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Welcome back to The Interior Collective—I’m your host, Anastasia Casey. Today’s guest embodies what it means to learn at the highest levels before going out on your own. Coco Greenblum spent over a decade honing her craft at five different AD100 design firms—each with its own aesthetic, leadership style, and process. From her first role at Emily Summers Design in Dallas, through creative chapters in San Francisco with Geremia, The Wiseman Group, and Ken Fulk, to leading Jeremiah Brent’s West Coast studio, Coco was very intentional about where she learned, who she learned from, and why.

In just two and a half months, she’s launched STUDIO COCO GREENBLUM in Los Angeles—a full-service interior design studio built on the lessons she gathered, the mentors who shaped her, and the pitfalls she vowed to avoid. Today, we’ll unpack how she strategically chose each firm, balanced creative vision with operational rigor, and ultimately weighed the risks of leaving brand-name studios to build her own brand. We’ll dive into everything from team structure and pricing models to client onboarding rituals and mentorship philosophies—practical insights you can apply in your own practice.

Whether you’re dreaming of opening your own studio or aiming to level up in your current role, Coco’s story offers a masterclass in turning experience into entrepreneurship.