Is Stitchroom the Next-Generation Workroom?
It was as a client services manager at Homepolish that Ella Hall noticed a compelling need among the digital service's interior designers: custom pillows, custom cushions, custom everything. A longtime sewer and a Parsons School of Design grad, Hall began a side hustle that has since turned into Stitchroom, a modern take on the traditional workroom.
"Working in client services, I recognized the difficulty interior designers and their clients experienced in getting the simplest products custom-made," she says. "Either the cost was too high or the turnaround time too long, so on a single sewing machine in my small New York City apartment, I started sewing custom pillows for a few interior designers." Hall explains that designers she was working with at the time were mostly looking for pillows and cushions: "They would play around with the scale and fabric choices, which gave them a creative opportunity to bring unique accent pieces into their client's space." Others "were incorporating existing pieces like chairs and seating that their clients already had into their new design," she continues, "so adding a custom accent to those pieces could make something old new again."
Hall left her role at Homepolish after a year of creating custom pieces for designers, and, joining forces with a software-engineer friend, launched the first iteration of Stitchroom's e-commerce site in beta back in November; its official launch was this past Monday and will feature a cleaner, more user-friendly interface. Hall has worked on residential and commercial projects with brands like Hinge, Catbird, Prose, MNDFL, WTHN, and others via her platform. How does it work? Designers choose their product (think: floor pillows, bolsters, knife-edge pillow, and more); choose size and trim; and submit their fabric. Most products are shipped in two weeks, and production status is trackable online.
"We're changing the way you order simple upholstery through our online platform, and we offer custom-sized pillows, cushions, ottomans, and other simple upholstery. We've gathered feedback from hundreds of designers and offer customizable basic accessory pieces that can make a big impact on the spaces that designers are creating," Hall explains.
Stitchroom, which caters to the trade but also works with consumers upon request, uses designers' own fabrics. Does Hall have any favorites? "We work with almost everything underneath the sun and have seen it all—from high-end designer fabrics to button-down shirts we made into pillows, and vintage aprons we made into bolsters. But I think my favorite fabrics are the handwoven fabrics coming from abroad that have a handmade touch and story connected to them."
