First, let me introduce myself…
Hi, I’m Erns.
I am the Founder and Chief Environment Officer of Froh Collective. I’ve spent years working in the Architecture & Design industry in a variety of roles, most recently as a Registered Interior Designer.
My ambition and passion as a designer has always been very simple - make the lives of those who I design for better. I firmly believe that the spaces we inhabit - be it our homes, workplaces, or the places we choose to hang out in - should enable us to be happy and healthy.
My Credentials:
RID IDIBC - Registered Interior Designer, Interior Designers Institute of British Columbia
IDC - Interior Designers of Canada
B.EnvD - Bachelor of Environmental Design - Interior Environments, University of Manitoba
MID - Master of Interior Design, University of Manitoba
NCIDQ Certified - Council for Interior Design Qualification
WELL AP - WELL Accredited Professional, International WELL Building Institute
Why Froh?
In German, Froh means to be Glad, Happy, or Pleased.
I am from a German-Mennonite heritage. My life story is…interesting to say the least. Let’s just say it’s a bit of an anomaly to be me. I am from a pretty traditional Mennonite colony in the Mexican province of Chihuahua, a few hundred kilometers south of the Texas border. My family immigrated to Canada when I was a child, none of us spoke a word of English upon arrival, and we honestly didn’t know what to expect. We landed in Manitoba which is a lot colder during the winter, and far more humid during the summer!
Life has thrown many challenges my way, but I’ve always persevered and have grown to be incredibly resilient. While I didn’t always know I would end up an Interior Designer, I was incredibly observant from an early age and always questioned why so many folks, including my own family, would renovate a home to sell - not to live in themselves. That still seems backwards to me, because we all deserve to live in homes that make our lives more enjoyable. Of course, joy does not mean the same thing for everyone, but at the root of it is something incredibly universal - joy is a tangible thing we can work towards. It doesn’t always mean adding more stuff or modifying the existing space to a great extent - however, design should always be intentional. When confronted with any decisions that alter how I use my space, I always ask myself,
“Does this make my day-to-day life simpler, help me gain back more time, or is it beautiful enough to be appreciated with no other function?”
That’s the same ethos I work from when clients are involved. There’s no ego, no ‘Erns Wall’ style I’m trying to make happen - just evidence-based ways to create opportunities for pure, unfiltered joy to occur each and every day. That means listening to what our mind and body require to function optimally, and reducing the stressors that wear us down.
The Collective
I may be the only one on the team right now, but that doesn’t mean I lack ambition to take Froh Collective to great heights! Whether it remains a one-man-show or becomes an international operation, the Collective part of the name is already live and well!
Here’s the thing - my work spans a lot of different areas; Photography, Art, Interior Design, Music, Writing…the list goes on. That’s why I went with ‘Collective’ from the very start. I’ve never been one to fit into a neat box or even a broadly accepted stereotype, so why start now? Besides, I do not want to limit myself to what I already know and do well - I like to leave the door open for other areas of interest, some which may not even be on my radar yet!
One thing I do want you to know about me right away, and this is important because I do want to build trust from the start - I am not driven by money, I have no interest in accumulating a bunch of cash in a bank account with my name on it. If I did, I wouldn’t have gotten into Commercial Interior Design as a profession. While it is very fulfilling for me, it’s not that glamorous and certainly doesn’t do much for anyone that is driven by becoming wealthy.
And no, it’s not because I am independently wealthy - quite the opposite. I’ve never had that much money. I put myself through 9 years of University while working a hospitality job. By the time I was in Graduate Studies, I was receiving enough income from academic awards to pay for my education and some travel. The ironic thing is, when I graduated and started working professionally - I took a considerable pay cut. The beauty in all of this is that I can make do with very little, and I firmly believe that helping others improve their lives to be more fulfilling shouldn’t come with an eyewatering budget.
We are often fed the lie that to become happy and healthy, we have to do a gut renovation of our space. Out with the old, in with the new. Except, there’s typically a lot of stuff already existing in our spaces that functions as intended. Sometimes our space requires an architectural modification to help us meet our goals, but sometimes a simple furniture layout change or coat of paint is what is most appropriate. So, before you grab the sledge hammer, ask yourself,
“What does my biology require and what are the goals I want to achieve by altering my space?”
A simple question like that can save you tens of thousands of dollars if you’re beginning a project and letting someone with ulterior motives guide your decision making.
The mission for Froh Collective is to help guide folks like you to making thoughtful changes when necessary, changes that work towards true biological balance. Sometimes, it means simply helping you to see the value in what you already have!
The Mission
After all that, you might still be wondering,
“If this isn’t about money, why is a large component of Froh Collective an online store?
That’s a totally fair question, and I’m glad you asked! I envision Froh Collective to be a vehicle for positive change. And yes, that does require a cashflow. We’re here to do a couple of things, and to do them right!
Froh Good. Our philanthropic branch. I’m going to start with charitable donations of art supplies to local community centers, schools, hospitals etc., in and around Victoria, BC. As we grow, so will the reach. I’d love to set up recurring donations to underfunded arts programs because I firmly believe that creativity unleashes our greatest potential. A portion of all income coming into Froh Collective goes directly to charitable causes.
Froh Haus. This is the most ambitious part of my mission. Our towns and cities are full of bars, restaurants, and places that exist to sell you stuff. Beyond a few sacred spaces like public libraries and community centers, there aren’t many low-pressure places where we can go to participate in a variety of activities. I want to change that. Think of it like a social club, but without the giant price tag. This is, of course, not going to be possible immediately. But, as the Collective grows, I am keeping this on the docket for further development.
Research. I’m working on a historical non-fiction memoir telling the epic story of my ancestors, who were engineers in the Dutch Lowlands 500 years ago, and lived alongside Menno Simons, the founder and namesake of my Mennonite heritage! Over the past half-millennium, we have been fleeing persecution all over the globe and there is just so much fascinating history to uncover! While I can get a lot of research done online, there are archives in several places around the globe that will be incredible resources.