SEATTLE DIRECTOR
RILEY HALL
Did I grow up as a little boy prancing around the house pretending to be a residential home stager?
No….but maybe, yes, if I’m honest?
When I was not playing “farm” with my sister’s My Little Pony, I would run around my room making sure my latest Lisa Frank sticker-filled works of art were taped perfectly straight on the wall, that all my Ranger Rick magazines were facing the same direction on my shelves, and that the stuffed animals on my bed were staggered in such a way that they could all see what was going on in my room.
Was it pediatric OCD or the first visible sprout of a budding career as a home stager?
We may never know.
In some ways, organizing books and arranging stuffed animals is what I still do today but instead of stuffed animals, it’s throw pillows.
Hi. I’m Riley. I’m the director of Spade and Archer’s Seattle location.
While growing up in rural Texas, I was taught two rules: work hard and be curious….and don’t complain about the smell of cow shit; it’s the smell of money. But that rule isn’t as transferable as the other two.
Work hard and be curious.
Those two rules have stuck with me.
I’ve always worked hard and I continue to explore my curiosities. Which is why after 10+ years of working as an art director and graphic designer in the publishing world in Orange County, I found myself wanting to explore my curiosity of designing physical spaces as opposed to designing print or digital pieces.
While I loved my life in California and loved working in a field that allowed me to be creative, there was a part of me that wanted to explore a more tangible form of design in a new city.
I had always been the person my friends would go to for advice on paint color or furniture layout, but turning that talent into a career? I didn’t know where to start.
I figured the best way to figure it out was to follow that curiosity and take some chances. So in 2015, I moved to Seattle and continued working as a graphic designer churning out contract design work for tech companies to float me while I explored opportunities in the staging and home design field.
Shortly after being in Seattle, I got connected with Spade and Archer and met Justin and Chad, our Founder/Owner and Creative Principle respectively.
After a rather unusual interview process involving telling a stranger I could not be their friend, I was hired.
The Seattle offices of Spade and Archer had just opened and I was hired as a junior design manager. I worked my way up to design manager after several months of quite intense training on the subtle nuances that set Spade and Archer apart from other staging companies.
Now, after nearly four years, I’m the director and get to lead the powerhouse team of designers and warehouse staff we have here in sunny Seattle.
Working for Spade and Archer, I get to do so much more than arrange accessories on a table or select art. I work with a team who loves what they do and together we are able to transform empty rooms into aspirational spaces in which people are able to envision living their lives.
It’s a rewarding feeling for sure.
With each new project, I still get to explore my curiosity by selecting the perfect pieces for each home. And while I don’t play with My Little Pony anymore, that won’t stop me from spray painting one gold and arranging it on a nightstands next to a lamp and a perfectly-made bed to be photographed to help sell a house.