OLJA MITCHELL | Owner + Interior Stylist
Welcome friends! I'm Olja (o-lee-yah) and I'm so glad you're here. Our story is a little long and windy, so bear with me - because no great path is a straight line anyway. Common Thread Co. was actually born as a curated gifting service in the Spring of 2020. I know right? Keep reading. I promise it will make more sense.
When the world shut down in the winter of 2020, we were all forced to pause celebrations, family gatherings and social events - for an undetermined amount of time. For the social butterflies and (self-proclaimed) hosts with the most that we are, my husband and I went searching high and low for a silver lining (or even just a thread) to this unfamiliar reality we were all facing. We were desperately trying to find meaningful ways to continue celebrating the special moments and milestones our friends and family were experiencing - from birthdays, to baby showers, engagements, and even virtual weddings. There were also loved ones facing added challenges amidst the chaos and we wanted to make sure they knew they were loved and thought of, even from afar. Add to that the desire to support small businesses and local makers during such a difficult time - and Common Thread Co. was born. Over the last few years we have had the privilege of partnering on thousands of moments of joy between friends, family, neighbours, colleagues, clients, staff and more, across our custom and corporate gifting services.
Okkk, but where does design come in?
Well, design and real estate have always been a passion of ours. Both my husband and I have worked in real estate - him as a licensed agent and me in marketing for a real estate tech start-up. We've bought and sold homes, renovated residential and commercial properties, managed vacation rentals, and more, across the two places we call home - Burlington, ON and Kelowna, BC. The majority of our careers however have been spent doing the corporate grind like most people who feel like their passions couldn't possibly become a career - because work isn't supposed to be fun, right? During the last few years, when people were spending almost every waking hour in their homes, we started getting friends and family asking us how they could refresh their spaces quickly, affordably, and in a way that wouldn't require them to uproot their life for a period of time. I even found myself subconsciously doing one-room challenges and one-day makeovers in our own home in an effort to induce a 'change of scenery'. This is where we came up with the idea for "Room Edits" that were quick, affordable, functional and less disruptive than full-scale renovations. Many interior designers won't take projects under a certain size or budget, so we knew there was an opportunity to offer what we were already doing to a wider community that was likely searching for similar solutions.
In the Fall of 2022 I finally bid farewell to my corporate job and dove (joking...I tip toed like every person who is afraid of failure) into introducing our love for interiors and home décor to our Common Thread community through curated tablescape boxes, just in time for the holiday entertaining season - making beautifully styled tables easy and more affordable for the everyday entertainer.
In 2023, we're officially diving in with virtual design services, full-service design, shoppable design guides and more seasonal décor kits for every room, style and budget. Stay connected through our newsletter, The Thread, to find out about all new service offerings and fun tips for all things design, décor and gifting!
Cheers!
Olja (like Leah with an O)
