ANTROBUS DESIGN COLLECTIVE. was established by Interior Designer, Alison Antrobus in 2002, serving as a platform to grow her Luxury Boutique Interior Design Studio, catering to a plethora of high-profile clients. With her exceptional skills and sterling reputation, she has garnered worldwide recognition and fostered long-lasting relationships with her clientele over the past two decades. Beyond Interior Design, Alison’s creativity also sparked the design of a unique watch band for PHILIP STEIN watches, featured on Oprah, and a Patented Handbag, which caught the eye of the fashion world and earned her appearances on CNBC’s “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch” and The TODAY SHOW along with a feature in the coveted fashion publication, “WWD” Woman’s Wear Daily.
Alison’s design philosophy and foundation can be attributed to her Caribbean roots and her distinctive academic background at The Rhode Island School of Design, where she obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Architecture. Her innate talent as a Visual Artist, coupled with her training at RISD, allows her to approach Interior + Product Design from various perspectives such as that of a Painter, Sculptor, Fashion Designer, and Artist, resulting in a multi-layered narrative unique to each project.
Throughout her career, Alison was invited to lead the Miami studio for YOO Ltd, a London-based Design Development firm led by John Hitchcox and design icon, Philippe Starck. “Working alongside a design legend like Philippe Starck was an opportunity of a lifetime,” says Antrobus. “His influence on me will remain forever.” Early on in Alison’s career she also had the incredible honor to work as a liaison for Legendary Designers, Axel Vervoordt and David Hicks for projects in Miami which she refers to as her “Master’s Degree in Design”.
Building a Culture
Alison firmly believes that regardless of the type of team you lead, your personal values, character, and overall identity greatly influence the direction of your business. The foundation of ANTROBUS DESIGN COLLECTIVE’s culture reflects Alison’s diverse background and life experiences, including growing up in the Caribbean, having parents who broke barriers in medicine and equality, and her education both at The Rhode Island School of Design and her “apprenticeships” with Design Legends along the way. Most importantly, Alison maintains that it is her experiences of being a woman in business that continues to shape the culture of her studio.
From Closet Office to Industry Leader
After graduating from college, Alison realized that she had a strong desire to start her own business. After her first job at Perkins and Will, she finally got the chance to do so. She converted a closet in her apartment into a home office and the rest is history. From these humble beginnings, ANTROBUS DESIGN COLLECTIVE has flourished into a leader in the Design Industry, decorated with multiple Awards, Published works, and a long roster of A-list Clients from around the World.
Creative Storytelling and Diverse Design
ANTROBUS DESIGN COLLECTIVE specializes in delivering what they call “creative storytelling.” One of the company’s defining features is its diversity in design styles, which reflects their commitment to drawing inspiration from each client’s unique perspective. According to Alison, the studio does not adhere to a specific design style, but rather focuses on a set of principles that prioritize active listening and translating each project through their creative lens, all while placing their clients’ inspiration at the forefront. This approach has allowed the company to earn a reputation amongst a long list of A-listers and repeat clients who are seeking to create one-of-a-kind properties that exude warmth, character, and soul.
Making A Difference
From a young age, Alison recognized the importance of how the design of our surroundings impacts our mood and overall well-being. This core concept is what drives the Team today. At ANTROBUS DESIGN COLLECTIVE, the Team is passionate about utilizing their creativity to improve people’s lives, and create spaces for life to unfold. As a female leader in the industry, Alison strongly believes that women have the power to overcome any mental or physical barrier when they support each other. She emphasizes that women face unique challenges, and no one understands them better than themselves. Thus, by supporting and encouraging one another, women can help each other to unlock their full potential.
Redefined Perceptions of Success
As a working parent, Alison used to separate her daily routines into “work” and “home” categories, but she has since come to appreciate the “beautiful mess” that comes with the unavoidable collision of these two worlds. When asked to choose two favorite daily routines, she instantly said, “design collaboration meetings and picking up our kids from school.”
Alison’s perception of success has evolved over time. She used to view success as being solely based upon personal achievements and accolades. However, her definition has since shifted to encompass her role as a leader and how she can make positive impacts on those around her, including her family, peers, team, clients, and everyone she encounters. To her, true success means being able to inspire, uplift, and empower those in her orbit to achieve their full potential.
Taking Risks and Innovating
Alison has taken numerous professional risks in her career, and she encourages her team to do the same in order to maintain innovation in their approach to design. However, the biggest risk she has taken is going out on her own to start ANTROBUS DESIGN COLLECTIVE.
Looking to the future, the trajectory for the company is to become more immersed in product design. There is a strong feeling, and even speculation amongst those who know her, that Alison has not even begun to tap into her full creative potential and that she is just getting started.
Alison’s Advice for Emerging Leaders
Alison’s primary advice to emerging leaders is to believe in themselves and to remain authentic. From this she says, growth and nurturing can occur, not just for yourself but those around you as you lead by example. She also advises leading with vulnerability, as there is power in honesty and attracting sincere experiences and people. She warns that putting up a false pretense can lead to equally false experiences.
Alison suggests to “grow slow and steady, ensuring that one foot is steady before taking the next step, but not overthinking the process as this can be paralyzing to growth. Surrounding oneself with like-minded peers who are also charting their path as leaders is crucial, as we need to lean on each other along the way.”
Finally, Alison emphasizes the importance of Leaders encouraging constructive feedback from their team on their performance. Such feedback can provide valuable information to help Leaders become stronger and better, ultimately fostering a stronger and better team.
