Lisa Daye (Image: submitted)
After 14 years of working in New Brunswick’s healthcare system, licensed practical nurse Lisa Daye gave her notice four months ago at the Saint John Regional Hospital to become an interior stylist and open her own business, Meraki Daye Interiors. She’s never been happier.
“I’ve always really loved trying different things and playing around with the staple gun, reupholstering chairs and learning how to sew, making my own curtains and cushion covers,” says Daye.
She says she started experimenting with different styles and putting things together after her youngest son, now a teenager, began kindergarten.
Over the years she worked on her own projects and did consults and free work but didn’t think about pursuing that creative side of her life until things started to go downhill in healthcare. Daye says she began thinking about exiting nursing after she was kicked in the face by a patient three years ago.
“It wasn’t being kicked, because the man we were doing this procedure on was scared, it was the way I was treated,” she explained, adding she got docked an hour’s pay so she could get an X-ray.
In contrast to her nursing career, she felt incredible joy and excitement when doing consultations at people’s homes.
After working part-time for two years, Daye gave her notice in September 2021. However, she is still an LPN and does a bit of private care.
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- The “before” of Nurse Edie’s family room
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- The “after” of Nurse Edie’s family room
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- Screenshot of a TikTok of Erin Daye at work
“I have so many dreams and I have so many ideas going around in my mind of how I want to grow and how I want to expand,” said Daye. “Every time I leave [a consultation] the homeowners are so pumped and I love it because that’s how you feel fulfilled and valued and they value what I have to say – I didn’t get that in my nursing career, I was just a number.”
Getting Meraki Daye Interiors off the ground took time but word-of-mouth and Daye’s network of friends and colleagues got the ball rolling.
“I think when you’re starting out as an entrepreneur a lot of people who do support you are your circle of friends, family, that sort of thing,” she said.
Daye says social media, in particular Instagram and TikTok, has been a good tool to reach people and get the word out about the business while showing her at work as a stylist.
About 85 percent of Meraki Daye Interior’s clients are nurses who are still working in the healthcare system. Daye says the best part of her job is helping create a space where they can come home and unwind after a crazy, stressful shift.
When creating spaces for her clients, some interior choices she makes to try to create a feeling of calm are creating a seating area in their bedroom where they can unwind, and incorporating accents like dark colours, soft fabrics, and layers.
“I really have this desire to create these beautiful spaces because I know what their life is like, how demanding it is,” she said. “I know what it’s like to not be able to sleep after a night shift, so I know what kind of bedroom they’re going to need, I know that they’re going to need room-darkening blinds and sound-absorbing curtains.”
