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It all started with a need for beautiful home-staging and a passion for design. Ollie Design Co. is a full-service design firm specializing in interior design, remodeling, and e-design. The company started with home designer Heather Barta, along with two other realtors, who recognized the need for staging homes so they would show at their best. With success in this realm, the company received numerous requests for interior design services, at which point Heather recruited help from current owner, Penny Elsenpeter. As Ollie Design Co.’s first employee, Elsenpeter has been a part of the company since the beginning, recalling, “What started as a part-time job has really turned into something special. I would have never imagined this.”
Her love for design drove her from the start, taking on a part-time role with Ollie Design Co. as a remote designer and later as a full-time employee after a year of successful projects. This was a thrilling moment for Elsenpeter, and with no hesitation, she jumped at the opportunity, thinking, “How amazing to be able to do what you love and actually get paid for it!” Since then, she has been growing her role in the industry, recently taking the chance to purchase the company. With this transition, the business no longer offers home-staging, and instead is fully dedicated to design services. “Working with clients to create inspiring and livable spaces is really what I enjoy,” she says—bringing light to the original passion for design that led her down this path.
Currently, the firm is working on a full-service design project for a living and dining room. The goal of the project is simplicity, with the client seeking a less cluttered look for her home. Minimalist design being Elsenpeter’s specialty, she is ecstatic to tackle the job. “With such busy lives, most of us do not have the time required to maintain so many things in our homes,” she states. “Minimizing really helps when trying to keep your home organized.”
Although Ollie Design Co. is a Minnesota-based design company, its services are not limited to local. A unique feature of the company is its e-design services, an email-based communication service that includes a mood board plan and a shopping list with links to showcased products. A recent project Elsenpeter worked on was with a client based in Arizona who was seeking assistance with developing a cohesive design for her home.
With this transition in ownership, Elsenpeter has big goals for Ollie Design Co. She describes her dreams for the future, explaining, “I am committed to working to grow Ollie as much as I possibly can. I think it would be amazing to create brand partnerships and maybe even have a retail store eventually.”
