Sondra Lagasse and Jill Simms founded Woodlands Style House in September 2016. (Courtesy Woodlands Style House)
What started off as a conversation between friends Jill Simms and Sondra Lagasse has grown into Woodlands Style House, a design company founded in September 2016.
Founded to fill the need for more accessible interior design options in The Woodlands, Simms and Lagasse, both residents of The Woodlands, said Woodlands Style House offers personalized home designs that are unique to each client.
How it happened
Simms said her background in marketing along with Lagasse’s background in home decorating allowed the two to combine each other's strengths and form a successful business.
After quickly earning the communities’ trust and realizing the high demand for their services, Woodlands Style House had no choice but to expand its team, Simms said.
Today Woodlands Style House is operated by co-owners Simms and Lagasse alongside a team of 20 women in The Woodlands.
Woodlands Style House renovates rooms, homes and commercial spaces. (Courtesy Woodlands Style House)
As Woodlands Style House operates with several clients on a waiting list, the design company handles about 150-200 projects annually including residential and commercial renovations.
The company launched its e-design package during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which the Woodlands Style House team provides a full-service virtual design package, Lagasse said.
In addition to The Woodlands location, Woodlands Style House launched its second branch in Austin in 2020.
Woodlands Style House operates alongside a team of 20 women. (Courtesy Woodlands Style House)
The impact
After a decade serving The Woodlands, Woodlands Style House has decorated and renovated several commercial spaces in The Woodlands including the Haven Event Venue, owned by Mark Zientek and Autumn Sipes, owners of The Refuge Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar. It has also worked with The Woodlands Country Club.
Further making an impact in the community, Woodlands Style House supports Interfaith of The Woodlands through a donation drive Lagasse and Simms started three years ago.
Simms said despite the behind-the scenes challenges of job often perceived as glamorous, the response they get from their recurring clients makes the effort worth their sacrifices.
“Most of our clients have a hard time imagining the potential of a space, so that's a big part of what we do, but there's collaboration involved,” Simms said. “It's really important as homeowners to love the space they're in. We tell [customers], this is your house, not ours. So we want it to not be cookie cutter, and we want it to feel like them and meet their functionality needs.”
