Alcov was borne from two passions: design and shopping. I’ve always loved design: from a book cover to a clever idea for a business. In college, I wanted to design cars, but my Asian parents were less than thrilled about the idea of me dropping out of Columbia to go to art school in LA. So I went to architecture school instead, and my thesis project was about how design could be achieved through shopping. Deciding what to purchase is designing an experience for yourself. Never is that more true than when buying furniture and decor.

During the pandemic, with the family working from home, we needed to rethink our space around a whole new set of needs; and I was spending a lot of frustrating hours searching for items that fit my budget, space, style and were available on my timeline. It was also a real challenge to imagine how things would look together IRL. I had a vision of what I wanted, but going from inspiration to a finished room is a big chasm to cross.

From that struggle and a lifelong commitment to making good design accessible to anyone, the seeds of Alcōv were borne. Milo, fresh from working on a wellness startup and having soldiered through three moves in 2 years, brought first-hand knowledge of the problem and an eye for user experience.

We hope our app helps imbue your home with your unique style and personality.