BY JOVANNA AGUILAR
Sondra Lagasse and Jill Simms founded Woodlands Style House in September 2016.
The business also designs interiors for businesses such as country clubs and the Haven Event Venue.
PHOTOS COURTESY WOODLANDS STYLE HOUSE
Woodlands Style House creates personalized designs
Woodlands Style House renovates rooms, homes and commercial spaces.
What started o as a conversation between friends Jill Simms and Sondra Lagasse has grown into Woodlands Style House, a design company founded in September 2016. Founded to ll the need for more accessible interior design options in The Woodlands, Simms and Lagasse, both residents of The Woodlands, said Woodlands Style House oers personalized home designs that are unique to each client. How it happened Simms said her background in marketing along with Lagasse’s background in home decorating allowed the two to combine each other’s strengths and form a successful business. After quickly earning the communities’ trust and realizing the high demand for their services, Woodlands Style House had no choice but to expand its team, Simms said. Today Woodlands Style House is operated by co-owners Simms and Lagasse alongside a team of 20 women in The Woodlands. As Woodlands Style House operates with several clients on a waiting list, the design company handles about 150-200 projects annually including residential and commercial renovations. The company launched its e-design package during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which the Woodlands Style House team provides a full- service virtual design package, Lagasse said. While it does not have a storefront, in addition
to The Woodlands location, Woodlands Style House launched its second branch in Austin in 2020. The impact After a decade serving The Woodlands, Woodlands Style House has decorated and renovated several commercial spaces in The Woodlands including the Haven Event Venue, owned by Mark Zientek and Autumn Sipes, owners of The Refuge Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar. It has also worked with The Woodlands Country Club. Further making an impact in the community, Woodlands Style House supports Interfaith of The Woodlands through a donation drive Lagasse and Simms started three years ago. The takeaway Simms said despite the behind-the scenes challenges of a job often perceived as glamorous, the response they get from their recurring clients makes the eort worth their sacrices. “Most of our clients have a hard time imagining the potential of a space, so that’s a big part of what we do, but there’s collaboration involved,” Simms said. “It’s really important as homeowners to love the space they’re in. We tell [customers], this is your house, not ours. So we want it to not be cookie cutter, and we want it to feel like them and meet their functionality needs.”
Lagasse and Simms said Woodlands Style House oers personalized home designs that are unique to each client.
The design team of 20 women has worked on interior design projects including living room and home spaces.
www.woodlandsstylehouse.com
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION
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