Community Highlights: Meet Sabrina Bae of Studio OB LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sabrina Bae.

Hi Sabrina, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I originally wanted to be an artist. Art was my first language and my first way of understanding emotion, beauty, and meaning. But over time, I began craving a deeper sense of purpose that felt rooted in helping others. I wanted my creativity to live where people actually spend their lives. That pull led me to interior design.

When I learned that we spend over 80 percent of our time indoors, everything clicked. The way a space is built, lit, and composed does not just shape how it looks. It shapes how we feel, how we move, and how we connect. Design became my way of bridging creativity with impact.

My early career moved fluidly through set design, commercial interiors, and eventually the furniture and sales world. Each chapter sharpened a different part of how I work. Set design taught me storytelling through space behind the camera. Commercial design taught me systems, scale, and collaboration. The furniture and sales side gave me a firsthand understanding of the behind-the-scenes realities that design firms may not always have direct access to.

At one point, I began taking on personal projects as favors for friends, and gradually, I found myself being trusted with spaces beyond my immediate circle. What began as small personal projects grew organically through word of mouth in both residential and commercial design. As the work expanded, the responsibility grew with it. With the right timing and a few pivotal life moments, that momentum led me to build Studio OB as a full-time practice centered on translating clients’ lives, needs, and goals into spaces that truly support them.

Today, my work lives at the intersection of art and interior environments. Alongside full-scope design, I curate art for spaces and create original expressive works that are collected and commissioned for interior settings. It feels like a full-circle return to the artist I started as, now rooted in real environments and real lives. For me, art does not live separately from a space. It becomes part of how the space breathes.

Looking back, the thread has always been the same. Creating with intention. My journey has taken me through set design, commercial, residential, and furniture-driven projects across the country, but at its core, the work is still driven by that original desire to make something beautiful that genuinely serves the people inside it.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, and I do not think it is supposed to be. I entered this with a true starting-point mindset. Whether someone is a few years into this industry or several decades in, you are always going to run into bumps. For some people, I am still considered early in my career, and I learned quickly that I cannot wear every hat all at once. What I am deeply committed to is transparency. I lead with openness, I ask questions, and I am not afraid to say when something falls outside my expertise. For me, anyone who claims they know it all or can do it all is a red flag. This work is deeply layered and constantly evolving.

I collaborate closely with trusted partners, consultants, and specialists, and I genuinely enjoy learning from people who know their craft inside and out. At its core, this job is almost entirely about collaboration. The moment I stepped into Studio OB full time was also the moment I had to check my designer ego at the door. And I laugh now, because even very early in my career, before any milestones, it was still very much there. Letting that go shifted everything. The work stopped being about proving something and became about building trust, asking better questions, and showing up fully for the people who place their spaces and stories in my hands.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Studio OB is a design studio rooted in the belief that spaces should feel as intentional as the lives lived inside them. We work across residential and commercial projects, offering full-scope interior design alongside art curation and original commissioned artwork. Our approach blends structure with intuition, strategy with emotion, and function with atmosphere. Every project begins with listening. Before thinking about finishes or forms, we focus on how our clients live, work, move, and want to feel in their space.

What we are most known for is creating environments that feel layered, warm, and quietly expressive. Our work often lives in the tension between refinement and boldness. That balance is closely tied to the name Studio OB, which stands for “outside the boundaries.” Inspired by my Siberian Husky, Aubie, who is famously inventive at breaking through limits, the name reflects our belief in thoughtful boundary-pushing. We are drawn to spaces that move just beyond what is expected.

What truly sets Studio OB apart is the way art is fully embedded into our design process and our refusal to design for trends. Alongside interiors, we curate art for spaces and create original expressive works commissioned specifically for environments. Art is never an afterthought in our projects. It is treated as part of the architecture of a space because storytelling is at the center of everything we do. We take pride in creating rooms that reflect a client’s personal narrative rather than what is circulating on social media.

Brand-wise, I am most proud that Studio OB has grown almost entirely through word of mouth. That tells me our clients feel seen, supported, and cared for. We value transparency, collaboration, and thoughtful pacing, and we work closely with architects, builders, and specialists to ensure clarity at every stage.

What I want readers to know is that Studio OB is not driven by fast aesthetics or algorithms. We are driven by people. Our work is about creating spaces that feel personal, grounded, and enduring, spaces that truly support how people live, work, and connect.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
No one is too young, and no one is too old to begin. Everyone has their own unique starting point, and in many ways, everyone is inexperienced in life. That alone deserves grace. What matters most is that when you start, you are fully present. Show up with curiosity. Ask the questions. Ask all the questions. The only real mistake is pretending that you already know everything.

Early on, I learned that “stupid” is not asking for help. Stupid is hiding what should be transparent because of your insecurities. Stupid is worrying about what others might think of you in the moment. The truth is, most people are too busy worrying about themselves to be judging you. No one genuinely expects you to be a know-it-all. And if they do, that is not a realistic standard to hold yourself to.

Rely on your resources. Lean on mentors. Collaborate with people who know more than you in certain areas. Growth happens faster when ego is out of the way. I wish I had understood sooner that confidence does not come from knowing everything. It comes from knowing how to learn, who to ask, and when to listen.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.studioob.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studioob_interiors/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/studioob

Image Credits
Lowercasephoto