$800 and a Dream

Carly Quinn Designs Decorate the World

By Steve Rivera

Fifteen years ago, Carly Quinn didn’t have much more than $800 and a dream to launch a business. It turned out, that’s all she needed to make the magic happen.

And yes, it’s seemingly magic given all the success that initial investment generated. 

“It was terrifying,” she said. “But I didn’t have a lot.” What she did have was elbow grease, her dream and a tremendous ambition to bet on herself. “Why not?” she said.

What it’s turned into is Carly Quinn Designs, an amazing tile-centric business in a new studio home that generates millions of dollars from her determination to become an artist. Her initial $800 made her $20,000 in her first year in business in 2011. In 2026, Carly Quinn Designs is projected to make $2.7 million, she said.

How did that first $20,000 feel?

“Oh, my god,” she said, “I made more than I made at my job” where she was working as she built her own company.

And the millions now? “I don’t even know,” she said. “There’s so much going on, and my brain is always going.”

It’s the mind of an artist – what’s next and how creative to be. But it fits her. The former temporary tattoo artist turned tile designer, with a background in fine art and graphic design, has come a long way from her early days.

Where does she get her vision of color and creativity? “My brain,” she said, with a smile. “I have a lot of things swirling around in there. It’s pretty cool. I feel very fortunate.”

Quinn’s work utilizes bold and subtle colors, based on a technique called cuerda seca, which is defined as using wax to separate colored glazes on pottery or tiles. It allows designers to create intricate, multicolored designs with defined outlines.

“It’s highly skilled, labor-intensive work,” Quinn said.

She took to the process early in her career when she was a student in 2005 and a graphic designer for artists, who now work for her. Quinn holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from The ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, Calif.

She started in a 150-square-foot studio in midtown. Quinn bought a kiln “for super cheap from a friend” and just started making tile. “I started blowing fuses,” she recalled. “It was a slow growth. I was working a lot, seven days a week, but I finally saved that $800.”

Today, her designs include smaller tiles to larger murals and designs large enough to highlight in a shower or fireplace − or anywhere. Her work can be seen at her studio – she’s been there since October 2025 – at 711 S. Sixth Ave.

There, you’ll find a spacious studio/work area for more than 20 artists who churn out pieces sold all over the world, including Santa Fe, N.M., where she recently visited and saw her tiles on full display.

The studio produces 300 tiles a day and about 1,500 a week – and those are already sold. Online orders from all over the country are being processed and sent out daily. Her studio will eventually encompass 7,000 square feet, after she completes renovations.

“We’re crazy busy all the time,” she said. “It feels good, but it also feels like there’s a lot of work to do. I’m getting there.”

Photo by Brent G. Mathis