Meet Caroline Ofe | Owner and Head Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Caroline Ofe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Caroline, what do you attribute your success to?
Something that has changed our business is deciding that part of giving our clients excellent service means making the process fun. Home and commercial projects can be very stressful—delays, unexpected expenses, etc. We have made it our mission to provide world-class services that:

1. Give our clients confidence that their project is in great hands, and
2. Make the entire process exciting and joyful.

What should our readers know about your business?
The Look by Lina is a full service interior design firm Dallas, TX. Our design services include residential new construction, renovation, and full furnishing projects, as well as commercial projects. We believe a home should be a peaceful and meaningful ground zero for our clients’ beautiful lives. Our goal is to help our clients achieve the Look of their dreams.

I think we set ourselves apart in the industry from the beginning by our focus on truly learning and understanding our clients’ functional needs and their ideal aesthetics. So many designers are focused on having a signature style, and while there is a place for a personal taste and advice, it is always our top priority to really spend time discovering what Look will make our clients fall in love with their home or office.

I started The Look by Lina as a one-woman show, and really just worked around the clock trying to build a client base and a portfolio of work. Thankfully I have some very sweet family and friends who very generously not only let me design their homes, but also were willing to recommend my services to others. From there, it really has been word of mouth and The Look has slowly but steadily grown to where it is today.

It has definitely not been easy, especially with a growing family, I’ve had two amazing daughters since I started the Look- so much joy and so much chaos! There have been many late nights, but with a great team around me, we’ve focused on problem solving and creating a luxury experience for every client in the midst of it all.
It has really taught us:
1. How to be scrappy to meet deadlines and meet them well.
2. The importance of making sure we are the right fit for the project. When I first started out, I really took on any project that came my way- as time has gone on, I’ve become much pickier and really focus when I meet a potential client on discovering what their goals are. I’d much rather recommend another firm or turn a project down, then waste our time and theirs. This has been essential to our growth as a design firm.

I want The Look by Lina to be known for world-class service and magazine-worthy results. I want our clients to walk away ecstatic to show off their new space and say they had an absolute blast during the process.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is such a great question. I love Dallas, I’m originally from Midland, but would come to Dallas once a month growing up so I feel like an expert as a visitor and now a resident. My essential spots are:
NorthPark(must park on the top of the parking garage at Neimans for the best experience) and Highland Park Village for all the shopping.
Lovers Lane for vintage furniture shopping and dinner at Drakes.
Other favorite restaurants: Flower Child, Hudson House, Bella Green, Two Guys from Italy (best hole-in-the wall Italian).
Love to do the Arboretum and eat at the restaurant near the Women’s garden. The splash pad at Kylde Warren Park and then dinner at Mi Coccina is so fun with kids or if adults only, we love to dinner at Perry’s and then walk over to the Symphony for a show! (Worth it just to see the Symphony building).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Nathan Ofe, my husband, has to get all the credit. He has worked with countless organizations and companies to help them become successful and create life-giving company cultures. He’s now the CEO of Texas Scorecard. He’s not only given me so much advice that’s helped The Look become successful in offering luxury services, but he’s also been the one by my side helping me on the late-nights, weekends, etc. Starting a small business truly requires blood, sweat, and tears and without him, I probably would have quit along time ago.

Website: https://thelookbylina.com

Instagram: @thelook.bylina.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-look-by-lina

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelookbylina/

Other: TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@thelook.bylina

Image Credits
Luke Marshall