A Note from Susanne
I think one of the most important parts of choosing an interior designer is also one of the easiest to overlook: you have to like the way they see.
When you look through a designer’s portfolio or Instagram, you are not looking for an exact version of your future home. You are looking at how they put things together. Do you like the way they mix materials, colors, periods and patterns? Can you imagine trusting their eye when they suggest something you may not have considered?
I Had to Learn to Trust My Own Eye
When I first started designing, I thought being a good designer meant accommodating every request. If a client did not like something, I replaced it. If they wanted to add something else, I found a way to work it in.
I wanted them to be happy, but eventually I realized I was no longer really designing. I was reacting to one preference at a time, and the room as a whole was getting lost.
“The biggest shift for me came when I stopped second-guessing my instincts. The rooms I love most have a little tension, something unexpected that keeps them from feeling too polished or predictable.”
That does not mean I stopped listening to my clients. It made me better at listening for the larger idea. How do they live? What are they drawn to? How do they want their home to feel? My job is to understand all of that, then use my eye and experience to interpret it.
The Style Can Shift. The Eye Is Still Mine.
At House of Maevie, our work can lean lighter or moodier, more relaxed or more tailored, and sometimes more modern. But the foundation is still there. I am naturally drawn to homes that feel traditional, collected, comfortable and personal, with an intentional mix of old and new.
Clients should always speak up when something genuinely does not feel right. But a designer also needs enough trust and room to see the whole composition, rather than responding to each piece as a separate decision.
Somehow, I Always Come Back to Food
I always seem to compare interior design to cooking – it just makes sense to me.
A good meal is about balance. Something rich may need acidity. Something sweet may need salt. Design works much the same way. We balance light and dark, strong patterns and quieter moments, old pieces and new ones. The basic principles stay the same, but every chef or designer interprets them differently.
Choosing a designer is a little like choosing a restaurant because you are drawn to the chef’s point of view. You still know what you enjoy, but if you only want the same dishes you already make at home, you miss part of the reason for going. The whole point is to have a little fun, try something unexpected and maybe discover a new favorite.
Sometimes You Just Have to Sit With It
If I do not show a client at least one thing that makes them pause, I am probably not pushing the design far enough. Not uncomfortable in a this does not feel like me way. More in an I never would have thought of that way.
When a client is unsure about an idea, we usually let it sit for a little while. We do not pressure them into it. If they still do not like it after they have had time to think, we reconsider. But often, they come back and say, “Actually, I really love that.” The idea they needed time to warm up to becomes their favorite part of the room.
For one client, it was color drenching an entire room in green. At first, they worried it would feel too dark and it just felt scary because they have never done anything like this before. Once it was finished, the color gave the room such a mood and vibe. For another client it was about adding a lavender glass chandelier in their bedroom – its so unexpected but creates such a beautiful glow and nostalgic element
That is what style alignment really means to me. It is choosing someone whose eye you trust enough to take you somewhere you may not have gone on your own.
Your home should feel like you, but it should also have those little unexpected moments that make you smile, even if you’re just walking into the laundry room.
xo,
Susanne