Catherine Hover knows the value of community. In 2012, she founded Paint and Sip Studio in Saratoga Springs, NY and quickly became a vital part of her local business and arts community. But over the years, she found herself daydreaming about creating something even bigger.
“I have pretty much always been entrepreneurial and community focused,” Hover said. “Once I became a mom, I fully realized how important community is both personally and professionally. I can’t keep these two parts of my life separate at all times. I found myself reaching out to other women dealing with the same issues. That’s when I started to think about how I could provide a physical framework for women to build their own communities.”
Enter Palette, an innovative combination of café, coworking, and art, with the goal of celebrating culture and connection. Hover opened the raspberry-colored doors to her new business in June of 2019, and welcomed patrons in with soft pink walls, velvet Bend Chairs, and a bright green conversation room complete with a cotton-candy pink payphone.
“With Palette I wanted to create a space that wasn’t being provided in our community. A place for women to find their tribe,” Hover explained. “This is a place where women can feel comfortable, and men can show up too!”
Hover has created a space that's emblematic of her unique style of community-building. But from the beginning, she knew the decisions she made about the interior of Palette would set the tone for the type of community she wanted to build.
Hover enlisted the help of interior designer, Yvonne McEachron of Layered Design. The two set out to design a space that was unabashedly feminine, inspiring, and still down-to-earth.
"It's not so much what you see when you come in. It's how you feel," Hover says.
Hover chose to highlight artist, Monica Bill Hughes on Palette's walls for her grand opening. Hughes' artwork explores femininity and sexuality in unexpected, yet familiar environments. The collection of swirling pastel deconstructed nudes beautifully transforms the dining area.
Image courtesy Monica Bill Hughes. Polly Pocket (2015).
Furniture sourcing was a challenge due to start-up budget constraints and time, but Hover and McEachron used a creative combination of online sourcing and local mill-work.
They chose two eye-catching Bend Chairs from Emblem, upholstered in a custom velvet and finished with brushed brass details.
“Our Bend Chairs are a focal point. They are the most popular spot in Palette,” Hover says.
With a busy flow of traffic and encouraging early feedback on her model, Hover plans to expand her coworking space to the second floor of her building in the coming months. From there, she hopes to bring her hybrid model of café and coworking to other communities on the east coast and beyond.
Congratulations to Catherine and her team at Palette. Check them out the next time you are in Saratoga Springs, New York!
And if you're an Emblematic Business with a story to tell, let us know.