When Danielle Hardy started selling wall decals on Etsy 10 years ago, so had no idea her hobby would eventually turn into a full-time business. But fast-forward to today, and both her family and her business, Urbanwalls, has grown. She now has three children, and her business is seriously booming. The company encourages people to think outside the box and transform their space using fun wall decals, art prints, large wall murals and more. Find out more about where all the magic happens in this studio tour below.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Danielle and I own Urbanwalls alongside my husband Paul. Together, we have three kids—two boys and a girl. We started Urbanwalls over 9 years ago and have loved the journey and community that has flourished around this business of ours!

How would you describe your studio’s style?

This studio is a dream for content creation. With its high ceilings and tall, sunny windows, it’s impossible not to feel inspired. Having a neutral backdrop makes it so easy for us to transform the feel of our space, using our products to achieve any design genre from bohemian to clean modernism.

What is your favorite element in the studio?

The windows have been my favorite element, by far. They bring in natural light and overlook the old heritage buildings of the Gastown neighborhood in Vancouver. Since I previously worked out of my basement where natural light was nonexistent, this was a game-changer for me and our business. Before the move, it felt like I was constantly searching for inspiration, but now we can’t keep up with it!

What are some of your go-to resources?

We have one of the most gorgeous décor boutiques in Vancouver called The Cross. To complete and accent our designs, we constantly drop by for extra design elements and accessories—those little touches that really tie a room or look together. We’re also plant junkies at Urbanwalls, so we love Floralista for fresh, growing accents. Floralista also provided the flowers and inspiration behind our Garden Florals Collection!

Where did you get the inspiration for decorating your studio, and how does it reflect your brand?

The studio is a gorgeous, neutral space that is ever-changing—like, daily changing. We like to keep it all neutral so that we can easily mix it up (sometimes even 2-3 times a day) to create new scenes and inspiration for our followers. Our goal with the studio was to create content that would both inspire and educate our customers, showing them how to apply and style our products. Though our followers loved our products, they questioned their practical knowledge and creative abilities to be able to apply our decals, etc. We wanted to show them just how easy installation could be using social media to empower and educate. Our studio, like our products, is always changing! But that’s our brand—easy to apply, easy to remove and totally supportive of designer A.D.D.!

How and why did you start Urbanwalls?

I started Urbanwalls when I was smack in the middle of having babies. My husband was traveling a lot and I had two baby boys under 2. Before having kids, I worked as a graphic and web designer, so I was looking for a creative outlet (to keep my sanity). I wanted to decorate my sons’ room, but couldn’t find any décor that I liked. So, I decided to create my own, later listing my decal designs on Etsy. Within a few hours, I had my first sale. I didn’t even have vinyl in my home! A few years later, we began to utilize Facebook and Instagram to gain traction for our little company. I had no experience, but we were hard workers and loved learning along the way. I became passionate about the community that was born alongside Instagram—it was an outlet to meet like-minded people and support one another’s creative endeavors!

What did you want to accomplish with Urbanwalls?

Surprisingly, I didn’t set out with this huge goal or vision. The success of the company really took us by surprise. I just took it step by step and grew alongside our company. But the goal has always been to help our customers fall in love with the spaces they live in. Everyone is creative and we want to help others tap into that creativity to develop a home or office they truly love. But none of it could be accomplished without our fabulous team. There’s nothing like coming to work and collaborating with fantastically creative individuals. It’s a real joy.

Did you struggle managing motherhood and your new business all at once?

Oh my goodness, YES! Of course! Starting the business in the thick of motherhood was insane. There were so many late nights and early mornings, but I was passionate about what I did. I learned that kids do NOT operate around my work schedule—it is very much the opposite. For those first few years, I really had to wait until nighttime to get anything done. Once they started school, I was able to transition to a more “normal” work schedule. We moved the business out of our home over two years ago and it was life-changing. A designated workspace allowed home to be home and work to be work.

If you had an extra hour in the day, how would you use it?

Either on Pinterest or Netflix!

Do you have any advice for new moms who want to pursue their own business as well?

I feel like a lot of women deal with insecurity and anxiety that they have to keep up with Instagram and social media, like the world might miss them if they don’t keep up every single day. It’s always going to be there. Enjoy being with your kids in those moments that only come for a short time. In that stage, it seems like you are going to be house-bound with babies forever, and I think a lot of women can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Your babies will grow up and gain independence, but you only have this sweet stage for so long. Keep chipping away at what’s in your heart and working toward it, but never at the cost of your family. The struggle of balance is so real, but be gracious with yourself and know that tomorrow is always a new start.

Is there anything new in the works for Urbanwalls that you can share?

We are introducing a new website AND collection that we are so excited about! We have learned so much along the way and look forward to making our site more user-friendly and searchable. We also have some really beautiful, new products in a unique color palette (nudes, terracotta and blushes) making their way onto the site before too long!

Where do you see Urbanwalls in a few years?

We are looking to expand our locations in Canada and the United States, while adding extensions of products. It’s an exciting time of growth and we can’t wait to see what’s in store!