Exploring Life & Business with Bunker Design House

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bunker Design House.

Hi Bunker Design House, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We all met while earning our Master’s degrees at SCAD. Kandace and Maggie, close friends even then, took a part time job at a local wine bar that Rob was managing. While we became fast-friends, it would be years before we worked together. Kandace and Maggie worked for architecture firms in Atlanta while Rob started out teaching elementary school art and doing random design jobs here and there. It wasn’t until the recession turned the construction and building industry on its head that Bunker started to take form. We started small, taking on renovation projects for friends and local marketing ad designs for additional income.
Now, almost 20 years post-graduation, Bunker Design House is owned and operated by the creative trio, designing turn-key commercial and hospitality projects that entail all levels and stages of design, from naming and conceptual development, through branding and design, on to architectural planning, permitting and even procurement and install of furniture and decor.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Running a small business is tough, especially when your background is in the creative industry, not specifically in business, marketing or the like. As small business owners you have to wear many hats and the work is never done. Being brave enough to know when it’s time to offload work (bookkeeping, administrative work, even cleaning the office) isn’t always easy when you think, “Oh I can just do that myself.” The trouble is there are only so many hours in the day and just because you CAN do it, doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Where we come together, our collective wheelhouse has trended toward adaptive reuse with a variety of tenant spaces, and hospitality/retail/restaurant projects, that allow us to provide full-service design. Lighter commercial and residential projects are always passing through our office as well and we particularly enjoy working with older, existing spaces that have history and character. On the graphic design side of our business we take on print and web graphics, illustration, naming and branding development for our clients.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
We’ve sort of “tortoised” our way through this small business life. We’ve always operated at a slow and steady pace – adjusting to take on slightly more than the year before. In general, we’ve tried to grow into our business as we evolve as people, designers and owners and as the world constantly changes around us.
We like the idea of taking on new challenges, but like to do it at a reasonable pace that allows us to hold quality at the forefront of each of our projects..
Also, relationships! Lean into them. The more people you know and work with the greater your scope and reach.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bunker.design
• Instagram: bunker.design.work
• Facebook: Bunker Design House
• Other: [email protected], [email protected]

Image Credits
Clay Goswick Photography