Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Dease.
Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us how you got started?
My goal growing up was to work in magazines and I ended up landing my first job at Glamour Magazine right out of college. I designed the pages, worked on the photoshoots, and designed/produced the parties and events. From there, I worked at GQ, Architectural Digest, and Sports Illustrated, among others. Having reached my dream goal early on, I started to feel like I needed a new challenge. I took a break from living in NYC and backpacked solo through Asia and Australia for a year and a half. I returned to the states and moved to LA to work for Blake Lively’s lifestyle brand at the time. Less than a year later, I was offered a job I couldn’t refuse – moving back to NYC to work at New York Fashion Week. I conceptualized and designed large-scale fashion experiences, events, parties, and retail pop-ups in NYC and worldwide. After 15 years of city life, we (my husband and our two babies) left the city to relocate to Franklin, where I started my design firm, Studio Dease.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I had always known that New York wasn’t for the long term, and without any reason for us to leave, we decided to go for it and move. We had thrown around Nashville for years even though I had never visited – but it had always felt like it’d be the right place. The largest obstacle has been relocating to a new city where I have no professional connections. Not to mention that overnight you assume all the business roles at once, on top of the creative work. Balancing all this with having two small children and buying a home also adds layers of complexity. The early months were filled with constant travel with all my work still being out of NYC plus Miami and LA, but thankfully I’ve had more local projects that have started to fall into place. It’s been enjoyable getting engaged with the Nashville scene and getting to know our new hometown. It was a leap of faith to leave what we knew and loved, but our new life here has been better than we could have planned for.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Studio Dease?
Studio Dease is a design studio that creates immersive spaces, experiences, and events. We specialize in crafting an environment that tells a story to our guests, from a thousand-person music festival to a retail pop-up to a special dinner for 6. Our unique editorial and high-fashion perspective sets us apart from any other agency, thanks to many years in magazines and the luxury world of New York Fashion Week. We offer creative ideation, concepting, mood boards, branding, event design, interior design, guest flow, buildouts, and more.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
We’re currently accepting new clients – check out StudioDease.com to learn more about how we can help with your next project. You can also follow @studiodease for exciting announcements including what we have in the works for @nashvilledesignweek.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.
studiodease.com/ - Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/studiodease/ - Email: amanda@studiodease.com
Image Credits
Christine Comina Photography
