Should I Rent an Office or Just Work From Home in My Firm’s First Year?

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When designers finally reach the point where they are ready to take on clients under their own name, they finally have to answer that question. Do they need a real studio with a door, a lease, a sign, and a monthly bill or is working from home not only acceptable but smart in the first year? Most designers imagine established studios with gorgeously styled entryways, a receptionist, a beautiful conference table, and rows of samples. They forget that almost every firm they admire began in far less glamorous conditions.

We turned to Melissa and Laura for their perspective on this question. If you’re new here, Melissa Grove and Laura Umansky are the cofounders of DesignDash and long-time leaders inside Laura U Design Collective. They launched their careers in different ways, but their perspectives reflect two equally legitimate paths. There is no single rule about where you should work in year one, but there are real considerations that can help you decide.

There Is No One “Correct” First Office

Some designers feel a strong pull toward a professional space right away. They want a place that signals commitment. They want clients to see something polished when they arrive. That instinct is not necessarily wrong, but it is not the only way forward. However, it can encourage you to give firm ownership your all right off the bat as Laura learned when she started out.

“I actually started from a physical studio, not from home. Before I launched my firm, I took out a loan so I could open a retail shop and design studio on day one. It was a big risk, but I never doubted I would make it work. I planned carefully, kept a six month runway for expenses, and had design clients in the very first month. I fully believed in the ‘build it and they will come’ philosophy, and in my case, they did.”

It is striking how many designers assume a studio space confers legitimacy. In practice, legitimacy comes from reliability, communication, and clarity. A rented office can help you feel like a professional, but it does not create professionalism on its own. That part comes from you. As Laura cautions…

“That model isn’t for everyone. If your first office is your kitchen table, that’s wonderful too. The most important thing is simply to start. Clients come from your talent and your process, not from the square footage of your space.”

Remember, Working From Home Can Be a Strategic Advantage

In a recent article for Houzz Pro, architect Eric Reinholdt argued that most new firms benefit from resisting the urge to rent an office immediately. He wrote that low overhead can be one of your biggest competitive advantages in the first year, especially when you are still learning your own workflow. His point wasn’t that studios are unnecessary, only that rent can drain cash long before it attracts enough clients to justify the cost.

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That argument matters because many designers underestimate how much financial pressure they invite by taking on an office too soon. You may picture beautiful shelves and extra workspace, but rent is inflexible. It arrives whether your project pipeline is full or thin. When you work from home, that pressure eases and you usually make decisions more carefully. You take the jobs that fit your skills instead of grabbing anything you can in order to keep the lights on.

The downside, of course, is that home can blend into work. Some designers struggle with this. Others thrive once they carve out a dedicated corner or room. Reinholdt’s advice was not to idealize the perfect studio but to build a functional space that supports your concentration.

Don’t Forget That the Costs of a Studio Far Exceed Rent

When designers talk about studios, they often speak only about rent and forget everything that comes along with it. Melissa has seen what it actually takes to maintain a physical space.

“When you have a studio, you’re not just paying for the lease. You are most likely facing housekeeping costs. Maintenance, too, in instances of a leak or damage after a storm. Also, if you have a physical studio, you will want someone to be there during office hours, including when you’re on site, so you might have someone to man the office and handle daily tidying up and greeting of guests. It would be at least another thousand dollars monthly, if you’re looking for an actual number.”

Those costs add up incredibly fast. Even a small studio creates a baseline of responsibility that you must cover every month. This does not mean you should never rent an office. It just means the decision should be anchored in what you can comfortably support rather than what you imagine a “real” designer should have.

Designers often feel embarrassed to host meetings in their homes. Yet many clients appreciate being invited into the space where you think and design. It can be intimate, warm, and far less intimidating than a formal showroom. If your home is tidy and you have a neutral room to meet in, a home office can work extremely well in the early years. Plus, many client meetings happen over Zoom or Teams these days anyway.

If You Rent an Office, Make Sure It’s Operational Not Just Aspirational

There comes a moment when an office starts to make sense. It might be when your sample library takes over your dining room. It might be when employees need a place to work together daily. It might be when your projects move beyond decorating into construction-heavy scopes that require constant coordination or you may feel restless working at home. That is a real reason too. Creative focus is incredibly personal.

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The trick is recognizing that an office should support your operations, not define your identity. A studio can help you scale when the work demands it. A studio can also increase your overhead well before your revenue can carry it. Both outcomes are possible, which is why timing matters so much.

There is also a practical detail worth noting. Rented spaces often require insurance, deposits, and a level of cleanliness that feels constant. Some designers enjoy maintaining that environment. Others feel weighed down by it. Your temperament plays a role here. The more honest you are with yourself, the clearer the right path becomes.

Start Where You Are, Not Where You Think You Should Be

Designers who take on too much overhead early often find themselves hustling for any project they can get. Designers who start lean usually have more mental room to shape their style and workflow. There is no shame in beginning at home. There is no superiority in starting with a studio. Both paths work, and both paths can lead to the same destination.

What matters is that you start in a way that supports your energy and your finances. If home gives you the space to learn, focus, and build clients gradually, that is a good start. If a studio energizes you and you have a runway like Laura did, that is a good start too.

The lure of a beautiful office is strong, especially in an industry built on aesthetics. But clients hire you for your ideas and your ability to see them through. They work with you because of your communication, your process, and your steadiness. These things live in you, they come from you. They have nothing to do with your lease.

If you begin there, the right space will eventually follow.