Moving to a new place is both exciting, and daunting. Whether you’re moving to the next neighborhood over, or across the country, there’s opportunity for discovery and change; but there’s a lot of work that has to happen before the fun. One of the first things on that agenda: designing and furnishing the space.
Skraach is unlike any design service out there, and it’s free. You start off by entering your budget and the type of space you’re designing. Next, you take a basic quiz to determine what your personal style is. Unlike most design-based quizzes out there that use pictures which can create bias, this quiz uses shapes and symbols to determine what kinds of silhouettes and styles you prefer. After this, you get an entire style personality and profile with a name (like The Visionary Modernist or Rugged Connoisseur) and a percentage breakdown of your top four primary styles and two accessory styles that take the form of mood boards. On each mood board is a combination of items which suit that style and fall within your selected price range. The best part though? All the items shown are purchasable, and have links to all the different sellers.
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(personalized mood board)
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(Skraach Co-founders Raina and John Thomas)
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Raina and John, co-founders of Skraach, work around the idea of freedom. Freedom of space, freedom to choose your style, and freedom as an entrepreneur. Raina, who was in the fashion industry for over ten years before becoming an entrepreneur, said she realized “[her] passion was the creative freedom that exists in design”. John was in agreement, noting that he loved the “flexibility, and having the canvas to explore creativity”. They started Skraach as a way to let others have a part of that freedom by creating it in the space they live in.
As with everything though, it’s not all fun and games. Raina says that freedom also means “Your security blanket goes up in flames, and they put the ashes into a little urn so you can see it every day. But when you are so passionate about what you’re doing, it doesn’t seem to matter”. John noted that the most difficult part is right at the beginning, when all you have is an idea. You’re sitting there worried about if your idea is good enough, while at the same time worried that someone might steal it. Then you have to actually take that leap of faith, you really need to believe in what you’re doing and you can’t be afraid to fail, because it’s going to happen. Failing is just part of the process, and you have to be ok with being uncomfortable. So as it turns out, freedom isn’t a destination, it’s a journey that starts from Skraach.
As with everything though, it’s not all fun and games. Raina says that freedom also means “Your security blanket goes up in flames, and they put the ashes into a little urn so you can see it every day. But when you are so passionate about what you’re doing, it doesn’t seem to matter”. John noted that the most difficult part is right at the beginning, when all you have is an idea. You’re sitting there worried about if your idea is good enough, while at the same time worried that someone might steal it. Then you have to actually take that leap of faith, you really need to believe in what you’re doing and you can’t be afraid to fail, because it’s going to happen. Failing is just part of the process, and you have to be ok with being uncomfortable. So as it turns out, freedom isn’t a destination, it’s a journey that starts from Skraach.
Skraach is a member of the StartUp Virginia high growth incubator in Richmond, Virginia.