Bridget Giroux Design

Published in Live Work Play (Fall 2023), Written by Kayla Anderson

The mother/daughter interior design firm behind Bridget Giroux Design has taken Incline Village by storm ever since it was incepted in fall of 2022, and its client base and business continue to grow.  

Both named Bridget (as well as a baby Bridget who was just welcomed into the world this past September), it all started when Bridget Giroux moved to Incline Village in 2021. 

Giroux grew up in the Bay Area, and her parents Bridget and Bob Crowe moved to Incline Village 13 years ago. As the Crowes built a life on the East Shore, their daughter Bridget pursued a career in design. Giroux moved to the Midwest and went to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Upon graduation, she worked at a luxury workroom that specialized in bedding and linens at one of the top designers in the area and later got a job with renowned American designer Holly Hunt working in design and product development. Giroux traveled all around the world for that job for six years and then covid came, bringing her traveling to a halt. 

“Covid changed the way we thought about what life would look like,” Bridget Giroux says. 

Being back on the West Coast again, Giroux found a remote job continuing interior design, met her husband, and they thought for the first time ever of moving out of the city. 

“At that point I knew how the industry worked and two things struck me about Incline: 1) I couldn’t believe how many artists are here; and 2) there are so few places for them to show their work,” Giroux adds. “No one in Incline was really embracing that, so we saw an opportunity here to bring in this new perspective.” 

The pandemic also brought a new demographic of residents moving to Northern Nevada who had an appreciation for contemporary fine art and home decor.  

At the same time Bridget Giroux Design was launched, longtime Incline Village resident Piper Monika Johnson moved her fine art gallery from Incline Village to Truckee. Piper M. Johnson and the Bridgets met, and they began sharing artists. In the small office space above Drink Coffee Do Stuff, the Bridgets started hosting popup exhibitions. Its first few artists had roots in Incline, such as abstract artist Susan Watson, still life/landscape artist Mary Nagal Klein, illustrator Liz Paganelli, and mixed-media artist Jason Forcier. Since Giroux has such a sophisticated eye for design and a small showroom that does not keep regular hours, the Bridgets are highly selective in what artists they work with. 

“The pop-up model works well because it creates a sense of urgency,” Giroux says. 

“There’s a nice mix of longtime locals and visitors who come to these popups, and it’s never crowded at our events. We have a targeted mailing list and personally invited people via email, so it feels more exclusive, although anyone is welcome to attend,” she says. 

However, hosting popup exhibits for local artists is more of a passion project; the main breadth of their business is derived from more extensive interior design projects. 

Bridget Giroux Design has worked with at least 10 Incline Village residents on their house projects, everything from full-on remodels to light interior refreshes. They’ve done four very large renovations, replacing all the furniture, window treatments, cabinets, sinks. Bridget Giroux Design also does art consultations, and helps people figure out what’s worth keeping or getting rid of.

“That’s our bread and butter, redoing the flooring, trim, paint, lighting,” Giroux says. 

They recently began a project where they helped gut an entire home down to the studs, putting in new tile, cabinetry, backsplash, vanity sinks- pretty much everything- in the kitchen and bathroom. 

They’ve worked with clients and their homes as far away as Maui to Kings Beach, Glenbrook, and Glenshire, but they’re mainly focused on Incline Village.

“We take on different projects of different scales,” Giroux adds. 

In December 2022, Bridget Giroux Design also hosted a monthlong Holiday Sip and Shop on the weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. It’s something that they will bring back this winter season since last year’s popup was so successful. 

“People wanted to shop locally and support artists,” says Giroux.

“We curated the popup tight- every single in the store was super special, nothing you could find anywhere else,” she says, explaining that they target high-end customers looking for heirloom-quality home furnishings. Most items they sell during the popups are $600-$1400 apiece, which could include handwoven throws, fresh floral arrangements, and even high-end candles that smell like Hidden Beach. Bridget Giroux Design works with a porcelain ceramist who lives in South Lake Tahoe and creates dishwasher-safe “modern fine China” dish sets that cost anywhere from $200-$450. 

“Our ethos is in the popups and art exhibits. We shop, and use as much local as we can, trying to support art and the artisan ecosystem.”

“We learned so much last year from those. We’re going to bring back a ton of bestselling items,” Giroux explains, adding that people were calling in July asking if they’ll have certain things back in stock. Everything that the design team carries is handmade, artisan quality. The fall/spring holiday popups are great because you can get specially curated items right here in Incline Village without having to worry about driving to Reno. 

In looking towards the future, along with getting ready for the holiday popup, Giroux says the business is currently focusing on their existing clients and will be taking on new clients this November for 2024. The Bridgets pride themselves on their ability to find upscale items that complement a relaxed mountain lifestyle. 

“It’s possible to live with beautiful things that are not necessarily precious but aesthetically comforting, special, that tell a story,” Giroux says. Like Adrienne [Belair’s] porcelain ceramic work that’s dishwasher safe, easy to live with, yet handmade and artistic. “People want their homes to be practical,” she says. 

“We are unique in that my mom and I come to every single appointment; the two of us are there throughout the entire process from start to finish. People seem to appreciate that we live here in town, understand the nuances of living in Tahoe, and work personally with them on their needs,” Bridget Giroux says. Her mother Bridget Crowe is active in rotary, the Incline Business Exchange, board of realtors, and does a lot of volunteer work.

“We do ‘everyday luxury’ projects and are trying to establish ourselves as a design resource for people. Our mission is to share these cool people who are making amazing work,” Giroux says.  

“We are still evolving and growing,” Bridget Crowe says. 

This year’s Bridget Giroux Design Holiday Sip and Shop popup will run from the day after Thanksgiving from 5pm-8pm and then open Fridays-Sundays from 11am-4pm through December 23^rd. For more information about Bridget Giroux Design, visit www.bridgetgiroux.com.