Why Interior Design Matters

I want to share something that touched my heart this week. Sometimes I feel like interior design has turned into just another cash making industry. I relate it to what is now fast fashion, where you have so many places (think target, tj maxx, home goods, hobby lobby, etc.) monopolizing and dictating the trends in interior design, and tugging on our heart strings to make us feel like we constantly need to be updating our homes and have the next best thing. Truth be told, I hate the word “trend.” Just by saying the word “trend” in relation to interior design can make you feel like you’re either so on trend or so last year and honestly….barf . That’s not me. So I’d like to share this story with you to remind you why we even started decorating our homes, and bringing things that we found outside that we loved into our homes and hanging them on display to bring us joy everyday!

I was reading a book to my daughter that she had picked out at the Library, and the story takes place during the Russian war. It starts out with a young Girl who loves to go to her Grandmothers house, and at her Grandmothers house are wild sunflowers. She loves and cherishes these wild sunflowers, she looks forward to seeing them every time she visits. Then the war hits, and her family is forced out of their home. They spend years going from place to place, never having a permanent base that they can return to and call home. Then, the war ends. They find a small cottage, and slowly they turn it into a home. First, her dad builds a small bookshelf for her books. Then, her mom uses potato sacks to sew pillow cases and curtains. Then, her mom paints the curtains with beautiful sunflowers. 

This story hit me hard. When I started this business it was to use my passion and talents to be of service to others. But I find myself asking if I’m just contributing to consumerism and materialism, and not actually adding value. Am I just perpetuating this toxic world of interior design trends that no one can keep up with? But as I read this story to my daughter, I was reminded how important the aesthetic of our homes is. Our homes are our shelter and safety, when designed from our heart and soul they represent who we are at our core. 

Before having Children I had what I would now call a “stale” home. It was immaculate, everything was always in it’s right place, if we had guests over and they left their purse on our coffee table I would get agitated and felt like the vibe of the whole room was now off. How dare it look like people actually lived in this home?! 

Since having kids, all of that has been challenged and I have had to face and conquer the real reason behind my incessant need to have a picture perfect home. Our homes are so much more than the “stuff” we fill them with. Sure, you can have an immaculate home that is perfectly designed and balanced, but if it doesn’t represent who you are, your values, the things that make your heart sing, then what good is it? In my opinion, it’s just a stale home.

I see a lot of posts on social media that try to tell you that your black hardware is so 2024, or your open concept is now outdated, or that shiplap is so 2012 Joanna Gaines. These posts are toxic and if you see them in your feed I encourage you to unfollow now!! I guess the message that I’m trying to convey in this blog post is, DO. WHAT. YOU. LOVE!! DO. WHAT. MAKES. YOUR. HEART. SING!! There are no rules when it comes to inheritor design. If you want to paint sunflowers on your curtains, DO IT! If you want to have yellow kitchen cabinets, DO IT! 

There is a reason so many of us are drawn to interior design and find peace and creativity in decorating our homes, and that’s because how we choose to decorate our homes speaks to who we are at a soulful level. I absolutely love going to a friend’s house or to my Clients home because I feel like it’s a glimpse into their soul, I don’t just see the furniture and decor. I see the family photos, the drawings and invitations on the fridge, the dishes from last nights dinner on the drying rack next to the sink, the dog’s water and food bowl. I adore fresh interior photos where everything is immaculate, but it’s unrealistic and I think it’s time to accept that. People live in these homes, food is cooked in these homes, sometimes these homes are messy. It all has meaning, and it all matters.

When I’m designing a home, it’s all about the emotion. What is the emotion you want to feel the moment you walk into this room? Is it calm, peaceful, tranquility? Maybe it’s happy, lively, and makes you feel like you want to dance! Ignore the trends, ignore the, “Do this!” “Don’t do that!” ignore it all. Just go with your gut and do what you love.

I think a lot of us lose sight in why we’re even investing in our homes. It becomes more about what other people will think of our home then it does what WE think of our home. A lot of my clients and friends ask me when is a home project or room actually complete? And my answer is when you can confidently walk by the home decor section in target and say, “Nope! Don’t need it!”. 

Cheers to thoughtful, soulful interior design that stands the test of time! And cheers to choosing what we LOVE and drowning out the noise!