Studio Sardo – The Story So Far
Studio Sardo owner and founder, Sofia Sardo, shares the motivation behind creating a house brand and opening an eCommerce Interior Design Store.
It’s been just over a year in the making since we started finalising the Studio Sardo online store From numerous brainstorm sessions, designs and supplier meet and greets to product test runs, trademarking, logistical planning so much more. It’s safe to say that we have learned so much about the ever-changing landscape of eCommerce and world of online retail marketing.
When faced with the realities of launching your own brand, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the amount of effort required to take an idea and make it a reality. Putting it into practice has been an adventure itself and we’ve come a long way since our initial eCommerce ideas way back in 2017. Developing the idea of a lifestyle and homewares brand that resonates with our clientele as well as honouring the heritage of the owner and founder, Sofia Sardo, an esteemed interior designer with over 20 years of experience in the design industry, was key.
Discover the story behind Studio Sardo and the journey so far and gain insights into the meticulous craftsmanship that defines our brand. Read our interview with Sofia Sardo here!
Drawing inspiration from your vocation and experience in the design industry, tell us what makes Studio Sardo special?
I feel what makes Studio Sardo special is the collective efforts from our design team, including myself and the partnerships we have forged with our local suppliers, craftsmen and tradespeople. Touching on my vocation, my background stems from fashion design and my professional line of work is interior design. I think fusing these two together to create a brand that provides quality products creates a differentiating factor and makes our brand so special. We aren’t simply wholesale ordering and reselling out goods, a lot of care and effort has been taken to create a premium offering and we are so excited to showcase our upcoming work in the pipeline…
What was your biggest motivator in making Studio Sardo happen?
The biggest driving factor for me, was ultimately having my own line of goods I could place into client projects which related my interior design business, Sofia Sardo by Design. Inspired by designs from our interior design agency and servicing clients, I’ve always wanted my own house brand to tie in with the agency and provide a unique offering in interior design.
Having bespoke designed homewares and lifestyle goods that you couldn’t really find online but didn’t break the bank when it came to bespoke manufacture, is where I felt motivated and decided to start creating a very basic introductory range while we built on our more extensive home range. Making the range accessible to not just interior design clients but opening it up to online shoppers was key and so we started brainstorming in 2017 how we could make this possible while I was growing my interior design business.
Why ‘Studio Sardo’ as a brand name and what is it all about?
So, our brand, Studio Sardo, proudly carries my surname as its namesake, reflecting the personal touch and heritage that inspires our range and of course the work we do all comes from our creative design studio.
Pairing my surname to the business follows suit with my interior design agency as I wanted the two brands to be related yet separate identities. Where Sofia Sardo by Design is all about providing premium bespoke interior design solutions and services, Studio Sardo is all about providing complimentary homewares and lifestyle goods to clients and shoppers alike. Studio Sardo is an uncomplicated, affordable luxury brand for everyone and seeks to provide people with quality handmade goods made in Portugal.
Having set up and successfully running your own interior design agency, tell us, what goes into setting up your own e-commerce brand?
There are so many things to consider, off the top of my head the thing that springs to mind most is that if you have a good idea, brand name and identity you should protect it – registering our brand name and associated detail has been a big consideration when trading online in the EU and forms a big part of setting up.
Alongside this, there are things such as competitive pricing, market research, product testing, prototyping, branding, design work, and packaging etc. that all form part of your brand’s bigger picture and are big considerations when setting up you own e-commerce brand or store.
Having a strong team in marketing and web support is a tremendous help!
What are some of your favourite moments in your e-commerce journey so far?
I absolutely loved the creative process behind the brand. Particularly getting my sewing machine and kit out again, pattern making was particularly therapeutic too!
I also enjoyed product testing, trying out new fabrics or smelling some fabulous scents for our home fragrances range. The photoshoot with Iconic Bold was enjoyable too because we got to see our collective efforts and hard work come to life behind the lens of their camera.
What were some of the learning curves you experienced when launching your brand?
I’d say one of the steeper learning curves experienced was the amount of time it takes to build an online store so that it’s functionally accurate rather than just pretty, this is where I step away and let my marketing team do their thing!
I know I mentioned it earlier, but another steep learning curve is the step-by-step process involved with registering your brand and trademarking it for protection purposes. This is particularly important with an online presence and protecting your brand name and ideas are essential in the digital age.
While your initial launch included home fragrance and bedding accessories, what else can we expect from Studio Sardo?
When I started the process of building our online store, I created a catalogue of the type of goods I wished to sell online. Some products that are bespoke and some that are brand collaborations with suppliers we trust.
Our official product launches are all pending until fully tried and tested but, to give you an idea, some of the departments we will open in due course include:
Textiles in home décor and soft furnishings – this was very important to us as it marries up with Sofia Sardo by Design interiors.
Apparel – true to our laid-back culture and lifestyle in the Algarve, our work includes leisure and loungewear which I have been designing, pattern making and testing on the team in the office with very few pin pricks along the way!
Accessories – home and wellbeing accessories close to our heart, this one is really exciting, and I don’t want to give away too much!
Can we get a sneak peek into what’s to come next for the product range at Studio Sardo?
Without giving away too much, we are building on our apparel range and have been working on something very special which fuses our Algarve summer lifestyle with my South African heritage! More than that, I cannot share. You’ll just have to follow us on our socials for updates…
Where do you hope to take things with Studio Sardo and do you have any advice for young entrepreneurs?
My goal is to grow Studio Sardo into a household name and collaborate with some of my favourite designers I admire.
My advice to young budding entrepreneurs is to do your research, map out your goals for your business and start generating a strategy on how to achieve those goals. Success is not linear and you will hit bumps in the road, as long as you review where you may have gone wrong and how to fix it, you’ll be alright! Give yourself the grace to be wrong and to learn along the way – we can’t know it all on day one!
Studio Sardo is a lifestyle and homeware brand | Authentically infused with the charm of the Algarve and rooted in the rich heritage of founder Sofia Sardo, our bespoke collections are designed in-house and made in Portugal with love. With brand collaborations from locally sourced craftsman reflecting the unique styles of our beautiful country and those from further afield, we bring unique and refined designs to your home, embodying the essence of affordable luxury in every piece.
