Creating Community in the Design Space
As a business owner, Anastasia Casey wears many hats. Based in Austin, TX, she’s the founder and CEO of IDCO Studio, a boutique creative studio that serves interior designers, co-founder of Design Camp, an industry retreat for interior designers, and host of The Interior Collective podcast. While Anastasia’s professional background led her to pursue creative entrepreneurship, her love for interior design was the energizing force of her work. Though not a designer by trade, she founded each of her businesses with the mission to increase transparency and equity in the design space—particularly for women-owned businesses—stewarding a vibrant community of creatives and business leaders that thrives today.
The seating area in the primary bedroom is as cozy as it gets, set against a floral-wallpaper backdrop. Featuring the Norwood Accent Table, Helly Pillow, Rosie Pillow, and Gil Pillow.
Anastasia’s love for interior design runs deep, rediscovered—almost by accident—when she was launching her own creative agency. While on a professional retreat, she was tasked with creating a list of “dream” clients and realized that four out of the five businesses listed were interior designers. A lightbulb went off: Her agency would focus solely on providing services to interior designers. Anastasia re-wrote her business’s website on the flight home from the retreat and IDCO Studio was set in motion.
“I feel that, in 40 years when I'm looking back on my career, I'll have played a foundational role to particularly women, talking about the finances of their businesses and feeling comfortable talking about money with themselves, their colleagues, and their clients—asking for what they're worth. And I couldn’t be more proud of that. I never want a woman to make a decision out of fear or from a lack of financial freedom, and Design Camp, IDCO Studio, and The Interior Collective podcast are truly all rooted in that mission.”
anastasia casey
As the business grew and she became more involved in the interior-design space, Anastasia started creating vignettes around her own home, awakening a love for interiors that was established in childhood.
reconnecting with her roots
Where It Started
The kitchen is a favorite gathering area for Anastasia and her family, featuring large windows that bathe the space in natural light. Featuring the Archer Slipcover Dining Chairs and Lori Printed Rug.
“Growing up, we moved around a lot. I didn’t know that not everybody worked on their house all weekend, that not every kid was painting or thrifting with their mom or helping their dad rebuild a deck or entire kitchen.” Her parents also let Anastasia and her sister choose their room themes and décor, going all out on murals and fixtures to create whimsical scenes. Anastasia’s grandmother was a major inspiration to her as well and her home became a constant during childhood. Which isn’t to say it never changed. “My grandmother was always moving the furniture and décor around. She was this 85 year-old lady who somehow got this English pine dresser up and down the stairs by herself in between visits. I'm like, 'How did you do that, Grandma?' She just said, 'Oh, when the spirit moves you, you just gotta do it'. And that sentiment has just always really stuck with me.” The first time Anastasia felt she was able to define her personal design style was in the home she lives in now, with her husband and daughter in Austin, TX. It’s where she was first able to understand the concept of putting entire spaces together, drawing on the architecture of the home to do so. She describes it as “English-inspired with Texas grit,” tending towards mixed patterns, antique furniture, and masculine flourishes, aiming for a lived-in look and feel.
“Things are not precious in my house at all. In fact, I tend towards the more rugged or masculine. I like things to be chipped. I like things to be dinged. I like things to have a story to them.”
anastasia casey
Anastasia’s intention for her home is to make her, her family, and her guests feel special—and it’s meant to be enjoyed. A place where you would be “willing to buy a $25 cocktail” and also it’s OK to put your feet up on the furniture. Everything is meant to be enjoyed and used and loved. For Anastasia, “that's the house that everyone wants to be at, and it's the best feeling.”
Your space is meant to be lived in, it's meant to evolve. It's meant to reflect your personal tastes—and maybe those personal tastes are of the moment in some aspects, maybe they're not. That's what's beautiful about design.
anastasia casey
Anastasia’s advice for those cultivating their own home:
If budget and timing allow, bring in all of the large foundational pieces at once—and early on—then take your time layering in the décor and details. For Anastasia, this is the best way to create a foundation: It requires some forethought and a floor plan, which helps you be intentional in the design, leaving less room to question it all later.
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