Owner & Lead Designer of New Mode Home, Alessia Lamonaca, recently sat down with Jeff Gartner from the Good Neighbour Podcast for a conversation about entrepreneurship and her path into interior design. Listen as Alessia shares her beliefs on design’s profound impact on mental well-being, and her commitment to making design accessible to everyone. This podcast offers a glimpse into Alessia's passion for crafting timeless and inspiring spaces and New Mode Home’s virtual-first and tech-forward approach to interior design to empower and delight clients across the globe.

Read the transcript below.

Jeff: Welcome to another episode of The Good Neighbour podcast. Today we have another good neighbour, Alessia of New Mode Home. Alessia, welcome to the show.

Alessia: Hi, nice to meet you. Thank you for having me.

Jeff: We're excited to have a conversation with you to learn about you and New Mode Home, so I think that's a great place to start. What is New Mode Home? What do you do, Alessia?

Alessia: We are a leading interior decorating and staging firm based out of Barrie, Ontario that specializes in creating beautifully functional interiors for both residential and commercial clients. We offer virtual and full-service options to cater to the diverse budgets and needs of our clients, and we're on a mission to simplify the interior decorating process and make well-designed spaces more accessible to everyone.

Jeff: Wow, you said that so flawlessly; it's like you've said it before. And is this your business, Alessia?

Alessia: It is, yes.

Jeff: Okay, so I find a big part of this whole podcast experience that we're going through is to really learn about humans. I find human beings and our limits (or our lack thereof) fascinating. A part of that is the storytelling, like what's the story behind it? So, what brought you to starting your own business, and what led you to interior design?

Alessia: My path into interior design was not a straight line by any means. You know, growing up, I had a lot of different creative hobbies. I really loved photography, I did some acting, I taught myself graphic design in high school, so I kind of dabbled in a bunch of different things. I ended up going to film school, and I worked in a variety of different creative industries before I ended up in corporate marketing. I rose up quickly, and I had a lot of success in that corporate world. But it really all kind of changed for me after I purchased my first home. I'd always been really fascinated by beautiful interiors, and I would save photos of spaces that inspired me. I created digital mood boards all the time for fun, well before I even had a place of my own. So when I finally had an opportunity to decorate my own home, I was really excited by that idea, and I found myself just totally becoming obsessed with the process. And then one night, during the pandemic, I sat on my couch and I started the New Mode Home Instagram account. The intent of it was to post inspiration and just share my own decorating journey. But I started getting messages from people in my network that were asking for help in their own spaces. They're like, "Hey, you're really good at this. Do you mind helping us out with our space?" So there was that. And then I think I also started to recognize that the market had changed. Millennials like me can barely even kind of afford a home, let alone an interior designer. But at the same time, they still needed help pulling their space together. So I saw a gap in the market that I could fill.

Today, the business has evolved into a full-service firm. And in addition to our primary decorating services, we've also introduced staging services. So we'll help realtors and sellers enhance their property listings. We also help our architects, builders, and other designers with things like 3D rendering and styling for photo shoots. But I will say that I've always been passionate just about storytelling, so it's interesting that you brought that up. It's I think part of the reason I studied film. It's why I got into marketing—I was really helping brands convey their brand message. And now, in assisting homeowners in telling their own personal stories through their home. To me, design is not about art. It's really about storytelling and solving a problem. And if you can make it look really beautiful, then that, I think, is an added bonus. But ultimately I'm really driven by my desire to just think big and bring big ideas to life. At the heart of it, my goal is to create timeless spaces and livable spaces that inspire and delight our clients. It's been a really incredible journey so far. And I'm grateful every day to do what I love and to share it with the world.

Jeff: I love it. And I can hear the passion in your voice. So many of our guests that come on the show, entrepreneurs really love what they do. But I like that you bring up the storytelling part. I mean, in a way its a form of communication for us. I mean, it's an extension of our being in a way. And not all of us know how to communicate that way. I certainly do not. So I need to go to people that are experts to teach me how to communicate, just like I would learn a new language. And so I love that you're doing that and have the full-service suite for people. It goes deeper than just designing walls inside your house. It has deeper meaning than that is what you're saying. And it's really impactful for me when there is a deeper meaning to what on the surface looks like doesn't have a deeper meaning and people can find their purpose through that and really impacting other people's lives.

Alessia: You want [your space] to be sophisticated, but it's also about being practical, right? You want [it] to function the way that you need it to, whether it's your business or your home. So that's kind of what is kind of driving it for me.

Jeff: So something that is important on this show is quality information. My information inside my head dictates the decisions that I'm about to make. If that information inside my head is inaccurate or of poor quality, then I'm probably going to be making poor quality decisions. So we talk about myths and misconceptions on the show. There are myths and misconceptions for pretty much everything out there. Finding the right information is difficult..it's not hard to gather information; it's hard to gather correct information. So what kind of myths and misconceptions come to mind for you regarding your industry that we could help clarify for the audience?

Alessia: I think the biggest one that I hear a lot is that you need to be wealthy or have a huge budget to hire a decorator. We really believe that anyone can build the space of their dreams with a budget of virtually any size. The truth is, it's really just about understanding where to pinch pennies and where to splurge a little bit for the biggest impact. Sometimes, you might need to consider slightly reducing the scope of the project or maybe eliminating a thing or two. But I always like to tell my clients that I spend their money like it's my own. If I can come in under budget, then I always will. And if they don't know what a realistic budget is or where to start, we can help them figure that out.

Another myth that I hear a lot is that decorating can be done quickly, kind of like what you see on TV. In reality, it often takes weeks or even months to complete, depending on the scope of the project. It definitely involves careful planning and decision-making. You have to source materials and coordinate with contractors and vendors, and all of that really does take time. I often see people rushing to fill their homes with furniture just to “get it done.” They'll go and purchase a set from a big box store instead of thoughtfully planning it out and taking their time to source pieces that they really love. And then, they'll come to me a year later with regrets most of the time.

The last one I would say is that a lot of people think it's just too expensive to hire a decorator. While hiring a decorator is an investment, most of the time, it actually ends up costing clients more if they don't hire someone. People are shocked when I say that, but we tend to not realize how much it actually costs to decorate a home because when we do it ourselves, we do it slowly. So, when we hear a number in a lump sum, there's typically sticker shock, and it can deter people. But they end up spending the same or more doing it on their own. Without a plan, they typically go over budget, make costly mistakes, waste money and time running around and doing returns on the weekend. Not to mention, they also don't consider the cost of their own time and the stress of doing it themselves, so I think it's important to consider how much that's worth to you.

Jeff: I love that you said that last part there. I could decorate my house, doesn't mean it's gonna be good, but I could get it to the point of livability, whereas I could not build a house. But I could put paintings on the wall, I got a couple of things here and there, and I guess you could call that decorating. Some blinds, some pillows, things like that. But if it's important to me and I want to decorate it in a certain way, my first thought is going to be, who can I hire to reduce my time and my stress? Because my time is worth more to me than the cost. It seems like redundancy to people… If you're already good at this thing, why would you hire somebody to help you with it? I would ask you, how much do you value your time and calmness of mind? Is money worth more than time and stress to you? My answer will always be, it doesn't even compare.

Alessia: Right, exactly. Some people love the process of decorating, and some people just hate it and get decision fatigue. And you know, even myself. it's funny, I can do it so well for other people, but when it comes to myself, sometimes it's hard to make decisions. So I think having someone else lead you through that process is really helpful and valuable.

Jeff: Yeah, they just narrow your path. And, I absolutely agree. Some of the most successful people out there that we think of, if you think of influencers or business moguls, they have expert help, all of them do. And if they're so focused on the bottom line, they wouldn't be spending money on people if it wasn't important, if it didn't make their situation more valuable. You know, I could cut my own grass. I get somebody to cut it because that's an extra three hours I get a week.

So, outside of the business, what do you get up to for fun?

Alessia: It's funny you ask that, actually, because I feel like toward the end of my marketing career when I was feeling really unsatisfied in my role, I was deciding, “okay, what's next for me?” And I read a quote that said something along the lines of, “to figure out what you want to do in life, look to the things that you do for fun”. I am just obsessed with consuming design-related content. I watch videos and shows, I read books, I listen to podcasts. I'm just constantly learning about the industry and learning how to be a better designer. And I love looking at beautiful spaces also to help train my eye and I always have. So, that's really how I spend a lot of my free time. And I think that really speaks to how much I really love what I do. But aside from that, typically, on a weekend, you can find my partner and I out at a local new restaurant or out and about supporting different local businesses. And I also really love to travel. Exploring new places is typically where I get a lot of my inspiration for my work, so I try to do it as often as I can.

Jeff: I love it. I think there is so much to be said [about traveling] and I think it's just so enriching for us humans to see these different sides of life. I think it helps make us more aware, just better people. So what do you have for recommendations for travel, Alessia?

Alessia: Every time I go somewhere new I try to experience it as best I can as a local. So, I tend to be on Google a lot, looking up before my trip where to go and where people spend time, and try to avoid tourist traps. You know, at first, maybe if it's the first time you've gone there, you can't do that and you want to go see the Eiffel Tower or whatever. But, you know, if you have been there before, ideally maybe skip that and go do something different that you haven't done before. I think it just really allows you to open up your world and see a bunch of different things.

Jeff: So, exploring newness is essentially what you're saying. I love it.

So, one of the I think most important questions on the show is we talk about doing hard things. I think a lot of us would agree that some of the most pivotal moments in our life were the most challenging. And we want to be a part of that trend that highlights these challenging moments as not something to be ashamed about. So, I'd like to ask you, are there any trials and tribulations, life hardships that you've been through that probably [didn’t feel good] in the moment, but when you look back in hindsight, you wouldn't pull that experience out of the recipe that is you, because it helped you lead a better life, and help you enjoy your life more as you do now?

Alessia: Yeah, definitely. There were a couple of things. In University, I co-founded a tech startup with my mom, and it taught me a lot. It didn't end up going to plan the way that we had hoped. At the time, it was just a mix of different things that happened. But that was my, well, first my introduction to entrepreneurship and second, you know, it was kind of the first hard thing that happened in my life. The second, you know, [when] I graduated, I got my dream job out of University as an assistant producer for a production company, and I was loving my job, [but] I was laid off, and that was really hard. And it ended up happening two more times in my 12-year marketing career. So, that was really a hard pill to swallow at the time and it was hard not to take that personally and, you know, think that it had something to do with me, even though there were a variety of different reasons it happened. But despite all of that, I ended up working my way into a Director role before I turned 30. I got nominated actually for the Forbes 30 under 30 list. I didn't ultimately make that list, but it was a really huge moment for me. But at the same time, while that was happening, I wasn't feeling creatively fulfilled in my role. So, in a way, I kind of took those layoffs as a sign. It was like the universe was telling me “you're not really supposed to be doing this, this isn't for you”. And it was difficult for me when I was dealing with all of it, but it definitely made me more resilient as a result. So I think going back to that startup, I really just had that entrepreneurial bug, and I knew that I would eventually be working for myself. So, that last layoff is really when I decided to just invest in myself and commit to the business full-time.

Jeff: I want to ask you, through these hard things, what were some key takeaways, things that you learn, things that you can say for sure this hard thing led to me learning this which made me a more valuable version of myself?

Alessia: Yeah, the first thing I think it was just understanding, you know, sometimes these things happen, you can't control everything, and you just have got to move forward and keep pushing yourself, and keep going through the hard stuff, and eventually, you'll come out on the other end of it, probably better than where you were at. And then I would say, in terms of becoming an entrepreneur, I knew that was going to be a risk to do it again. I'd already not really been able to do it successfully the first time. But really, for me, the passion kind of overtook that, and I guess it was, in a way, easier because I had sort of been doing it part-time while I was working, so I did have a bit of a model set up and a process for it, and I had proven that it was possible. But, you know, I would definitely say, if you can, dip a toe in and then make the leap because a lot of people will go 100%. They'll just quit their job and hope for the best, and I think it's [helpful] to kind of do it a little bit more slowly if you have the opportunity to.

Jeff: Love it, thank you for sharing that. These are important stories for people to hear. I am on to my fourth business. Each one has gotten more successful than the last. The first one was fitness, went pretty well. It was small, so I was just entering it, so I chalk it up as a very valuable experience for me. It wasn't incredibly profitable, but we did okay. I was able to sell it. My second business was horrible, so it's like normally it gets better each time after the next, not always the case. The second business was horrible, HVAC. It was a brutal experience, but I really needed that punch in the gut to remind me why I was doing what I was doing. I was chasing money then. I left the fitness world because I wanted to make more money. It wasn't about impacting people. I was more selfish then, and it just kicked my ass. And then came out of that and gone into the marketing world and then counseling at the addiction facility, kind of two-in-one, much more focused on human beings. And for anybody out there thinking that selflessness isn't a good business model, it can be very good and it's very fulfilling too.

Alessia: That's part of the reason I started, too. I love helping people, and I wasn't able to do that in my job. So it's a great mix of, you know, helping people, being creative, and all of the things that I really love doing.

Jeff: Yeah, it's amazing when you can align your values with who you want to be in the world and attach that in some way to impacting others. When you can get those two things, 'this is the person that I want to be' and 'through that person, I can help these people reach their goals or become the people they want to be', it's an amazing sweet spot that not everybody gets to. It sounds like you are there, and that's just a very rare thing, and it comes through in your speech when you're talking about your work.

So if you could distill all the learnings that you've had, all the value that you have about your business and your head for us people that don't know much about interior design down into one statement you would want our audience to know about you and your business, what would that be?

Alessia: I would want people to know that I intentionally built the business to be virtual-first. While we’re absolutely able to take on local full-service projects, I've also really developed a process around virtual design so that no matter what your proximity is to us, we're able to help you really seamlessly from anywhere. And I think we take a unique approach to some of the visualizations that we do. I'm a really highly visual person, and I need to see and understand how all of the elements of a room are going to work together to make an informed decision, and I think a lot of other people are like that too. So when I present my work, it's in a way that really helps clients visualize the final result in the most realistic way. It's important that our clients are able to take all of that guesswork out of the equation, and I think that's what really sets us apart.

Jeff: A mentor who's had the most impact on me encouraged me to think about my impact in the most simplest sense. What do I want to be my net impact on this planet? Positive? Negative? It's something I think about a lot. So, Alessia, I’d like to ask you, what would you like your impact to be?

Alessia: I think, obviously, creating beautiful, inspiring spaces that people can enjoy is definitely part of that. And I think it's also a mix of the things that I've already said, the storytelling aspect and also being able to make design more accessible to people and people who think “maybe I can't afford that” or “I can't have a nice space because it's too much money”. I want everyone to be able to live in a space or work in a space that they really love.

Jeff: Yeah, I think that's great. I mean, I didn't think environment had such a [big] impact on me, but now, you know, I look around this space and I have awards that really make me proud of myself, my books. I have my gym right beside, so unintentionally, I put these things near me that meant so much to me. So now, if you came into my environment, you could say, "Okay, this is what this guy values”. It's an extension of who I am. I am, in a way, without knowing it, communicating with myself and the people that visit. But it's also my sanctuary. Like, this is my space that is very comfortable for me, and I just didn't know that environments had such a big impact. I thought it was like, you know, if I make it fancier, it can be more valuable. I could sell it for more. But it's more like, no, I'm living here. I don't know how long I'm going to be in this place. So why not create an environment that is special to you?

Alessia: Yeah, it's important to surround yourself with things that you love and your accomplishments. And there have been studies that have shown that [your environment] can have an impact on mental health. There's so much you can do with design, and it's not just about creating a beautiful space.

Jeff: Yeah, no, I believe it. I'm a big follower of a couple of different types of philosophy. One of them is Buddhist, and they talk about your environment being an extension of your mind. If you have a chaotic mind, you probably have a chaotic environment. If you clean up your environment, it could be the thing that leads to having a more calm mind. So having that calm environment is a high priority to me.

I love that your impact is so rooted in helping other people. It really is something to commit our lives to living a good life. We should consider how we impact other people and how we can help them. You're making the world a better place, you know, little by little, connecting one person after the other. I think it's great. How can people find out about you?

Alessia: They can follow us across social media. Our handle is @newmodehome. We're always posting inspiration and updates there. But they can also visit our website, newmodhome.com, or they can email us at info@newmodehome.com. And on the site, you can book a free discovery call and discuss your next project with us, so we'd love to hear from you.

Jeff: I love that people can reach out to you and learn more information without spending that dollar right away. They can connect with you to get to know and get used to you. Some businesses charge right from the gate if you want to talk to me, it's a hundred bucks an hour in some cases. So I love that you do that. It provides less friction for people getting to know you and your business and learning some things and how it can impact their life.

Alessia: Yeah, [it gives us an opportunity to] get to know each other, and I can understand a little bit more about what they're looking for to make sure it's also a good fit for us too. It's just a good opportunity to hear more about what they're trying to accomplish and [see] if it’s the right fit for them as well.

Jeff: I love it, Alessia. You have been great to speak to. You speak very eloquently, and you're very efficient with describing what you do. There's a ton of passion behind your words, and I love that you've aligned with what you want to do out in the world with a business that now can help so many people. It's really been great getting to know you and chatting with you today, Alessia.

Alessia: You as well, Jeff, thank you so much for having me.

*This transcript has been edited for conciseness and clarity. The original language and content have been preserved to the best extent possible.