The Ring Bearer Bowl

Meet Caroline Colom Vàsquez and José Vàsquez-Corbalan, our fellow Etsians. Their brand, Paloma’s Nest, is dedicated to creating handcrafted modern heirlooms – pieces for the home and for the heart.  Caroline’s business bloomed from a “one woman show” to a full- time team.

TUMkt:

Tell us your story and the history behind the name Paloma’s Nest?

Paloma’s Nest:
We are a husband and wife creative team based in Austin, Texas. Paloma’s Nest (named for our daughter) designs and crafts a collection of modern heirlooms – timeless, quality pieces intended to be passed on for generations. We offer gifts for babies, weddings, homes, holidays – everything from ornaments to children’s furniture and other items that commemorate all of life’s special occasions. Paloma’s Nest started out as a part-time, home-based business in late 2007 and has now grown to be our full-time family business.  José joined me full time in 2011. I work primarily in ceramics and paper and José works in wood and metal; together we design and craft every item in the collection, making Paloma’s Nest a true marriage of materials and creative minds.

TUMkt:
As children what did you dream of becoming when you grew up?

Paloma’s Nest:

We both shared a childhood dream of being professional craftsmen and artists. Caroline has a degree in art and design, and José studied woodworking and carpentry in his home city of Buenos Aires. We have been designing together since the day we met ten years ago (we were sketching furniture designs together on cocktail napkins while on our first date). We tried to do everything we could along the way to make this dream a reality- from choosing a home with a studio space where we could create and build to making sacrifices in our social life and other hobbies so that we could dedicate 110% to growing our company. Making our childhood dream a reality takes constant dedication, confidence and the willingness to take risks – both in our work as artists and as business owners.

TUMkt:
Caroline, you are an inspiration to aspiring female entrepreneurs. You began Paloma’s Nest as a one woman show. What inspired you to start the business and how did it feel when your first product sold?

Paloma’s Nest:
I started the company with the idea to create a brand from my personal art and design work (at the time José had just started his own separate business). We both always had entrepreneurial spirits and José and I knew we would live a life being self-employed! Starting the business felt natural for me. I began by looking at my artwork as a collection and a brand, and educated myself about marketing. The rise of e-commerce was a blessing to our company as it allows us to curate our shops easily and to create a strong online identity. It is incredibly satisfying to know that our work is in homes around the world… and it all manifests here in our little studio in Austin, Texas!

TUMkt:
We love how Paloma’s Nest has now grown into a husband and wife team.
What is a typical day like together at the studio?

Paloma’s Nest:
We feel so fortunate that we are able to run a family business – not only because we get to design and create together (and turn those cocktail napkin sketches into reality), but because our children, though young, are part of the company, too. They are by our sides as we work and inspire both our dedication and our designs. Our current studio is like a home away from home, with a play area for Paloma and a crib for our newborn.
Our day sometimes feels like a well – choreographed ballet that begins with dropping Paloma off at school and ends with a full kiln to be fired, a set of furniture drying in the spray booth and a trunk full of packages to bring to the post office. Other days seem like a wild rodeo ride without enough hours to fill press requests, make prototypes of new designs or answer a full inbox. But, we wouldn’t have it any other way. We love what we do and we love that we get to do it together.

TUMkt:
What do you like to do on your off time from the studio for fun?

Paloma’s Nest:
We are constantly trying to maintain a balance between life and work. It’s hard to do when the two are so intertwined. Having our studio outside of our home now helps to maintain boundaries between work time and family time- and this is important for our children as well as for our own sense of relaxation.
During our off time we like to take road trips and get away from our daily surroundings. We head to small towns out in the hill country or to the museums in Dallas or Houston for the weekend. But often we are just at home working on other creative projects (we both take figure drawing classes and also love to paint and sculpt) or doing home renovations (Jose’ is quite the carpenter). More recently, with a newborn, we just try to be together and enjoy special time as a family.

TUMkt:
We love your products especially the Ring Bearer’s bowl. It’s internationally acclaimed around the world and recognized as the replacement for the traditional “pillow in the wedding ceremony”. We think it would be perfect for an everyday piece for rings by the sink or night stand. What was the inspiration behind this piece?

Paloma’s Nest:
In creating heirloom quality pieces, we look to history and tradition for much of our inspiration. We love to design for weddings and new babies and all of the most cherished times in peoples lives. The Ring Bearer Bowl ™ was created as a piece that could be a part of a wedding or commitment ceremony, commemorate the wedding day and also be put on display in the home throughout the couple’s marriage – to hold jewelry and rings, to hang as an ornament, as decoration on a wall or as decoration on a holiday tree. We believe that these characteristics make the piece the perfect modern alternative to a ring pillow and has also made it such a popular concept around the world. We love imagining our Ring Bearer Bowls™ being passed on to future generations and being as beautiful as a family heirloom 100 years from now as they are in a wedding ceremony today.

TUMkt:
Currently what new projects are you working on that we can look forward to on palomasnest.com or Palomas Nest on Etsy?

Paloma’s Nest:
We are currently working on additions to our children’s furniture line. Right now we offer the Menagerie Table and Chairs and we hope to soon introduce other pieces (including room decor and accessories). We are also currently designing our 2012 Holiday Collection.  Its a year-round project that we start just before the new year. Our heirloom ornaments and decorations are collectible-limited editions so some of our clients start and/or expand their own family collections each year. We are honored to add to holiday traditions in so many homes around the world, so we put a lot of time and attention into creating each special collection.

TUMkt:
Caroline, what words of wisdom would you share with aspiring female entrepreneurs?

Paloma’s Nest:
Personally, I try to avoid labels or being categorized as a female businesswoman. Labels like “mom-trepreneur” don’t really accomplish anything.  Business owners shouldn’t think of themselves as anything other than business owners…good business practices don’t change based on your gender.  Build a foundation for your brand based on quality in all that you do – both in products and in customer service. With perseverance and dedication, your business will grow.

TUMkt:
What a great story! Thank you for your words of wisdom.  We LOVE Paloma’s nest and will be popping in again soon!

*To see more photos of Paloma’s nest products, check out Pinterest and shop Paloma’s Nest.