Well Planned
Parallel Design Group Gives Clients Custom Service
Writer / Renee Larr
Photography Provided
Many working women struggle to find a work-life balance. In 2016 Briana Dunkin founded Parallel Design Group (PDG) to achieve a symbiosis between her family and her career.
When Briana was pregnant with her first daughter, she felt she had to choose between having a family and having a career, says Adrienne Evans, director of marketing and client experience. For the time being at her last place of employment, she pumped the brakes and focused inward towards her family. After her second daughter was born, she had the opportunity to work with a previous client on a one-off project. That continued to lead to more projects and more clients. She built Parallel Design Group after working on those projects.
Dunkins focus was creating a family-centric business.
She built the business with the intent of putting family first, Evans says. In her previous role, she felt she had to choose between having a family or a business. She wanted to create this opportunity for herself, but for other women too. Currently, we have a staff of 10, and the majority of our employees are female. I think what attracts them to PDG is serving with integrity and the culture that has been created.
The PDG staff creates beautiful interior designs for businesses and residential properties.
We were primarily doing commercial spaces up until COVID, Evans says. Then several of our previous commercial clients contacted us needing help with creating solutions for their home. They had the whole family including their kids working from home.
PDGs local projects include Sangiovese Ristorante, Sangrita Grill + Cantina, Flexware Innovation, Hub & Spoke, INCOG BioPharma Services, Engel and Völkers, and more.
The Sangrita at Fishers District is a second location, and one of the owners, Tarek Mercho, knew the clientele would be different from the Broad Ripple location, Evans says. We wanted to put a spin on the first restaurant. We wanted to bring the authenticity of the Spanish and Mexican flavors and vibes, while also elevating it for a more elegant feel.
Sangiovese is the second location for Owner Chris Evans. The new site opened in 2020, and is 3,700 square feet with an elevated Italian vibe. The design concept includes a hand-painted private dining room, a custom wall graphic and matte black walls.
Engel & Völkers is a luxury real estate firm with a national presence. The Fishers location is 2,700 square feet and was designed with local luxury in mind.
With their national presence, they also had a template or footprint we needed to follow, Evans says. They gave us the liberty to play around with it and make it unique to Fishers.
Flexware Innovation quickly outgrew its first 10,000-square-foot space, and utilized PDG to create a vast, 29,800-square-foot space for its growing staff.
The inspiration for the company name is based on how closely the staff at PDG works with clients.
Our name alludes to the fact that we work in parallel with our clients, Evans says. We take great pride in working alongside our clients. We listen to their needs, how their business is structured, and the things they need to create a thriving culture and business. Its about working in parallel with one another from start to finish.
The design process for clients includes a team approach.
We do an onboarding process where we let the client know what they can expect, Evans says. We have a client portal that is a catch-all for all of their plans and photographs. They can go in and see status updates, and when they can expect things from us. It keeps us on track and sets us apart from our other competitors. After a client has signed their contract, then we assign a team of designers. We will have two to three designers for a project, and one will run point. Its a team approach so we can get everything done as quickly as possible for the client.
Evans credits PDGs uniqueness in the interior design industry to an owner who isnt afraid to think differently.
Shes pushed the boundaries on this company, Evans says. Briana and our team at large arent afraid to push our clients in a healthy way. We listen to our clients, but when people come to us for interior design services, we expect and appreciate when they take our advice and our challenges for their project.
Projects can take anywhere from two weeks to two and a half years, based on the size of the project.
Weve done small-space planning that only takes two weeks, and weve done headquarters for a business that takes two and a half years, Evans says.
Parallel Design Group is located at 8940 River Crossing Boulevard, Suite 150 in Indianapolis. For more information, call 317-721-4399 or visit paralleldg.com.
