A Line Muses: Lee Mayer, Co-Founder & CEO of Havenly
A Cherry Creek Fashion Brand Partnership
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ESTHER LEE LEACH
STYLED BY JACK SAVOIE // CLOTHING: A LINE BOUTIQUE
Top: IRO // Jeans: L’agence // Shoes: Aquazzura // Earrings: Larsa Marie
A Line Boutique: Tell us a bit about yourself and your background.
Lee Mayer: I’m Lee, the co-founder, and CEO of Havenly, an online interior design company headquartered in Denver. I moved to Denver from the East Coast, where I’m originally from, and have really loved building a business and family in this town, although I still miss New York City a lot - I call myself a ‘recovering New Yorker’.
Before I became a design entrepreneur, I worked in management consulting at Bain in New York, did some Corporate Development and strategy work, and worked with a private equity firm’s portfolio company as it went public. I grew up in New York City, moving there at 17 to go to Columbia University, and went to Harvard for Business School.
A Line: Tell us about Havenly, and what makes it unique.
Lee: Havenly is an affordable online interior design service, pairing customers with real interior designers, who work to create beautiful and personalized designs for our customers. We’re the easiest and most delightful way to shop for your home - we are able to provide design at an accessible price, and really help you visualize what your space could be if it were fully designed by a professional through 3D renderings.
A Line: Why did you create Havenly and what do you love most about the work you do?
Lee: Havenly was born out of a personal frustration - after relocating to Denver from New York City, and moving from a one-bedroom apartment to a home with many rooms, I started realizing how tough (and expensive!) it’d be to curate and pull together a well-designed space. Working with traditional interior designers felt out of reach for me, and I just felt like there had to be an easier and more accessible online solution to get the help I wanted in turning my home into a space I loved.
There’s a lot I love about the work I do, but one of my favorite things is getting to work alongside other extraordinarily talented and bright professionals. From our leadership team to our board members, to investors - they are all of incredible caliber, and I’m better off as a leader and entrepreneur for knowing and learning from them.
Dress: ALC dress // Shoes: Aquazzura // Earrings: Larsa Marie
A Line: Describe how you were first introduced to A Line.
Lee: Hilariously, I met Karmen at a panel of women entrepreneurs in the area. It was a snowy and cold day, and I was exhausted, and I was dressed SO POORLY - the product of having a challenging day at work, and two kids at home. I told her I’d forgotten my style since being in Denver and feeling like I was in a style rut, and she told me that she could totally help me - and invited me in to meet with her and Jack. They had a lot of gorgeous things pulled for me, and within an hour and a half, I had a whole personalized capsule to kickstart a refreshed style!
A Line: What makes A Line such a special place to shop?
Lee: Karmen calls it the “easy button” to style and I couldn’t agree more. You walk in and they have selections that are not just on-trend but suitable to your body and taste. In addition to just being my style guru, I think A Line really nails the high-low approach to fashion. You can find affordable pieces or that to-die-for coat, all in the same place.
A Line: How does A Line style you for your lifestyle, your career, and your day-to-day?
Lee: They help me style it all! A Line’s personal stylists are so great at asking the right questions, and really seem to understand my style and fit preferences to a tee. They’ve helped me select amazing blazers, some of my favorite denim, many gorgeous blouses… I could go on! The reality is in my life I need form and function, I travel a lot, and my days are long - so they do a great job of making me look professional, style-forward, but also presentable during 12 hour days.
Jonathan Simkhai // Skirt: off-white // Shoes: Proenza Schouler // Earring: Larsa Marie
A Line: How would you describe your style and where do you find style inspiration?
Lee: I definitely lean more glam, but like to keep things natural and effortless. I’m partial to dresses (and love Ulla Johnson at the moment!), but I also look to style icons, like Rachel Zoe and Blaire Eadie for fresh inspiration.
A Line: As a successful CEO and co-founder, how do you incorporate your personal style into your work?
Lee: The best part of running a startup is that I have the opportunity to bring my personal style into the workplace, and I often wear the same pieces to work that I’ll wear out for a dinner with friends or while vacationing abroad. Our workplace is pretty casual, and we encourage folks to wear what they feel comfortable with or what makes them feel productive and like themselves. It leads to a super diverse style perspective at work, and because our team is 75% female, it also means that we get a lot of fun commentary and appreciation from a great look.
A Line has been so instrumental in helping me achieve that - a really versatile wardrobe, that works for a range of purposes.