Creatives In Quarantine: Jewelry Designer, Nicole Whisenhunt, On Her WFH Setup

Who says you can’t be sparkling and fabulous in this quarantine? Meet Nicole Whisenhunt, designer and owner of Whisenhunt, and see how she continues to bring that special sparkle to her clients despite the pandemic.  

“I officially started my brand in 2008 which back then was under "Nicole Whisenhunt" - a fashion jewelry line which evolved into fine jewelry by 2012. We then decided to change the brand name to “Whisenhunt” when the brand moved into a fine jewelry line,” Nicole shares with us. Whisenhunt is a Fine Jewelry shop located in Powerplant Mall, Rockwell. They have ready-to-wear jewelry pieces, vintage & antique jewelry from a variety of design periods, bridal jewelry, and children's jewelry. They also offer services such as custom jewelry design options, reworking of existing jewelry, jewelry repairs, stone sourcing, and sourcing of estate pieces.

The global pandemic has surely disrupted business operations and Whisenhunt has also had its own share of challenges, but she confides, “We’re happy to say that we’ve overcome these challenges. I've been pretty lucky that my workshop and boutique found a way to adapt to the new normal.”

We asked Nicole about her own work from home setup. “I've always had a spare room in my apartment which was already a home office, I use this room to look at my materials in private and work on any documenting. We also photograph jewelry here!” she laughs. Her home office contains many jewelry books and it’s pretty complete for office needs, though the comfort of home allows Nicole to move around her apartment a lot depending on how she feels, and she admits to oftentimes taking her laptop out on the balcony, her dining table, or the round table in her living area. “I love being in bright and open spaces. Honestly, working from home has seemed to become quite convenient and because of technology or apps, it's made working from home quite doable.”

See her WFH spaces here:

Nicole believes now is the time to really make use of all the technological options out there. This will help make work more efficient, convenient and organized. Managing a team whose members are distanced from each other is difficult, but Nicole shares with us some tips on how to do it successfully:  “Firm execution of SOP's. Considering that most of your team is now spread out, it's extremely important that your team is following a schedule and are readily available for communication. Team meetings are important to make sure everyone is aligned, work is more measured by productivity versus time based.”  

Working from home, Nicole’s favorite thing about it is being able to eat clean through home-cooked meals. Prior to the pandemic, she would have most of her meals outside. “Eating out is wonderful but you have no control over the ingredients that go into your food, unlike being at home you have the opportunity to eat healthier.” Having said that, she also tells us how iced coffee or tea is part of her WFH essentials, alongside WIFI (can’t survive without it!), her laptop (of course!) and some good background music. “While working, I often prefer a variety of jazz music. Once in a while, I listen to other playlists that are more upbeat or "fun", but most of the time I need beautiful music or simply background music!”

Let’s take a listen at her current favorite playlist here.

This pandemic has seen us all making big adjustments in the attempt to bring back a sense of normalcy. The challenges have been difficult, but like Nicole’s pieces, our resilience shines through, proving that we can overcome anything that comes our way and still be fab and glam!