Meet Rachel Biasi | Owner of Penny + Piper Interiors

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Biasi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
It’s funny how often I receive the comment, “Oh, you do staging? It must be so fun to decorate rooms!”. While they are correct, in reality, the actual staging install (i.e. the decorating) is only about 10% of what we do. My team and I work hours on end behind the scenes prior to each stage in preparation for the install. Given the amount of long work days, heavy lifting, moving, running around, and battling of the weather that we do, I always joke that we are more of a glorified moving company!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

This statement may come off as a little controversial, but I truly believe that creativity is something that you are born with. Although it is possible to be educated in correct techniques to help improve your creativity; overall, I believe it is a skill that most people naturally have an eye for, with recognition that there is always room for improvement. I have especially used that theory when hiring my first employee. Having attended interior design school is very important, but I also need to see that you can make a bed and pay attention to every last detail involved.

One thing that I set out to achieve with my staging business was to provide a look that I wasn’t seeing from other staging companies. There are a handful of staging companies in town that I truly admire and look up to, but I wanted to provide sellers and real estate agents a custom experience. I tend to label my designs as “transitional”, which is a mix of modern and traditional/vintage pieces. I find that this style of design fits the vast majority of homes in the Denver area. For all stages that we do, we hand select each piece of inventory based on the targeted buyer demographic, architecture, and age of the home. Our goal is always to draw the buyers attention away from the negative aspects of a room and focus their attention on its potential.

Nothing comes easy when owning your own business. Although there have been many setbacks, I believe that each obstacle that we have encountered has only made us stronger. Taking a positive approach to issues arising and identifying them as a learning experience has allowed us to be better prepared for future concerns. Growing up I always admired and looked up to my father, who was a business owner himself. I knew from a very young age that I wanted to follow in his footsteps and work for myself as well. As I strive to grow a brand that I can be proud of, I am blessed to have both of my parent’s support and guidance through the turbulent world of business ownership.

A lesson that I learned throughout my short time of working in the corporate world prior to venturing out on my own, was that every boss that I had wanted me to be just like them. To make decisions like them, think like them, and act like them. Maybe I was just unlucky, but it really opened my eyes to how limiting that can make the work output be. As a result, I have vowed to hire team members with different skill sets and abilities that I may lack. I have found that this is how we have created a dynamic and diverse business.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Colorado has so much to offer, so I love when I get to show it off to friends and family visiting town! Eat – Postino, Snooze, Wild Ginger Thai, Uncle, Root Down, Daughter Thai, Woodys in Golden, Rio Grande, White Pie, and Q House. Drink – Happy Camper, Postino, The Thin Man, The Wild, The Source Hotel rooftop, Barcelona Wine Bar, and Bigsbys. Hang Out/Activities – Tubing in Golden, hiking in the mountains, working out at Red Rocks, going to the park (Cheeseman, City Park, or Wash Park).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
One of the people in my life that is very deserving of my recognition is my husband, Kyle. Without him, Penny + Piper Interiors wouldn’t be what it is today. It was always a dream of mine to dive into the world of interior design and entrepreneurship, but without a degree in this industry I felt undeserving of that world. Kyle encouraged me to follow my dreams and got the ball rolling on the business. I have to give him credit for using his business and finance background and constant persistence for growing Penny + Piper Interiors to where it is today.

Website: https://pennyandpiperinteriors.com/

Instagram: @pennyandpiperinteriors

Image Credits
Kyle Licocci (Licocci Films)