Meet Lindsey Krivenki | Designer + CEO of Sass

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lindsey Krivenki and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lindsey, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I spent 15 years at American Greetings, where I was responsible for trend researching, surface design, and design. It was around this time that I started a freelance career, expanding my skills into a larger design practice – some of my clients have included Phoenix Coffee, Bike Cleveland, and 4 Walls. I was doing everything from website design, t-shirts, social media, and interior design to murals. During the pandemic I narrowed my focus after losing several clients and developed an entirely new line of products based on my love of plants. Variegate Design allowed me to take the skills I developed over many years and apply them to a new retail line that has been very successful.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art, especially the plant-related designs, are distinct from other designers’ work because I like things to be more spooky than cutesy. When I worked for American Greetings, I had to adhere to a certain look and feel that wasn’t necessarily me. With my own products, I can do whatever I want. It can sometimes be a challenge to translate my vision into products that will appeal to a large number of people, but so far it has been more successful than I could have imagined at the beginning. As it turns out there are a lot more people who vibe with my aesthetic than you might think.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If it happens to be the third weekend of the month I would kick things off at Third Friday, 78th Street Studios’ art walk. It’s also where my studio is located and we are open to the public from 5-9:00 that night along with all our artist neighbors.

Lakeview Cemetery has long been a favorite of mine since I moved to Cleveland in 2005. I love to walk around, check out all the amazing plantings and monuments, and if they’re open, you really shouldn’t miss the Tiffany window in Wade Chapel.

The Cleveland Botanical Garden is not only one of my favorite places but also my kids’.

Crust Pizza and Ninja City are must-visits for me foodwise. On the east side, I love Tommy’s on Coventry.

Naturally I love art stores, Lakewood Art Supply is a recent addition to my side of town that’s really good.

And even though I already have a vast collection of plants, both personally and for sale, I never turn down a good plant store or greenhouse visit. Recently my studiomate took me to Puritas Nursery for the first time and even though it was end of season we both walked out of there with multiple new houseplants.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband Dan. He pushed me to do this, and was an absolute catalyst. He told me “you need to do YOU.”

Website: https://www.variegatedesign.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/variegatedesign

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/variegatedesignCLE