Envi Interior Design Studio Finds Problem-Solver as Right Hand Director

February 1, 2023  by HFBusiness Staff in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry   

With the increase in work came unprecedented challenges ranging from supply-chain issues that left key furnishings on lengthy backorder to a sudden dearth of employees – issues that are only beginning to resolve.

“It’s been crazy,” says Envi founder and design principal Susie Hoffmann, who, in addition to her firm’s booming Montana business, is wrapping up major projects in California and Mexico. “I needed that right-hand person I could trust implicitly.”

Enter Daniel Bontrop, Envi’s studio director, who embraces the creative side in a design director role as well as business operations for the firm.

As a well-respected interior designer Bontrop is also a master problem solver. “Design is a challenging career, and there can be issues to solve on every project whether with the client, contractor or a vendor,” Bontrop says.

“I say this humbly, but I can solve complicated design issues. Rarely is a designer just making something pretty but is solving a problem. I thrive on that part of the process.”

Bontrop has amassed 22 years of experience in design and operations that he’s able to lean on to back up Hoffmann’s Envi Interior Design Studio, which he joined in the spring of 2022.
 

Educated at the Parsons School of Design with time spent at the Konstfack School of Design in Sweden, Bontrop has taught at the New York School of Interior Design and mentored many designers over the years.

And although he has worked for some prestigious firms in New York in a creative capacity, he also has the entrepreneurial chops to launch and run his own design firm – a task he did for six years before moving to Montana.

That experience prepared him for the expanded role he now assumes at Envi – as a designer and much more. As studio director and head of operations, he finds himself brainstorming design concepts one day, addressing human resources issues and reviewing budgets another.

These days, Bontrop finds himself immersed in residential redesigns with Envi’s clients, where he loves strong, clean, modern lines that create a sense of Zen. “I like to do a deep dive into the creative vision by thinking holistically,” he says, and clients appreciate his sophisticated level of experience through all stages of a job.

Hoffmann is grateful for the support, noting the similarities between their backgrounds: “Although we were in different programs, we both went to Parsons at the same time – and we both launched careers in New York City then migrated over to Montana.” She adds, “Daniel has been a lifesaver. It’s amazing to have someone with this breadth of knowledge and experience in the industry.