Oct. 25, 2023

Two established interior designers now are working together.

Amanda Gilliland has joined Erica Locke in Articulate LLC, which Locke formed in early 2020.

The two knew each other for many years through professional design organizations and from working together on projects for Sanford Health.

“I always admired how organized and professional she is while working with clients and other designers, not to mention her impeccable eye for great design,” said Locke, whose industry experience dates back to 2010.

Gilliland has worked in the industry for 13 years on residential and commercial projects.

“My project load doubled in the last year,” Locke said. “She was thinking about going out on her own, and I said, ‘Well don’t reinvent the wheel, let’s do this together!’ We never looked back. I had plenty of work for her to jump in on. It’s been full steam ahead. Amanda was looking for a change with her work-life balance, and I desperately needed another experienced designer, so it was a huge win for both of us.”

Both have bachelor’s degrees in interior design and have experience working in architectural firms and with furniture dealerships.

“Our passions and strengths align, but more importantly, we share the same values,” Locke said. “We have combined seven kiddos age 15 and under, so we understand each other on that level. It’s pretty amazing to do what we love each day while still being a hands-on mom, wife, friend. Although it doesn’t come without challenges and we wear a lot of hats, it’s all very rewarding.”

With the partnership, the full-service design firm now is adding procurement of furniture, fixtures and equipment and high-end residential design to its slate of services, which also include consultations and 3-D visualization.

“We are able to order, store and install anything related to a project,” Locke said. Gilliland “also has an impressive portfolio of luxury residential design projects, so we are excited to offer design on new builds and renovations for both commercial and residential projects.”

Some of Articulate’s current and recent projects include the new Maguire headquarters, the new headquarters for Muth Electric and the new Highest Health chiropractic clinic, all in Sioux Falls, and a new office for Hoogendoorn Construction in Canton.

They also worked on condo designs for the new Dry Dock Estates project in the Okoboji, Iowa, area.

The partners are in the process of securing an office of their own in southeast Sioux Falls.