Office Tour: Crosby and Jon Design

These ladies on our business blog today are giving us a tour of their Southern California office space that’s equal parts relaxed, exquisite, and functional. The place is not only where all the magic of their design business is inspired, but also where a lot of it is held. The team’s collection, or should we say archive of rentals and mock ups make their home here too. So here’s a peak into both the creative office and minds of this design duo.

 

Names: Regina Crosby Atkins & Krista Jon Levandofsky

Title: Founders

City: San Clemente

 

Tell us a little bit more about Crosby + Jon and how it came to be! 

After years of designing countless forward-thinking events under the Archive Rentals brand, we found a growing need to expand our work outside of Archive.  It was then that we decided to add the Crosby + Jon brand as a way to allow people access to us as designers, unrelated to the rental company.   With this, we can provide an expanded level of design, production and planning services to our clients.   It is through Crosby + Jon that we are able to really devote our time to luxury events, destination weddings, high-concept corporate events and venue marketing.

 

Office Tour: Crosby and Jon Design

 

What does a typical work day look like for you?

A typical in-office workday involves team meetings, composing emails, and design meetings with clients or planners often debating endlessly about color palette and furniture choices.  Usually we are being distracted by employees talking about The Bachelorette or dogs running amok.  On bad days we have to deal with insurance and bookkeeping and we forget to eat; but on good days we get client love notes in the mail and someone on our team runs and gets sandwiches.   If we’re not in the office we are likely on a site visit or out in the field installing an event… this almost always involves working in a beautiful environment with fantastic people.

 

Office Tour: Crosby and Jon Design

 

What is your favorite part of your job?

We like the end result.  Next month we travel to Sundance Resort in Utah for an epic 4th of July wedding that we have been hired to design. Right now we are in the logistical thick of it… trucks and floral refrigeration and staffing and knowing there will be 45 minute chairlift rides with armloads of linens.  Not our favorite part.  But come the day of the wedding when we step back after a day of hard work… when we see how remarkable it truly is and watch as the guests file in one by one and gasp, that is the good stuff.  We know we not only did our jobs but made a little bit of magic.  That’s our favorite part.

 

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With so much design experience, how did you decide how to decorate your office space?  

Funny you should ask! We actually struggled with our new office space for the first six months.  The problem was that we love so many different things that we wanted to try and include everything, which is something we advise our clients against!  Finally we came to the realization that it doesn’t have to be a permanent decision.  We can have everything we want, just not all at once.  Now we change the space regularly based on what we’re in the mood for.  Lately we have been handing over the office to our design team and letting them do whatever they want.  It works well because they get challenged as designers and we get to show up and be surprised and inspired by the new energy in the room.

 

Office Tour: Crosby and Jon Design

 

What is the main use of your space? 

Currently our office is housed at Archive’s main warehouse, so it doubles as a design studio for us as well.  It’s a wonderful luxury for us as designers to be able to walk out of our door and have a huge playground full of beautiful event decor.  But this also means dozens of trucks rolling by our windows on a daily basis, and clients are in and out all day.  At times it can be a wild atmosphere but ultimately the synergy that is created as a result is fuel for our fire.

 

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What is your favorite part of the office and why?

The one and only permanent object of decor in our office is a three foot fan coral in the most stunning shade of lavender.  We finished an incredible five-day commercial shoot for Rosewood Mayakoba Resort, and afterward we took our husbands and visited the Sian Ka’an Biosphere.  We spent the day floating down an ancient Mayan waterway with huge cascades of wild orchids overheard. At dusk we drank wine in a private lagoon and reflected on the day.  The coral washed up on the sand and gave us a wonderful memento of the whole experience.  When we look at it in our office it reminds us not only of a magical day but also of our journey and how profoundly nature inspires us as creative beings.

 

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What you wanted to be when you grew up:

Krista: Truck Driver then later a Literature Teacher
Regina: Artist then later an Oceanographer

 

Someone you would love to work with someday:

Krista: Conde Nast – I dream about doing some high style styling flowers and photo shoots for Vogue.  So i googled the Vogue masthead and realized they were Conde Nast, and I realized any of their publications would be amazing.
Regina: Target. I’d like to design a line of totally rad at-home party goodies.

 

What gets you going on a Monday morning?

Krista: My partner in crime and our amazing team.
Regina: Same… and the endless possibilities.

 

 

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