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How did your career in furniture design begin?
I’ve always had a latent interest in furniture design and interiors—my grandmother was an architect and interior designer, and her creativity influenced the aesthetics of all my childhood homes. I loved how her vision and guidance could transform a house into a home through intentional design. It wasn’t until college that I tried my own hand at interior design during an internship at a design firm. Fast forward seven years—after graduating and working on Wall Street in various roles, I found myself in business school, contemplating a career pivot. During my time there, I was inspired by my classmates, many of whom were launching their own ventures. That’s when I had an "ah-ha" moment—I could explore my passion for interiors while leveraging my business background and knowledge set. That’s how Retroloop came to be, and it’s been such a fulfilling and refreshing journey so far.
Tell us about your sustainable furniture brand, Retroloop!
In cities like New York, the sight of abandoned furniture lining the streets is all too common—it's a visible reminder of a larger problem: the excessive disposal of furniture. Every year, Americans discard approximately 12 million tons of furniture (about 67 million pounds a day), with nearly 80% ending up in landfills. That’s why Retroloop was born. Retroloop creates intentional home pieces inspired by the past, produced through planet-approved, modern practices. Our products are crafted by skilled furniture artisans in North Carolina, using non-toxic, natural, and recycled materials. At the core of Retroloop’s ethos is a commitment to redefining our relationship with furniture, steering away from disposable—or "fast furniture"—and adopting a circular model that aims to prevent furniture from ending up on the streets, and thus, in our landfills.
What’s your favorite part about the New York creative community?
Given my non-traditional background, I definitely still feel like a newbie within the creative community here. But I’ve been blown away by how open and welcoming people are. You’d be surprised by how interconnected your network can be in New York—I’ve made so many connections through friends of friends. As a first-time founder, connecting with other like-minded founders and creatives has been pivotal to our business. Everyone that I’ve spoken to has been incredibly generous with their advice and collaboration. Retroloop wouldn’t be where it is today without the invaluable support and insights from the connections we’ve made here.
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We love Retroloops circular model that includes repair initiatives and a buyback program! Can you tell us a bit how that will work?
While our furniture is built to last, we understand that life happens and that some wear and tear is inevitable: a new puppy chewing on your sofa legs, a child discovering the novelty of scissors, or a stubborn stain that won’t come out. To avoid disposing of an entire piece of furniture, we offer replacement parts, such as sofa arms and slipcovers. This encourages our customers to repair rather than replace their sofas, aligning with our ethos of longevity and sustainability. We also plan to introduce a buy-back program, which will allow customers to sell their used Retroloop furniture to other customers directly on our website. This secondhand marketplace will extend the lifetime of Retroloop products, granting these pieces a second life rather than consigning them to the landfill.
Do you have a favorite furniture designer right now?
There are so many! But I love Lulu LaFortune’s ethos of creating high-quality, heirloom products that are designed to withstand the test of time. I can’t wait to get my hands on a Watts Table Lamp one day!
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