I’m so excited to show Annie and Michael’s (the owners of Empiric) house. Their house is located above their design studio in Culver City. I was very inspired by their small (960 sq ft) but amazing space — I hope you love it as much as I do!
Q - First of all, how did you start the business? What’s your background?
A - The store was opened by Michael, my fiance, 12 years ago. It evolved from a print making studio and continues to evolve by us and the creativity of our staff. I was raised in a family who had a high appreciation for this era of design and studied art in college. 3 years ago I partnered with Michael and oversaw the opening of our Culver City location.
Q - How would you describe the theme and kind of pieces you sell in your stores?
A - At Empiric we focus mainly on vintage pieces that are modern, filtered, restored, and pragmatic.
Q - I really liked how you had so many types of pieces coexisting in your space. You had modern, mid century, Victorian, weird clinical stuff, etc all side by side and everything looked great together. Could you talk about how you formed this aesthetic?
A- When purchasing pieces for the showroom we buy as we would for our own home. Often times customers purchase an item because they love it and decide later how it will function in their space. I personally believe that beyond the necessities this is the way to shop. In retail you have to buy this way for your floor. It is how you differentiate yourself from your peers.
Q - In your house, I love the colored walls and how they match your furniture. how did you choose the colors? Did you buy your furniture before you colored the wall or was it the opposite?
A - The Paul Smith rug in our living room is bold for a small space. For this reason we chose a fairly neutral palette and pulled colors from the rug into the rest of the space using paint, pillows and throws.
Q - The square footage of your house is pretty small, but it feels really open and doesn’t feel cramped at all. Could you share some tips on making small spaces livable and fun?
A - It is all in the floor plan. By having flow from each room we don’t feel cramped in our 960 sq ft. Opening walls, and in some cases closing them off, has allowed us to maintain our privacy and still have an ample amount of room for entertaining. The outdoor patio doubles as our second living room in warmer months.
Q - Do you keep some of the furniture from your store for yourself? i would be very tempted. : )
A - Yes, of course! I fall in love with things each and every day that I often enjoy before adding them to our inventory. For this reason I have a healthy relationship with “stuff” which is one of the reasons we can manage in a smaller home.
*One more sneak peek is coming tomorrow. It’s about a single girl’s apartment!