See Inside Sisters Sara and Erin Foster’s ‘Chic and Cozy’ Shared Office: ‘We’ve Found Our Groove’
4 min read
When Sara and Erin Foster signed a production deal with 20th Century Fox, they were elated to get their very own office at the famous lot in L.A. as part of the partnership. But they knew they wanted to inject a little bit of their personality into the industrial-looking room they were assigned.
The sisters, whose dad is music producer David Foster, called in the team from online interior design service Decorist and their partnership with Bed Bath & Beyond to help add some flair to the room they knew they’d be spending plenty of time in.
They were partnered with Decorist designer Tamara Honey, who transformed the office into a space the sisters now describe as “cozy-chic.”
“It’s a small space, so we knew we wanted to zhuzh it up a little bit but we didn’t really know where to begin,” Sara, 39, told PEOPLE of the transformation.
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“We have zero design skills, but Decorist killed it,” continued Sara, who is married to tennis player Tommy Haas and has two children, Josephine, 9, and Valentina, 4. ”It was kind of like one of those fun design shows where you watch them turn a tiny room into something amazing.”
Carla Choy
Carla Choy
Erin, 37, who recently tied the knot with businessman Simon Tikhman, agrees, joking: “We came in like Elle Woods in Legally Blonde with her little dog, like, ‘This isn’t going to work for us.’ And they pulled it together!”
Although the pair — who starred together on VH1’s Barely Famous — tend to prefer different design styles (Erin’s childhood bedroom was all-blue with dozens of New Kids on the Block posters, while Sara’s had “graffiti” on the walls), they found it easy to agree on the aesthetic of their shared space.
“We just really wanted to create an environment where people wanted to be,” Sara says, noting that while her home is clutter-free and full of soft colors, she wanted fun knick-knacks and pops of color in the office to keep everyone who enters feeling awake and creative.
Carla Choy
“Your room vibe can change the whole tone of a meeting,” she continues. “If you walk into some sterile room with bad lighting and an uncomfortable chair, you’re going to want it to be over with as fast as possible.”
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With this in mind, Honey incorporated plenty of unique trinkets and art pieces, and playful furniture to liven up the room and keep imagination flowing. Some of the accents include a gold bar cart, animal statues and plenty of greenery, as well as layered rugs and pillows on the floor so people can lounge on the ground when the mood strikes.
Carla Choy
Carla Choy
Now, the sisters love it. Sara’s favorite new piece in the office? “The brass lamp,” she says. “It’s so elevated.” Erin, on the other hand, is obsessed with the oatmeal-colored couch, which centers the room. “It’s perfectly comfy and cozy,” she gushes.
Carla Choy
Though they may butt heads sometimes, the pair are more than happy to be sharing a workspace after almost six years of working together. They’ve combined their skills for a number of different projects over the years, and are currently working on an upcoming clothing line, are co-creative directors for the dating app Bumble and are writing and producing several television shows, the details of some still under wraps.
“Sharing an office is really great logistically, because our lives are so entwined,” Sara says. “Being able to turn around and ask each other something is a lot easier than having separate offices across town.”
Carla Choy
Carla Choy
Being able to communicate better is also great for their relationship, they admit.
“We’ve sort of found our groove,” Sara says. “We’re limiting our fights to once a week — it used to be every day!”
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Now that the office makeover is complete, the pair say they may even sense a little jealousy coming from other people on the lot.
“Honestly, people were like looking in the windows at what we were doing,” Erin says. “Trying to get a glimpse.”
“We’re like the new girls on the lot with one pilot, and now we have this sick office,” Sara laughs. “I’m actually kind of nervous for other people to see it because I think it’s so much better than the others!”
