Navigating Interior Design & Renovations, Diversity & Fashion with Bianca from Casa Liminal

Dive into the vibrant world of creativity and self-discovery with our latest episode of Casa Liminal! Join us as we sit down with the talented interior designer and construction and renovation leader Bianca Limones, who shares her journey of embracing empowerment. From her innovative approach to blending traditional techniques with modern aesthetics from Casa Liminal to her deep-rooted connection to her Hispanic heritage, Bianca's story is a testament to the transformative power of women in construction and renovations. Tune in as we explore the intersections of culture, identity, and creativity and discover how Casa Liminal serves as a sanctuary for self-expression and community engagement. Don't miss out on this inspiring conversation!

Chapters

• 0:01 Bianca Limones
• 9:44 Building Casa Liminal
• 23:59 Balancing, Delegating, and Promoting Diversity
• 31:40 Interior Design and Fashion Connection

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome Spark and Hussle community. Today we have another episode in the podcast. It's an interview episode, which I'm super excited to be interviewing these fascinating guests whom I'm so looking forward to learn about her experiences, her trajectories, what's helped her growth through her journey. Today's guest is Bianca Limones, and she's the brilliant mind behind Casa Liminal. Bianca has a background in political, science and government. She's now embarked on a true unique journey, now pursuing her master's in interior design at UCLA. Join us as we delve into the intersections of her background in politics Now design, also some diversity, and why not? Even some fashion, because I know Bianca is a fashionista. I love her style. So we'll be exploring Bianca's dynamic role as a woman in construction and the owner of a general contracting company specializing in full-home renovations and interior design.

Speaker 1: 1:11

Hello, welcome to Spark and Hussle, the podcast that ignites your inspiration and fuels your hustle in the dynamic worlds of career and entrepreneurship. I'm your host, corina in marketing junkie, on a journey of exploration, conversation and empowerment. In each episode, we dive deep into the stories of professionals, entrepreneurs and thought leaders, discover the spark that ignites their journeys and the hustles that propel them to success. Whether you're navigating the corporate ladder or building your empire. Follow Spark and Hussle for inspiration, practical advice and why not? Occasional humor. Get ready to spark your ambitious and elevate your hustle game. We believe in the power of connection. Join our community on Spotify, itunes and Instagram to share your experiences, learn from others and become part of the support of my work of dreamers and viewers.

Speaker 2: 2:03

Welcome, bianca. Thank you for having me on here. I love the podcast and I love what it stands for and I'm so excited.

Speaker 1: 2:11

I love this for you. Again, super happy to have you. To start off, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background? My name, is Bianca.

Speaker 2: 2:21

I have my own design and renovations business here in Dallas. I studied international relations and political science at Texas State University. At the time I thought I wanted to go to law school and I actually got a job as a paralegal before even graduating college. So I did that for a little bit still, with the hope that I would go to law school, and I studied for the ELSA. I took the ELSA and the way that I viewed myself was that I was going to be an attorney, and I think that the way that other people viewed me too was that I was going to be an attorney.

Speaker 2: 2:59

But once I started working in the field and I tried it out for a couple years, I realized that I wasn't being fulfilled. I wasn't happy. I felt drained. Now, looking back, I think that I was burnt out from the get-go and so all the time I just like I didn't necessarily know like what my next step would be, because I was still trying to like okay, I'm still going to get into law school or I'm still going to. I need to get this goal right, I need to get to this goal. But I was just so unhappy that I knew that I had to change it up and I didn't know what it was that I wanted to do.

Speaker 2: 3:47

But during the pandemic, my dad reached out to me. He has a painting business and he was like, hey, like I have a client and she's asking to see a portfolio of my references and just see previous work that I've done. And he was like do you think you can make me an Instagram? Like what's an Instagram? And at the time I was like oh my gosh, yes, of course, like this is stuff I'm good at. So I made him an Instagram and he started showing me his work.

Speaker 2: 4:20

And that's when I was like oh my god, you do this this is some of the best design work and paint work that I have seen, and he was working with well-known interior designers and realtors here in Dallas. So I saw that and I was like, huh, I want to get in this. I don't know what I'm gonna do, but I want to get in it. That was kind of like the little spark that initiated everything. I pretty much asked him to give me an opportunity like doing some admin stuff in the painting business. A couple months later I decided to quit my job and go full-time with him and that was kind of how like my transition happened.

Speaker 2: 5:05

It was interesting and it was. It was scary because it was also literally maybe like three months into the pandemic and I was just like, oh my gosh, what if this doesn't work out right? Like I am completely changing the course of life that I thought I was going to have. I thought I was going to be an attorney and I had already pictured that, but the problem was that when I was working in it like I did, I didn't like it. It was risky, it was scary and I had to do a lot of like like checking in with myself that I was okay to start over and pretty much let go of the identity that I thought I had of myself.

Speaker 1: 5:50

Wow, wow, that's incredible. I mean there are two different worlds completely and for you to take the courage of taking that step. It says a lot about you, especially because at that time I'm pretty sure we weren't aware of how impactful the pandemic was going to be. We didn't know people were going to be focusing in their homes, renovating their homes, so probably you didn't know the scale of how big the business could be that you were going into.

Speaker 2: 6:20

Exactly and honestly like it was such a hard year but business-wise they scaled up that year and because you know, the market changed so much that year, people were renovating their homes and I think, honestly, that actually is what influenced me to get into interior design, because I saw the importance of creating a space in your home where you felt safe, where you felt comfortable and where you wanted to be at right, especially because we were dealing with quarantine. So I think it had I think, more than anything, the pandemic had a huge influence in my decision and in what I do now.

Speaker 1: 7:03

That's great. Another thing I was going to also add is also the importance of having an internship, because you mentioned you were in. You did paralegal before graduating or after graduating.

Speaker 2: 7:16

Yeah, it was before. In one of my classes I was I believe it was a constitutional law I had a friend that we were part of certain organizations on campus and I was pretty involved during my college years in organizations where I would want to be part of the executive boards. I was president of an organization and secretary of another one. Through those organizations and internships that I joined I learned how to develop leadership skills and I think that till this day I still use those in my business, having hard and difficult conversations with clients right At the time, maybe talking about difficult topics. So you learn a lot of skills in internships in organizations. It puts you out there also, and I think that that's honestly how I landed my first job and, although it wasn't something that you know I do now and I didn't stick to that field, it allowed an opportunity before I even graduated from college and I learned so much from it.

Speaker 1: 8:28

I resonate a lot with it and if I was to go back, something that I would do different in college is probably start internships right away, just so I could have gotten a different experience in different areas of business like marketing or finance. So I definitely think that's something that totally helped. Well, thank you so much. It's such an exciting journey and two different worlds, like I mentioned before, but I'm glad it's worked out and I'm really excited to continue to learn about your current background, which is in renovation and interior design. So let's get going with asking you uncover the inspiration behind your career, pivot from your educational background to the passion of the signed after being exposed to that world. Thinking about Casa Liminal, it's more than a contracting company. It's a passion for your exceptional design and inclusivity. So maybe you could just walk us through the genesis of Casa Liminal and how your value shape the projects you undertake. So really give us a story of Casa Liminal.

Speaker 2: 9:42

Yeah, of course. So, like I mentioned earlier, I started out in the painting business and one of the things I'm a person that I love, like I love being around people. I like building relationships with people and getting to know them During those projects. When I was managing paint projects for my dad's business, I would develop these relationships with clients. I learned is that sometimes they would deal with situations with, like, different contractors or they didn't know so much about the field or they wanted to do something with their home, but they didn't have the knowledge or the background and they just you hear different things throughout these projects. Again, like in talking with clients, they would ask me like hey, like we've had a great experience with you so far with this paint project and thank you so much for this information, but do you happen to know anyone that knows how to do this, or knows how to change a floor, or knows how to like I really want to renovate my ballroom and kitchen? Do you happen to know anyone? And, like I did, and because I was actually interested in like the project, because I would get so involved I mean I like didn't even care about was getting paid or not I would get involved that I was like managing not managing the contractor, but I was. I would literally be in conversation with, like the contractor and the client and we would like start planning the scope of the project and the design layout. And then, before I knew it, literally one of my clients told me they were like you run the whole project. You were like the GC on here and I was like, wait, like you're right, I was. So that's how I mean I started off of that.

Speaker 2: 11:30

Through the paint projects that I was working on, I realized that I had a passion for creating a space for my clients, building a relationship that was trustworthy and just being transparent with my clients and showing them, like, what they can do, what they can't do. All of that helped form Casa Liminal, because I was able to see that I did have something to offer to people to help them create the space and maybe give them a different experience that they've had before, and that was my push for it. I really wanted to create a business that was able to help people and get them their space that they wanted to. So that's how Casa Liminal started. I saw that there was a need for women in this field, for contractors that are women, and I was actually.

Speaker 2: 12:26

I'm actually surprised that there's not as many women in the field. There's a huge space for it and I think that there's huge opportunity for it, but I think that over time we've been intimidated, or maybe we step back a little bit because it's been a field that we haven't been told that we can necessarily get in it. Does that make sense? Yeah, so once I saw that, hey, like this is something that we can actually do, that I can do, that I can do, that I can, I think I'm good at, I realized that I wanted to start Casa Liminal and just be able to provide that service for clients.

Speaker 1: 13:06

That's amazing, it's super inspiring and I think it's very empowering because, now that you're mentioning, it's just clicking to me that there's actually probably two or three more friends of mine that are in the construction industry that it, like I mentioned, super empowering to know that you guys actually have the courage to go out into this space where I'm most likely you're sitting in a table with full of men, probably a full of males. I don't know if you're probably the only lady, the only female in the table, or maybe two, but I'm pretty sure you're sitting in a table with mainly males. I did want to ask you. So, if we go back to pandemic, when you first started, I want to hear a little bit about why the name of Casa Liminal and then, where did you start? You know, did you know you had to register your business? Did you like all these things more like on the administrative side of how to start up your own business? I don't know if you could share a little bit about that side.

Speaker 2: 14:13

Yeah, of course I have a good friend and she's a creative genius and I was telling her about my vision, right, that I wanted to have a woman-owned construction and design business and that I wanted to open up this space for women because there was so much opportunity for us in this field. We were just like bouncing ideas off of each other and through that conversation, so she mentioned a phrase called the liminal phase. So basically, a liminal phase is the transition period. So it can be something physical, emotional, mentally. It's that journey of transition in any sort of space. Again, that could be like something that you're mentally going through. That can be something that you are physically going through, but it's, it's a transition, but it's transformative.

Speaker 2: 15:03

So the way that I applied it to my business is I'm working in, yes, physical spaces and I am Working in mainly houses, but we're transforming them and renovation businesses. A Transitional period, right, we're transitioning something from what it was before To what the goal is, the new design. And so that's where you know came from and I decided I wanted to keep my roots also in my business and portray that, and so that's where gas I mean, I came from, because I wanted to Incorporate. You know the the house aspect of it, because I mainly work in residential, and also the liminal meaning had importance to what my business stood for. So that's where Casa Limeyna came from, and then also my last name is Limones. So I think so well Like this is, we're sticking to this. I.

Speaker 1: 16:05

Love that you know as the doing. As I heard about it, I the first thing that came to mind was all her last name. Like I knew your last name was Limones, but I thought that you kind of fixed a little bit, played with the words, and then I that's why I wanted to ask. I was like I wonder if it has to with her last name, but I Love, love, love that it has to do with the transition in different faces. And I, even though you have a goal in mind when you start a project, maybe for the owner you never know that's probably ongoing progress. Like, even though they finish a project with you, maybe in a few years they're gonna be wanting to keep, continue to making changes and improvements. And as time goes, I think we changed so much that also our space could change as well 100%.

Speaker 2: 16:59

Yeah, limeyna came from, but yeah, it's a psychology term and I just felt like it was fitting both like name-wise, what it stands for, and then what Casalina lists and what we do for others.

Speaker 1: 17:15

Awesome, great. And for the other second part of the question how did you know that? How to get your business.

Speaker 2: 17:25

So I did a lot of research right. My family they're pretty much all contractors to they're in the trades and one of my Goals when I first started out is that I mean they did things the right way. But I think that there is so much Improvement that had to be made from, like the way things were done before. Right, with technology nowadays, the way that businesses grow, the way that they're set up and sometimes like smaller businesses, especially in the contractor world or even in other fields, like you're not aware of certain things, there are certain resources that are that are out there to help you. So I did a ton of research on what I needed to register my business in the state, and that was creating the LLC. I Honestly, like I got on tiktok and I started looking up different Companies that helped you fire your LLC, cpas and whatnot, and that's actually how I connected with my current one. She filed the LLC for me. She handles all of that paperwork and she's been such a blessing because she makes me aware of like different resources that are out there. And again, it's all about like asking questions and not being afraid to ask questions and seeing if, like hey, is there something that can help me. She's led me in the right direction of like the way that things are supposed to be filed anytime, there's deadlines, and making sure that we are where we're supposed to be.

Speaker 2: 18:56

So the first step was creating the LLC. After I created the LLC, I created an email and created a Facebook. I started working on like our social media presence and that's how I started communicating with our current clients that we had at the time and then just Exposing ourselves a bit more and people started reaching out to us. So that's kind of how. How we got it was a.

Speaker 2: 19:21

It was literally just me at first when I started that's a liminal. Before that, I had a Small business with my cousin when we where we did kind of like a similar thing, but then he went out and he started developing here in Dallas and he does an amazing job at that. So we had a conversation and he went there and he was like I think you can handle this on your own. Like you have the ability, you're great with clients, I think you should go on your own. Literally just me and I filed the LLC. I was handling all the contractors, the client communication, all of the social media admin, all of that, and now I actually have my first employee. So you start literally little by little, but it's been. It's been great.

Speaker 1: 20:12

Congratulations. Sure, it's so much, and hiring your first employee should be something that it should be celebrating big time, because Especially a small to medium business owner know what it's like to go through everything alone and then just having an extra pair of hands, an extra person, makes a Whole difference. I'm sure they're important from your family to believing you and to push you and to Put yourself out there, letting you know that you know you can do it alone. You don't need my help anymore. You, you're good to go and do it alone. So I very important to have the support of your family as well.

Speaker 2: 20:51

Yeah, no for sure. Like when he told me I was like no.

Speaker 1: 20:54

What are you?

Speaker 2: 20:54

doing Well, like you got this, like you can do it, so it's been a great. Like it's, it's been good I.

Speaker 1: 21:02

Thank you. Thank you for sharing and now that we're talking a little bit more about your business. Well, so a lot of people probably are looking into starting their own business, about how to start, or maybe some people have their business outside of the US and they're trying to start it in the US. Do you have to have a lawyer to register your LLC, do you? I remember there's like sole proper tireship LLC. I can't remember exactly what the differences are and we're not going to go into detail, but what would you suggest on where to start for a business owner to go to get their LLC registered?

Speaker 2: 21:42

So you can. I know that there's attorneys that do this for you. I highly recommend hiring someone to do it. You have access to do it on your own, but there's so many different things that you need to know if that makes sense, how you want to register it, if you want to have managing members. There's just so many different aspects to it that I highly recommend hiring someone so that they can help you, because they know exactly like they ask you. Okay, how does your business operate? Does it benefit you to have an LLC or to have a sole proprietorship? So it's just I.

Speaker 2: 22:24

From my experience, I recommend either hiring a lawyer or someone. In my experience, it was RCPA that does it. So hiring someone that is a professional in filing LLCs and filing businesses, it's super important that. I highly recommend that because I think before actually the first business that I did with my cousin, I filed it on our own and later on the person that filed my LLC for Casa Aliminan she came on. She actually had to make a correction because everything was right but there was like one box that I didn't check correctly that affected my filing status. So she had to make a correction and it was something small, but it definitely impacted me. So I highly recommend looking for either an attorney, looking for a professional that fires, files them, or, yeah, just doing the research with that.

Speaker 1: 23:24

Okay, Thank you. Do you have any idea? Do you remember at all an estimate of how much it cost?

Speaker 2: 23:30

Yeah, at the time yeah, at the time with filing fees and her fee, she charged me $700. I think since then they've gone up in general, but I know she was also just starting out. But she charged me $700 for the state fee and her fee.

Speaker 1: 23:50

Okay, All right, thank you. Thank you for sharing the knowledge and hopefully it'll be helpful for other people to know this information. I did want to talk a little bit about balancing. So how do you navigate these different facets of the business, ensuring quality timelines, client satisfactions? Can you talk a little bit about how you balance and how you make sure that everything gets done and you are accountable and you know who's accountable for the different sites of the project?

Speaker 2: 24:26

Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh my gosh. This is yeah. I think this has been like one of the hardest parts of the business, especially going from like a one woman team to now me and Jackie. So I think it's about delegating. Like the only way to balance it is being able to delegate well with your team, with me now. It's being able to trust that she can handle her responsibilities, and also delegating certain tasks to our subcontractors and knowing that, like I, can trust them and I mean it's not always perfect, like some, every day, I'm probably hit with a new surprise. So, balancing, I think, more than anything, yeah, you have to learn how to be able to delegate, how to communicate with your clients too, and be able to be transparent and honest with them so that expectations are where they're supposed to be at.

Speaker 2: 25:25

I mean at first. It was hard at first, those days that you know I work from 7am to midnight and I was doing that before. I still have my nights that I do that. There also has been a shift where I have learned how to trust that someone else can handle their responsibilities, and then that also gives me some free time. So I think in order to be able to balance owning a business in your different parts of your business, you have to learn how to trust others to handle their responsibilities and be able to delegate those responsibilities to others. So I think that that's like a major factor in what's helped me this past couple months.

Speaker 1: 26:08

Yeah, it's so hard. I think it's so hard to let go of something that you've been working on by yourself and just it's easier said than done, like, okay, yeah, I'm gonna hire someone, I'm gonna delegate, I'm gonna trust my team. Obviously you're gonna hire someone that you trust, but then when it actually happens, I think it's a challenge to let it go and make sure that you trust this person to do the job that you do, or the better job.

Speaker 2: 26:43

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's hard, and I think I mean honestly mistakes happen, situations happen, whether you're controlling the situation or someone else is controlling it. Things happen and that's just part of every job. So, yeah, I agreed, letting go was probably the hardest, but I think that, in order to grow and in order to get better at something, you have to ask for help and you have to teach, and that, I mean, that's something that I learned along the way, and I also learned that in school you know you, when I was part of these organizations you have to be able to communicate and teach others so that you can also grow, and I think Orion makes you a better leader too.

Speaker 1: 27:27

Yes, yes, I also training. It's another thing that I am looking. I've been working on getting better love for me to share my knowledge, but articulating and doing all the training it's such a challenge, but thank you so much for sharing. I'm looking at the time. I'm like thinking like, wow, it's already almost time, but we have a few minutes so hopefully we'll get through all the questions. So, as a business owner, diversity and inclusion are at the core of Casa Liminals. I can, I can see it because of Jackie that you hired, which I'm thinking she's the one that you hired. So how do you promote? I mean, it's pretty clear, but if there is other ways that you promote this principles in the industry that you know that traditionally might not be as diverse, I can already you kind of already answer this by hiring another woman into the business. But if there is, if there are other ways that you promote these principles within the industry, what would those be?

Speaker 2: 28:31

Like you said, like hiring I'm not close stuff at all there is so much room for women in this industry, whether it's like out on the job sites, you know, doing actual labor or doing office management or project management.

Speaker 2: 28:46

So I think, more than anything, the way that I have shown it is like making sure that I show up and that I expose that myself as an example right and the business as an example like hey, like we can actually do this, and I think it's more than anything is taking away that intimidating feeling that maybe people had before.

Speaker 2: 29:12

What has helped me has been like asking questions do not be scared to ask for help, like people are here to help you. But I think that because this field has always been portrayed as a male dominated industry, we get scared. I've been intimidated by clients. I've been intimidated by asking other builders or general contractors that are these, like you know, like big men in the field working, but sometimes these are like the nicest people that are willing to help you out, and so I think that showing up and showing that I'm there can be a good example to other women. You can do this. The field is open for all of us. You just have to ask questions and continue showing up and put yourself out there. So I think, more than anything, that's how I have promoted that there is that this field is super diverse and there is opportunity for everyone.

Speaker 1: 30:08

Awesome. Yeah, no, but that's a great way. I mean, showing up is the best thing you can do, because you're setting an example for others, not only not only for your team, but also for other women in the field.

Speaker 2: 30:23

Totally and really like now that I have, is that like if I have any daughters, I'll be able to say like, hey, like if you want to build a house, you can rest. Before it was like you know, you go to law school or you can be a doctor, you can be this. But now it's like hey, there's this industry also available to you.

Speaker 1: 30:43

Yeah, that's, that's great. That's a great example to be setting up for your legacy. Next question I'm going to ask over the last three years of experience, you've seen the transformative power of design. Can you share a project that stands out to you, one where you felt the impact of your work when beyond aesthetics and truly touch the lives of your clients?

Speaker 2: 31:10

Yeah. So this one's also hard because I feel like this is a question for this. I hope that I touch like their lives and I impact their lives, and I mean I think I do because they keep on referring me to clients. I mean most of my businesses were to mouth driven but I've had so many like come to Jesus moments in my job where I'm like, wow, this is truly meant for me through referrals, because this just happened.

Speaker 2: 31:40

I had a new client I was working on her house and then a previous client that I had referred me to someone else, so I went to go look at this other house while working on the other project. Turns out that my client my present client was actually moving out of that other house and I got that job not through my current client at the time but through my previous client and they don't know each other. So that was like a full circle moment where I was like, oh my God, like I feel aligned. This is this makes me feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be and I hope that I can transmit that feeling to my client's life and be able to provide that same end energy in their home, where they feel at peace, where they feel aligned, where they feel at home. So I hope so, yeah, and then I'm pretty sure Sorry go ahead.

Speaker 2: 32:36

So one of my clients I we were working on their home it's a full go renovation while his wife was pregnant and now they're living in their home and I'm seeing you know baby grow up on their stories and it's just so cute seeing him grow because I'm like, oh my gosh, I was a part of like building that home and I'm glad that you know the their baby has a home to grow up in and it's just so sweet seeing it.

Speaker 1: 33:05

How special, it's, such an amazing industry that I myself never really had an eye for it. But now that I am married to a civil engineer and he also has some background in construction, and now listening to you, everything is just clicking to me. And it's so true. I mean you are making a significant impact in people's lives because their home is their everything, it's their home base, it's a sanctuary. It's amazing of what the industry is like. Moving on to a little bit more of my favorite topic and connection with the interior design and renovation, but making the style connection, obviously I love your fashion style, I love how you dress and I want to hear from you how do you see the connection between fashion and interior design and how does your personal style influence the project that you take on, or vice versa?

Speaker 2: 34:13

Yeah, yeah, I mean it's totally connected. I think it's so synchronized with each other because they're I mean when I think about and actually now that I'm thinking about, I think that my projects influence my style a lot, if I'm going to be honest, because I mean when you're dressing up or when you're styling a home, or when you're thinking of the way that you're going to design it, color comes into place Like how do I want my client to feel in their home when they walk into the space? What kind of mood, what kind of energy, what is their identity? How can I bring in color and textures and shades into their home that makes them feel closer to who they are? And I think that when I dress too like, I think about like how does a certain color make me feel? How do I feel when I'm in certain fabrics and textures? And I think all of that produces energy. How do I feel my most comfortable self?

Speaker 2: 35:16

So I think it's super connected and I think that my I have been falling more into place and feeling more comfortable into what my design style is and, being risky, that I have transitioned that into my personal style too. Some days I want to wear nothing but neutrals, which is what we're told we feel more comfortable in, but then I bring in a pop of color, which is what I like to do in my job too. In my projects incorporate color. Yeah, I've seen my style evolve as my career and my design experience has evolved too, but I think that I'm getting that validation from my interior design point of view and how that's going, if that makes sense. But it's all interconnected. It's about how comfortable you feel, whether it's in your space and in the clothes that you wear, and I'm all about that.

Speaker 1: 36:16

I'm all about how the energy that's produced yes, no, it totally makes sense, and I believe that you can tell a lot about a person as soon as you walk in the house, and you can tell a lot about a person as soon as you see how they're dressed. I think that first impressions do matter, because the first time you see someone, that's how you're probably going to remember them, and then the second time it's like okay, yeah, it's the second time, but it's more about, like the first time you walk in a house and you take a look at it, you see where everything's at and the textures, the colors. Focusing a little bit more in the principles of fashion and probably principles of interior design, such as color, texture, style, how do those aligned with the principles of designing living spaces? It might be a repetitive question, but I don't know if you have something to add to this question. You probably answered it already.

Speaker 2: 37:25

No, no. I think that, again, it's a way of embracing your identity right. And I think that the principles of fashion when you're talking about textures, textiles, when you're talking about fabrics and color, and the way that you style different things, whether you layer them or not Again there are a way of you showing who you are and your identity. And I think that as you get older, you start leaving certain trends behind and you start feeling more comfortable in things that you like. That truly caught your name right. And I think it's the same thing with interior design.

Speaker 2: 38:02

When you're working on your home, I always tell people take your time, Don't go and buy everything all at once because you're going to do what's trendy and then, like a couple months later, you're going to walk in and you're going to be like I don't feel like this is me, because it's changing so fast. Trends nowadays change like in a week. So I think that the same principles that you like and fashion that make you feel comfortable, those same colors if you start applying that in your interior design, that's when your home starts being more you, and I think that that's important for your home to say like, hey, this is, this is someone, so's home. This is Bianca's home. I can see that she lives here. I can see that this is her house through the colors that she used, through the art that she chose. I can tell that she likes history, things like that. So it's it's 100% interconnected, it's synchronized. It's all about the energy it produces and the identity that it shows. I think fashion and interior design are all about showing our identities.

Speaker 1: 39:10

Great, thank you. Thank you so much for sharing this. It's, it's, it's so inspiring and now it makes me want to come in my house and take a second peek at it and and see what what I can, I can do to it. I want to be respectful of your time because I know we already hit the mark, but there's just two more questions, if you have just two more minutes, and these are one what ignites your creative flame? This is a question that I'd like to ask everyone that I'm interviewing, because I think it's very interesting to learn what ignites people's creative flame. So, what ignites your creative flame?

Speaker 2: 39:50

I think it's funny that you asked this because I think, as a when I was younger, I was a little bit more in tune with my creative side, and I'm there now and I'm getting there.

Speaker 2: 40:04

But you go through a period where you kind of like let go of that, like working a corporate job or like the real world kind of takes that away from you. But what ignites me is, you know, going to different estate sales, going to different vintage shops, museums, like outside flea markets, where you have a little bit of everything, and then you start seeing different pieces from different eras and then you see how like design was made in that specific era. And I've always been like, kind of like okay, maybe I should try this out with this, that doesn't compliment each other out and I just want to see how it looks kind of curious in that aspect. So I think, like getting inspiration from visiting these places and seeing different curious things from different eras keep my creativity going. Go, go to an estate sale or your closest vintage shop. And also traveling, like when you travel you see a ton of like design inspiration through buildings, through museums. Yeah, traveling has a lot to do with it.

Speaker 1: 41:18

I raised my hand up and, yes, traveling gets definitely a way to spark that creativity. And last question that I do like to ask people who I've been interviewing is about a trade secret of yours.

Speaker 2: 41:35

I think a trade secret would be being patient and even if you're DIYing your own home, be patient with it. Go, source different material. Ask them if they have any sort of discounts Most places do. Sometimes your contractor will share that price with you, that discount with you. Sometimes your interior designer will share that. I do. I share my trade discounts. But also like, ask questions, take your time. Don't go and want to remodel them like the shortest amount of time and because one you're going to probably spend the most money but there's so many resources that we don't know. So ask your interior designer friends, ask your contractor friends if they get any trade discounts that they can share. Yeah, I think that that's something I would tell people take your time and ask around.

Speaker 1: 42:28

Thank you. Now I know who to ask, yeah, so that's a great one to share. Thank you. Well, I'm extremely grateful for you to even consider coming in here, because I know this could be a little bit of putting yourself out there, so I'm so glad you're doing it with me. We're putting ourselves out there together. Thank you for having me on here.

Speaker 1: 42:53

As we wrap up this insightful conversation with Bianca Limones, I'm left truly inspired by her journey and her dedication to creating positive change. Bianca, your story serves as a reminder that with passion, perseverance and commitment to make a difference, anything is possible To our listeners. Thank you for joining us on another interview episode and on this journey of discovery. Remember to subscribe for more inspiring conversations. Give us your comments and feedback and until next time, keep sparking and hustling.