The Secret of How I Became an Interior Designer

How did I become an Interior Designer?

I get that question asked a lot, and I totally get why people ask.  It really is an amazing job!  I feel very blessed to be able to do what I do.

For those of you who don’t know me, or what I do, I do everything interiors!  I got into the business because I have a passion for interior design, home staging, interior decorating and styling…it’s really all about the simple fact that I love to create.

When I walk into a clients’ home, I take queues from the space to curate a story specific to my clients’ memorable moments, the valuables the treasure and the people that have impacted their life.  It is so exciting and I absolutely love what I do!

My decorative flair goes back to my childhood, being raised by a single-parent, raised by my mom.  We are a family of 4: my mom, 2 two brothers and me…so talk about never going beyond the budget and being extremely resourceful! 

Not only with our food and our clothes, but the décor we created to celebrate our birthdays and the holidays, we REALLY HAD to be creative and practical with what we had access to simply because we didn’t have a lot of money. 

Imagine, if you can, the days before YouTube and Tik-Tok.  Always having craft supplies on hand, my mom was always DIYing around the house.  From paints, to beads, and fabrics, ribbon, dowels, and all types of glue you can imagine!  To this very day she always has some kind of art project going on.  She now has her own craft room and she spends hours upon hours in there.  Then there’s my older brother who always expressed himself through some sort of sketching.  He always loved to sign his name in Metallica font.  My younger brother also has a bit of talent as well.  He’s a cos-player.  Yep, sure is!  And he loves to fabricate his own costumes with metals, fabrics and he has a knack for making things that light up.  He’s made some really, really cool stuff over the years. 

Looking back, I don't know how my mom was able to make things work without losing her mind, but through her perseverance she always made things beautiful for us. And had I not experienced those hardships growing up, I would not be the entrepreneur that I am today.  It’s my reward for being blessed with what I do.

What I do truly is my passion, and it’s pretty freaking awesome to be able to work with people to create a space that is going to be truly meaningful to them – a way of telling their own story which is super exciting!

Now fast-forward to my wow moment and how this all came to be.  After graduating, I quickly got a job in corporate America, but after the market crash in 2008, I found myself jobless for the first time since I was 15.  What was crazier than that is - I had JUST purchased my first home in Austin, July of 2008.  EEK, I know!  Crazy times. 

My pivotal moment, was actually during my housewarming party, when my Realtor picked up on my decorative flair, and suggested that I should consider getting into home staging and design.  And so, my next chapter began…

Home Staging was absolutely THE best way for me to break into the biz!  I want to point out that by definition, Home Staging is arranging furniture and decor with the intent to showcase a home for sale, it can also involve some financial investment, like painting, improving the landscaping, adding furniture and plants, all to give potential buyers an idea of what their new home would look like.  Commonly, it involves using what the home seller already has and repurposing it to appeal to the highest number of buyers.  The biggest thing that staging is (to me) is the importance of how it’s going to look online AND how the staging of the home is going to be captured on camera.  Pretty cool right?!

I established my business in Austin in 2009.  I staged homes, and I marketed to Realtors by getting certified with the State of Texas to teach Continuing Education classes to Realtors.  Honestly, I never had to pay for advertising!  I networked and I taught, and before I knew it, I was one of the most sought-after stagers in Austin, TX!  Throughout the years, I’ve earned certifications and designations, industry awards for my work, and I’ve trained with some of the top people in the industry including a Feng Shui master!  And when I moved to Houston in 2018, my business developed into doing more interior styling and design for home owners.

I do want to touch on the difference between the two: 

When you design for staging, you are appealing to the highest number of buyers for that area.  However, when you’re designing for homeowners, you’re interpreting their style, their personal taste.  In essence, I help them define their home “through their eyes” to give them a space they will love.

Another thing I love about this business is visualizing with inspiration boards.  And in my mind, I really don’t have a project unless I have an inspiration board.  That’s where I start the brainstorming process.  It’s that initial “spark” of the inspiration that gets me so excited to start a new project with all the colors, and fabrics and texture of the design; which I could go on and on about but I think I’ll save that for another blog post!

If you are passionate about creating a beautiful home, be sure to follow me for tips, inspiration and advice that will help reveal your homes best assets.

XO,