For this local Des Moines team, it’s all about mixing styles and pieces to find perfect harmony. Each designer at Indie House brings their own unique perspective to projects, offering multiple generations of experience in the design world.
Written by Giovanna Zavell, DSMG Contributor
Walking into this East Village shop, you’re immediately surrounded by furniture and decor of earthy tones. Julie Lyle, owner of Indie House, opened the space in August of 2019 with the intention of it being more than just a design studio. “I really wanted this space to be a place where clients can come in and actually touch and feel materials while also talking with a designer,” Julie says. “I felt Des Moines was lacking in this type of service and knew I could be the one to offer it.”
An Iowa native, Julie went to Iowa State where she studied business and design. She then went on to study architectural and interior design at UC Berkeley before moving back to Des Moines to be where her family is. “I saw a lot of opportunity in Des Moines with the growing downtown living and thought what better time to take the leap and open Indie House.”
An Eye for Design
“I did a lot of traveling in my previous position and always took those opportunities to wander through galleries and trade markets,” Julie says. “I visited a lot of cool places, but one in particular had the largest influence in my opening Indie House.” That design store is Tumbleweed & Dandelion in Venice Beach, California.
It wasn’t only the store that sparked inspiration for her future design studio, but the surrounding neighborhood. “There are all these old homes turned into storefronts and I loved the homey vibe of them,” Julie says. “I wanted my store to have that same feel.”
Julie has always had a love for design and art, so it’s no surprise that the idea of opening a design studio is something she has wanted to do for years. But instead of just a typical design studio where clients can walk in and meet with a designer, Julie envisioned Indie House catering to lifestyle too. That’s why you’ll see handmade artisan goods (like the beautiful custom hats!) in addition to furniture and decor.
Location was an important factor when deciding on a storefront. Julie wanted a location that was growing and had easy visibility for people walking by. “A lot of our clients are people out and about in the East Village and come in our store,” Julie says. “I always knew I wanted to deal with clients directly, so having the storefront made it pretty easy.”
Everything in the shop has a touch of Julie’s style, which she describes as earthy organic–clean lines and colors inspired by nature. “Some people would describe it as a combination of West Coast meets Southwest,” Julie says. “Many are surprised to find this style in Des Moines, and it’s fun introducing them to how the style can fit in their space.”
The Indie House Team
Julie, Sherri, Lisa and Lauren make up the Indie House design team and bring with them multiple generations of experience. As a whole, the team shares very similar taste when it comes to design, but each carries her own style favorites. “The team is like family,” Julie says. “We all have a love for mid-century modern, industrial, California Coast and organically take these styles into each project to find harmony and balance in our projects.”
These ladies work as a team. Always. Bouncing ideas off one another, gaining different perspectives and constantly learning from one another is how the work gets done.
A Perfect Time for Design
Indie House opened only a handful of months before the world shut down due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Like most businesses, everything came to a halt and doors were closed. Being cooped up in the house wasn’t fun for anyone, but a positive came out of it for the Indie House team.
“Everyone was sitting in their homes thinking about all the things they wanted to fix or change,” Julie says. “I wasn’t sure if we were going to continue in the direction I had hoped with most places being closed. But we started getting more inquiries and it didn’t take long for us to start designing again.”
Making a Space a Home
Whether you are looking to freshen up your space or do a total remodel, Julie and her team are ready to tackle any project. Clients come in with their own ideas and inspirations on how they want to see their space done, and the team easily takes those ideas to a whole new level.
“We work with everybody and anybody,” Julie says. “From clients in their 20s, to clients who just purchased a home and even commercial and corporate spaces. It’s our job to have the connections that are right for each job and deliver the perfect design for each client.”
From the initial meeting, clients are welcome to come to the storefront, or the designers will visit the location of the project. The designing starts immediately. Once ideas are shared for how the client wants the space to look, floorplans and measurements are made. A design scheme is decided on and then it’s time to play with the materials.
“It’s a lot of back and forth with the client until everything gets dialed in,” Julie says. “I always tell clients even if they are only implementing a new design in one space, it’s good to have an overall plan in place for the rest of the space. That way they can continue setting design goals over time.”
One of the most unique opportunities of working with the Indie House team is that they have a storefront where clients can go to touch, feel and see textures, materials and colors in person. So many times these aspects of design are not accurately depicted when only viewing them on a screen. In store, clients can make absolutely sure the materials they are choosing for their space are exactly as they imagine them.
The furniture and materials used by the Indie House design team are sourced from out of state vendors. By straying from more popular vendors, Julie has been able to offer pieces not typically seen in the Des Moines metro. “We like to be really selective about where we pull items,” Julie says. “Our main vendor is in Austin, Texas whose line hadn’t really been touched. These are the pieces we offer in our projects that bring new design to Des Moines.”
The Future of Indie House
“I see Indie House doing projects worldwide in the next few years,” Julie says. “But before that, it’s a goal of mine to tackle a boutique hotel. Right here in Des Moines. Something really unique and different from anything we have here now.”
Be sure to stop by the shop on Friday, August 25, 2-7 p.m. to celebrate Indie Houses’ fourth birthday! Custom jewelry, 20% off the entire store, florals and specialty cocktails will be happening the whole time.
Indie House is located in the East Village at 516 E Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50309. Follow along their socials for all future Indie House events and more information.
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