects the three floors to a wide open rooftop where you can check out what other creators are developing around us. 

As recently reported in JP Morgan’s Metaverse Whitepaper, companies of all shapes and sizes are entering the metaverse in different ways, including household names like Walmart, Nike, Sotheby’s, Verizon, Hulu, PWC, Adidas, Atari, and Samsung.  We understand the metaverse is still coming into form with design and utility limitations, but we believe it will eventually emerge as a destination for everyday activities like education, work, shopping and entertainment. Like with any new technology, the transition from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0 will be gradual, but we welcome change at Artisan and look forward to being a part of it! 

Interested in checking out our new office?  Come visit and take a look around – all you need is a computer!  You can easily enter by clicking on “Guest”, creating an avatar and simply clicking the grid map in the upper left corner to locate our parcel at (45,10).  Then hit “Jump In” and you’re there!  Be sure not to miss our QR codes when you first enter through our sleek sliding door – they’ll connect you to our social channels and website.  We look forward to seeing you in the metaverse soon!

Want to learn more about how we created our virtual office or how we can help you create yours? Click here and send us a note. We’d love to welcome you to the community!

Brokerage 101 | Our Process for Finding Your Office Space

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Needs, wants, tours, budgets, proposals, leases…there are multiple things brokers handle when finding office space for a client.  Sarah, Georgina, and Carleigh from our Brokerage Team explain. 

Brokerage Team – would each of you please give us a summary of what you do on the team?

Georgina: As a part of the Brokerage Team, I work closely with Sarah and Carleigh.  I’m responsible for business development, real estate advisory for our current clients, lease negotiations / executions, financial analyses, and putting new systems in place for our organization. I’m also fortunate enough to be part of the Artisan Mentored program and enjoy teaching and mentoring our mentees!

Carleigh: I am a Brokerage Associate and assist the team in canvassing the market, coordinating tours, producing tourbooks (information on each space we present to the client), drafting proposals for spaces the client is interested in, and assisting Sarah and Georgina in negotiations, analyses, and anything needed in connection with our Design, Furniture, and Project Management departments to make the process as seamless as possible for our clients. 

Sarah: I’m very fortunate to have a rockstar brokerage team so I get to focus my time collaborating with Georgina, Carleigh and our different departments on strategy, negotiation and execution.  We use our expertise to help our clients make the best decisions for their respective businesses.  I’ve always enjoyed when people come together from different backgrounds to brainstorm, problem solve and compete.  I think the best part about brokerage at Artisan is working with our design, build and furniture teams throughout the process to make sure nothing is missed and there are no surprises for our clients after a lease is signed.  From our first pitch to the punch list, we’re all in it together. 

How can a company looking for office space start the process with Artisan?

Georgina: It’s really simple! They can quickly fill out our quiz to get the process started or reach out to us via email, LinkedIn, Instagram, and our other social media platforms.

It seems the biggest challenge for companies right now is how to manage hybrid working and bringing people back into the office.  What is Artisan seeing and what advice are you giving? 

Sarah: Unfortunately there isn’t a catch-all answer for all of the questions related to hybrid work that we are fielding. That said, we’re working with clients across various industries to help them figure out the right solution for their situation. The biggest hurdle for every company right now seems to be figuring out how to make their office a place where employees want to return, not be forced to return.  As you can see from the projects on our website, we have a very resimercial design aesthetic that our clients love and has certainly helped with the transition from working from home to working from a new office “home”.  Whether renewing or relocating, office space shouldn’t be a headache, it should be a fun process that makes everyone excited to get back to work! 

Please feel free to reach out to the Artisan Team via our email if you’d like to discuss your situation and how we can help or click here to take our 5 minute quiz and get started today!

Up Close with Katie | Head of Furniture

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Finding, designing, and building out office space are equally important and necessary – but it’s the furnishings that pull all of those things together in the end, and can make or break the space. 

Katie – Tell us a bit about your experience in the industry and how you came to work with Artisan.

KL: My background is in interior design with a focus on branded environments. I’ve worked for amazing companies during my career, such as Casper and Herman Miller – helping them create beautiful spaces that best represented their brands. My time at HM in particular really helped build my foundation for great furniture design and a keen knowledge of some of the best workplace products in the industry. After creating spaces and designing custom pieces of all kinds, I wanted to hone in on furniture. Artisan gives me the opportunity to focus on sourcing and curating beautiful furniture, but also building my design skills by creating custom pieces for our clients and sourcing great local fabricators to bring them to life. 

What is your favorite part about procuring furniture?

KL: My favorite part would have to be discovering new designers and brands bringing innovative and unique products to the market – it keeps us at Artisan inspired and excited! It’s the most fun going to showroom visits with clients and seeing their faces light up with excitement to see pieces in real life and test them in person. 

You also help to create custom furniture for certain clients of ours.  How does that differ from choosing ready-made pieces? 

KL: When we design custom pieces for our clients, we have more freedom to create what we want, exactly how we want it. With custom furniture, we always approach it with the lens of solving for the clients needs while ensuring the piece still works with our aesthetic direction. We have more control over the materials, finish, and details so each piece is unique for our clients. 

Want to learn more about how Artisan can create a space that suits your needs? Click here to take our 5 minute quiz and get started today.