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Buffalo State grad and mother of three turns hobby into interior design business

There’s barely a quiet moment at the Murphy household. Pear Design Studio owner, Laura Murphy, is a mother of three boys ages 11, 8, and 5, and she’s a fur mom to a mini golden doodle puppy, Stella. It’s a balance taking her three sons to hockey practice, which her husband Nick helps coach, cooking meals, keeping a clean house and doing piles of laundry, while still finding time to run her own business.

A lifelong admirer of interior design, Murphy started Pear Design Studio in January of 2013. Pear Design is a residential and commercial interior design business. They don’t just decorate, they tear down walls and rebuild from the ground up. Pear Design’s goal is to give their clients the best functional layout using the existing space they have. They create one-of-a-kind 3D tours of spaces, floor plans, product concept boards, time line schedules, project budgets, and so much more. This is Murphy’s true calling – not just a paycheck.

“I have always had a passion for interior design,” Murphy said. “I’ve met some great designers in the past, but never felt like they were transparent during the design process. I have heard from many people who have worked with designers and felt uncomfortable because they didn’t feel like the designer was really understanding their vision. They seemed to want to hurry the process along and move on to the next project. Not me. I wanted to show people that working with a designer is supposed be a fun and relaxing experience.”

Over the past five years she’s grown so much that she had to enlist the help of Angela Klutkowski. Klutkowski studied interior design in New York City and worked for Murphy for two years before being named business partner. Murphy acknowledges that it was because of Klutkowski’s help that she was able to grow her dream into a successful business.

When Murphy first launched, she had a child in elementary school, a toddler at home, and a newborn. She had to quickly learn how to balance a business while being a mom. To be home more, she designed and built a fully functioning office in her house with the help of her husband. She tells other moms who are starting businesses to work at their own pace. Finding the right flow will be different for everyone, but being your own boss is rewarding.

“Being a mother, wife, and entrepreneur can sometimes be challenging,” Murphy said. “Owning your own business means you are never off the clock. Sometimes I am on the computer late at night, or sending back a text message at a school event. But being a mother and wife comes first – I always make them a priority. I love the fact that I can work around my kid’s events and still make time to create amazing designs for my clients. But what I do know is those late nights and long meetings do not go unnoticed. My boys see how hard I work, but also see how much I enjoy what I do.”

A graduate of Buffalo State, Murphy studied sociology and loved working with people. After graduation, she settled into a role with a company that worked with people with autism for nearly 12 years. Although her career path is much different today, she is still very much passionate about helping people and giving back.

“One of our most memorable projects was when we partnered up with Special Spaces Buffalo to create a space for a little boy battling with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia,” Murphy said. “We fundraised and found enough donations to create two spaces for him! We were so proud of his basement “hang out room” and a train room for his trains, so heand his dad could spend time together doing what they loved.”

Murphy plans to expand into a storefront soon, but when the time is right. For now she is doing what she loves and encourages others to follow their own path to success.

For more information about Pear Design Studio, visit www.pear-design-studio.com.

If you’d like to have your business featured on Sweet Buffalo, email us at sweetbuffalo716@aol.com to learn more. 

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