A small band of interior designers learned that collaboration can inspire innovation.

That collaboration also saves them some money and provides a regular place of business.

The group calls themselves the Design Bar Collective. They are a group of five interior designers who share rent, ideas and resources at their Northwest Crossing office. But each has their own clients and own businesses.

“This is innovative,” said Castle Larson, Musings Design owner and a member of the collective. “Most people have their own spaces and as they expand they have a scaled business. This is a different way of doing it.”

The collective is the brainchild of Anne Mastalir, an interior designer in Bend who had a design studio in NorthWest Crossing and decided to open it up recently to four other interior designers.

“I saw this as an opportunity to support others in the business, particularly women in this industry,” Mastalir said. “We perpetuate a good, strong, female energy that’s not competitive.”

Each of the designers have a strength or a roster of resources that can be shared when new business comes in, Mastalir said.

“We talk about our projects and weigh in and collaborate on the best business process,” she said. “Being in interior design is a complicated process.”

Typically a designer works either in a big firm, or works alone as a sole proprietor. Coming together as a collective allows for more shared experiences and shared work, said Larson.

“It’s an innovative idea as far as autonomy is concerned,” said Larson. “We are all independent business owners who work alongside other businesses. The idea of the collective is to lift each other up.”

PJ Hurst, owner of PJ Hurst Design, said she appreciated the shared environment.

She said it allows her to have a place for meetings, pull samples together and share the cost of overhead.

“For an independent designer it’s not feasible to have an office space,” Hurst said. “My clients have been positive about this. This group of fantastic people would never dream of poaching. There’s no attitude or drama. Interior design is a competitive industry (and) working as a sole proprietor can be lonely.”

Mastalir said on a typical design job, she is called in to present ideas on a remodel that can include everything from the pillows to the pillars and the workers whose expertise is needed to create that element.

“We do mid- to high-end new and remodel work and home furnishings,” Mastalir said. “My focus is connecting with nature and a critical part of it is health and wellness.”

When Bend resident Beth Davies remodeled her home, Mastalir set a comfortable tone that permitted Davies to accept or reject ideas without fear of offending, Davies said.

The remodeling work stripped the house down to its studs. The windows were replaced, doors were added. Mastalir spoke to plumbers and electricians and drywallers and understands their lingo, Davies said.

“In our conversations, she made me feel comfortable and talked me through the process,” said Davies. “The more discussions we had, the more comfortable I felt (that) she understands me and my space. Anne made my home look like me.”