Hidden Gems: Meet Crystal Beckel of Avalon Blue Home

Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal Beckel.

Hi Crystal, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
Hi friends! I am mid-west born, but nothing short of a Florida native. Having spent the past 30+ years in the Sunshine State, I spent my entire childhood in Central Florida while spending every weekend on the ocean on my parent’s boat and seaside with family and friends. This love and vast inspiration of the ocean has transpired into many facets of my everyday adult life; which has since included moving to Florida’s Gulf Coast in July 2014, spearheading Project. Blue to focus on ocean conservation efforts and sharing my utmost love of natural Florida elements with the community via various projects and business ventures. Having been a creative child with a love for utilizing raw elements and pairing them with decorative objects; this became my guiding passion and a love that has stood the test of time.

I created the original Avalon Blue out of my home garage in January 2013 with the main goal of taking antique finds, giving them a new life, and sending them off to a new home for others to enjoy. With the advent of Pinterest and the era of DIY home projects, came a period of professional growth for me. This brought the inspiration to really hone in on my passion and skills to redevelop the new age of what is now Avalon Blue Home a full-service Interior Design company with three different lines of business that relate to everything HOME.

My interior designs can be found nationwide, with clients in 17 states. While my home base is Sarasota, FL; I have spent summer 2021 traveling the Southeast US and more recently the past month and a half in Nashville working on exciting projects and taking in all of the amazing Tennessee hospitality. I have fallen in love with this area and while I continue to work my way around the United States, Nashville, Tennessee will be one of the places I call home in 2022!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Running an interior design business and building it from scratch is something you’ll never learn in school. In an industry built on an image, the only way to survive and thrive is to put yourself out there like never before! Having never worked under a principal designer, finding clients to believe in you and trust your designs takes a lot of navigating and convincing family and friends to hire you out the gate.

Building a reputation and a portfolio to match is key to building upon your dreams. Being prepared to hear the word no takes a lot of strength and courage to continue on. A lot of people want a designer, but a lot of people don’t want to pay a designer what they deserve for their work, time, and effort. Getting leads is an easier part of the process, getting them to sign a contract and pay your respective fee is another. So, when starting this business, most designers take losses and money from their own pockets to push themselves forward.

When I first went full-time with Avalon Blue Home, I had just recently gotten laid off due to Covid-19. While I have had my business for several years, it had been more of a part-time gig, versus taking the risk of being full-time. So, when I was laid off, I took my entire severance paycheck, maxed out my credit cards, and put everything into this business. I knew the only way to build upon my dream company is to go ALL IN.

I poured my heart and soul into my marketing, grassroots can be tough. I worked three jobs virtually within the industry to learn vendor logistics, vendor names, and consumer wants/needs. So, when I started picking up clients that weren’t my friends and family, I knew exactly how to hit the ground running and how to do it on my terms with the proper business mindset to make this a successful brand.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Avalon Blue Home is an interior design company with a passion for creating sophisticated, sustainable home designs. Fully insured and servicing a wide range of residential projects all throughout the Southeast US. Our streamlined and personalized approach to design has become our company signature for catering to both your budget and your home interior dreams.

As the Principal Designer and Owner, I am happy to say that I have turned ABH is a well-rounded design company with three lines of business. We specialize in design services, custom services, and digital services. Each line of business is facilitated by myself with a variety of services ranging from design, building furniture, or even hanging wallpaper.

We cater to every style of design, however; being on the Gulf Coast of Florida – our main specialty has been to now a Coastal approach to design. This aesthetic is very light and airy, clean lines and textures, classic and versatile to be incorporated into a mix with every other style of design.

Every designer has their own touch, their own niche. Mine is the ability to bring the outdoors inside. I am hugely known for my use of natural elements within the home and utilizing products from local vendors nationwide to not only support small businesses but to showcase the creativity and unique views of creative-minded people all across the nation.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory; there are so many! But if I had to choose one…

My mom was a real estate broker, so every weekend and every summer I had to help her at the office by going to homes with her and staging them; getting them ready for sale, etc. So, occasionally – more often than not, the prior owners would leave behind home decor and furnishings. My mom would then be forced to find a new home for this, so I would sift through the items each and every time and pick out what I wanted to take home. At first, she was like “umm no, that’s junk” but eventually, she let me keep the nicer items and once she realized what I was doing with them she finally stopped asking questions. Haha.

I would bring home dressers and desks to repaint and donate, floral wreath’s that I would repurpose, refresh with new flowers and give to my elderly neighbors, the list goes on. I still, to this day love arts and crafts so as a child, anytime I had an excuse to paint something, redecorate something or create something; I was all in!

Contact Info:

• Email: cbeckel@avalonbluehome.com
• Website: www.avalonbluehome.com
• Instagram: Avalon_BlueHome
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/avalonbluehome