Over the last 10 years I've spent immersed in the interior design world, I've spent a lot of time thinking about my personal design aesthetic. Around age 16, I knew I wanted to become a professional interior designer. I designed a few rooms in my parents house, took a Housing & Home Furnishings class in my high school's Home Ec department and then moved to Pittsburgh to pursue my Bachelor's Degree in Interior Architecture. In the 4 years since I graduated college especially, I've been trying to pin down what makes my designs unique and what sort of underlying themes I can draw between the work that I do. What I've come up with is something I call "The Three E's". In my client projects, I work with a wide variety of interior design styles but I've recognized that there are three things that all my rooms have in common. The spaces I design are...

ELEGANT

I shy away from trends and themes, and focus on design elements that harmonize your personal aesthetic with the geographic location and architectural style of your home. I'm drawn to classic forms and neutral color schemes accented by rich colors, textures and patterns that work together tell a story in the space. I tend to utilize symmetry and contrast to define the main focal point in my designs, using the principles of rhythm and balance to unify the rest of of the space. The result is a room that feels refined yet lived in, well thought out but not overly designed.

ECLECTIC

I believe that all homes need something old to feel lived in and soulful. I want your home to be a reflection of your unique personality, tastes and interests, and not just a copycat of a catalog page, so I mix furniture styles, eras, custom made pieces with big box store items, and a sprinkling of vintage and handmade finds to create spaces that feel truly designed, not just shopped for. 

ESSENTIALIST

Instead of being a minimalist or maximalist, I believe in outfitting spaces with just enough furnishings to feel full while still allowing for room to grow as you live life in your home.  I take a lot of care in analyzing the proportions of a room so that I can select and position furniture in a way that maximizes your comfort as you use your living spaces. A well-designed room should feel peaceful and easy to be in and it's these small, often unnoticed considerations that set the spaces I design apart.  

Have you ever thought about defining your personal style? Comment with the three words you would use to describe your design aesthetic.