Erick Garcia believes that unexpected ideas bring magic.
Born in Mexico and raised in Los Angeles, Erick Garcia’s global sense of design is reflected in his beautiful, relaxed, and layered spaces. After helping his friends with their spaces, he enrolled in Interior Design school and turned his passion into a career. Since founding his firm Maison Trouvaille, he has worked with an impressive list of clientele, including Blake Griffin, Jen Atkin, Desi Perkins, Julie Sarinana and Marianna Hewitt. You may recognize Erick and his work from his features in Architectural Digest, Harper’s Bazaar, My Domaine, and Forbes.
We were excited to have Erick on as our latest guest in our Make Life Beautiful series and learn more about how he got his start in the industry. Scroll through to read out Q&A and see a few things he has been inspired by lately!
From Erick’s Portfolio | Photo: Ye Rin Mok
Tell us about your journey into the creative industry, when did you realize that you could turn your passion into a career?
My first freelance project was a commercial space for a fashion brand “Sincerely Jules” I was brought on to not only design a space that reflected the brand’s identity but also a space that felt like an extension of the owner’s personal home.
@maison_trouvaille
When friends would come over to my apartment, they would always ask for help with their own spaces. Soon after, I decided to enroll in interior design school and turn it into a career.
From one of Erick’s Architectural Digest features via @maison_trouvaille
If you could go back in time and give your young creator self-one piece of advice, what would it be?
Stay true to your concept, and don’t let the client drive the creative process. Have confidence in your selections and realize they hired you for a reason.
Where do you find the most inspiration for your work?
When I travel. From the hotels I stay at to the restaurants and locations I get to visit. I also love to buy design books from all over the world.
From Erick’s Portfolio | Photo: Ye Rin Mok
What does your creative process look like?
It starts with creating a list of client needs for each space. Once we have this information, I start conceptualizing based on client’s inspiration images or places they love mixed with my own inspiration images to create a space that reflects both of our styles and aesthetics.
What was the most significant business or creative challenge that you have encountered and grown from?
Running the business side of interior design. Taxes, bookkeeping and overall business development. As soon as I made enough money, I hired a business manager that runs all of my business operations.
One of our favorite moments via Erick’s Portfolio | Photography: Sam Frost
Which upcoming project or endeavor are you most excited for?
We are working on a commercial project for a production company. We are designing their LA office as well as their NY offices. I’m excited as it’s a first time for us working on a project like this, and we have learned so much.
From Erick’s Perkins Project | Photo: Ye Rin Mok