Designing For Real Life
Why a Beautiful Home Should Work as Good as It Looks
After my conditioner bottle fell off the teeny-tiny corner shelf in my shower for the umpteenth time, I had the distinct thought that “This is the exact reason I design larger niches for my clients! They are sooo lucky that I care to make their life easier!” There’s nothing wrong with wanting a beautiful shower, or a beautiful home, for that matter. But after years of experiencing multitudes of spaces, I’ve learned that the prettiest room in the world doesn’t mean much if it doesn’t actually work for the people living in it.
I design for real life, not just aesthetics.
That means thinking beyond the pretty finishes, perfectly styled shelves, and beautiful furniture. It means asking questions like: Where are you going to put the blender? What happens when the kids come home from school? Where do you hide the dog food? Will your vacuum actually fit in that cabinet? And perhaps most importantly, what are you constantly frustrated by in your current home?
Good interior design should make your everyday life easier. The goal isn’t just to create a home that looks beautiful in photos. It’s to create a space that functions beautifully on a Tuesday morning when everyone is running late.
What Does “Designing for Real Life” Actually Mean?
Real-life interior design is about creating a home around the way you actually live, or the way you wish you lived when everything was organized, had its own home, and isn’t all on display for all your guests to get all up in your business.
I want to know how you use your kitchen, where you drop your keys, what appliances you use every day, how you store your shoes, where the kids leave their backpacks, and what tends to pile up on the counter. How big is your bottle of conditioner? Those details might not sound glamorous, but they are what make a home feel effortless. A beautiful home should support your routines instead of creating more work. That’s why I think about function and aesthetics together from the very beginning of a project.
Hidden Storage Is One of My Favorite Design Solutions
One of the easiest ways to make a home feel more polished is to give everything a place to go. Hidden, but not out of reach.
I love incorporating hidden storage solutions wherever I can. Think outlets inside drawers, built-in cabinetry, concealed appliance storage, custom closets, and cabinetry that looks like part of the architecture. One of my favorite requests I designed for was a built-in bench that hid foldable tables and chairs; the things you need three, maybe four times a year, but want to keep handy just in case.
The magic happens when you can have all the things you need without seeing all the things you own. The goal isn’t to hide your life. The goal is to organize your life in a way that makes your home feel calmer and more intentional: the way you wish you lived.
Measuring What You Own Before Designing Storage
This is one of those behind-the-scenes parts of interior design that isn’t particularly exciting but can make a huge difference. Before designing storage, I want to know what actually needs to go inside it. A cabinet can look perfectly sized on paper and still be completely useless if your items don’t fit.
Before sending kitchen cabinets for bids, I have my clients sit down in their current kitchen and write down what they are transferring over to their new cabinets, where each category will go (spices in the upper to the left of the stovetop, cooking utensils to the right in a drawer, plates and utensils closest to the dining table, water bottles in the pantry) and that there is enough space for everything to fit.
Custom storage should be customized to your stuff. It sounds obvious, but measuring the things you already own, or plan to own, is one of those small details that can prevent a lot of frustration later.
Creative Storage Solutions for Small Spaces
Not every home has unlimited square footage, which is exactly why creative storage ideas for small spaces can be so valuable. Sometimes the best storage solution is hiding in a space you weren’t using before. An awkward corner might become a built-in cabinet. The space under a staircase might become a pantry or coat closet. A window seat can double as storage. A kitchen island can provide significantly more storage than a standard cabinet layout.
I’m constantly looking for ways to make a room work harder without making it feel more crowded. That might mean using a tall cabinet instead of taking up more floor space, adding a shallow drawer where you wouldn’t normally think to put one, or designing a built-in specifically around an oddly shaped wall.
Good interior design isn’t always about adding more space. Sometimes it’s about using the space you already have better.
Your Home Should Accommodate Your Habits
One of my favorite parts of interior design is figuring out the little things that make a home feel like it was designed specifically for its occupants and makes their lives easier. Maybe you always take your shoes off at the door. Maybe you drink coffee in the same spot every morning. Maybe you have a collection of cookbooks that you actually use. Maybe you need a place to stash dog leashes, school papers, or packages that come through the door every day.
Most clients have already scoped out their ideal Christmas tree spot; is there a close by outlet that turns the tree lights on with a switch so you aren’t crawling around through all the presents to plug them in? (Another personal issue that has worked its way into my design…)
Personalized interior design isn’t just about choosing finishes that reflect your style. It’s about designing around the way you live. Your home should feel personal because it is personal.
The Best Design Details Are Often the Ones You Don’t Notice
Ironically, some of my favorite design decisions are the ones you might never notice at first glance:
A cabinet designed to fit your vacuum.
Hidden outlets where you actually need them.
What’s better than a cord organizer? Cords you don’t even see.
These details might not make the biggest impression in a beautifully styled photo, but they can make a huge difference in your everyday life. And that’s what thoughtful interior design is supposed to do!
A Beautiful Home Should Also Be a Functional Home
I don’t believe you should have to choose between a beautiful home and a functional one; you can have both!
You can have the beautiful kitchen and the hidden appliance storage. You can have the gorgeous living room and furniture that actually works for your family. You can have the clean, uncluttered aesthetic and plenty of places to put the stuff you use every day.
That’s the balance I’m always looking for when I design a home. I’m designing a home where someone will make dinner, drop their keys, kick off their shoes, host friends, pile laundry on the counter, drink coffee on the sofa, and live their actual life.
And I think that’s what makes a house feel truly beautiful.
