MEET HIBOU

It’s been a while since we’ve introduced you to the team and with the addition of a new member, it’s time for you to meet Hibou!

The newest member of our team is Melina, not to be confused with Melinda! We really complicated things when our two only employees were only one letter apart. In fact, I’m convinced that most of our clients think they are the same person. Well today I will clear up the confusion! Melina is our Ordering Specialist. She’s in charge of placing all of the orders for products required on our projects. Melina’s experience in sales within the industry combined with her background in design has given her the tools to take a design project from presentation to completion. Her personality isn’t bad either! When Melina isn’t thoroughly triple checking the accuracy of orders and following up with trades, you can find her at her desk rapping to 50cent or belting to Mariah Carey. She also brings the team spirit strong! She’ll use any reason to treat us to sweets her mother-in-law baked with love or surprise us with a hand written note.

What do you like about working at Hibou? “Where do I begin… We have all said “Do what makes you happy & where you feel needed”. I don’t feel Hibou is a Job, I feel like I’m a contributing to see where Hibou will be in a few years. My guess Forbs or Architectural digest. I guess the answer to your question is I like the atmosphere, the people & the fast paced speed of the industry.”

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? “Having fun with my family & trying to travel with them at every chance I get.”

The original Mel to join Hibou is Melinda. This OG of the group has been with us from year one, when we were all working from the dining table of Eugenia’s old apartment. Melinda has had to embrace change as we’ve evolved. At some point over the last three years, she’s touched every single part of the business and has been a team player throughout the entire ride. Today, she is our Design Coordinator and her role includes taking ownership of our renovation projects from demo to completion. Melinda’s personality is all about helping others, making sure everyone is happy and that the job gets done. Her eagerness to please paired with the will to tackle any challenge is why Melinda excels are her job. When she’s not working, she’s travelling the world! A wanderlust at heart, Melinda’s sense of adventure and spontaneity takes her to new destinations regularly.

Favourite Quote: “You are your only limit.”

What do you like about working at Hibou? “ Everyone knows im the biggest cheeseball ever, but there are honestly so many reasons why I love working at Hibou. Our work environment is awesome. During summer we sit by the pool with a glass of wine during our lunch breaks and every time we hit a milestone or we’ve been doing great work we pop the champagne ! Coming to work, doesn’t feel like a job for me. Besides that, Korina & Eugenia have always made me feel like Hibou is my second family and completely make me feel at ease to talk to them about any issues that arise.”

That leaves only Eugenia and Korina, where Hibou all started. In terms of roles, they’re both lead designers that take on their own individual projects, similar both in style and scale, in fact, you probably can’t tell them apart from looking at our portfolio. Where their job descriptions differ is when it comes to running the business. 

Korina is definitely more of the numbers person so she stays on top of the accounting and tracking budgets. Korina is very fact based and very calculated in every decision she makes, which is why she’s a natural in this role. Her creativity stems from her curiosity and her hunger for knowledge, always pushing boundaries and asking the right questions to make sure her visions become reality. When she’s not working on crunching numbers or designing dream homes, Korina is spending time with her family planting in the garden or building forts (or castles) out of cardboard boxes.

Favorite quote? ”Two things define you. Your patience when you have nothing, and your attitude when you have everything.”

What do you like about working at Hibou? “The fact that all our hard work can be visualized, it is not only a feeling of satisfaction but a tangible result. As most that are close to me know, I am quite a competitive person and finding solutions to problems gives me a sense of winning. The fact that no day nor problem is the same and I am constantly learning and coming up with creative and innovative solutions and designs. I love the atmosphere that Eugenia and I have created and that work doesn’t feel like work, but a fun activity to look forward to. I have always been a creative and artistic person and this allows me an opportunity to do it for a living and that is just an amazing thing.”

Eugenia is more of the extrovert of the two owners, which is why sales and creating a social media presence comes so easily to her. She loves the personal aspect of working with  clients on their homes and developing those relationships just as much as bringing exposure to what we do. Eugenia is impatient for growth. She’s always eager to try something new and change things up in order to improve our services and productivity. When she’s not working on growing the business, you can find Eugenia enjoying a yoga class or hanging out with her young family.

What is something interior designers have to deal with that you want to fix? “An unorganized industry and a reputation of being just creatives. Our work is only 20% creative. Most of what we do consists of good communication, attention to detail and respecting timelines and budgets. We continuously strive to create a streamlined system that takes a project from start to finish effortlessly.”

What are the values that drive you? “Honesty, accountability and growth”