In design, we talk a lot about beauty. About aesthetics. About the luxury of it all.
But the most powerful rooms weโve ever helped create arenโt about any of those things.
REIMAGINING A ROOM WITH MEMORY AND MEANING
Just last week, we reimagined a space for someone I adore: my great aunt Zelda. Sheโs my late grandmotherโs baby sister, my momโs dearest aunt, and one of the chicest women I know. Weโve always shared a love of handbags, shoes, fantastic chinaware, and gorgeous draperiesโso when her space didnโt reflect any of that, I knew we had to step in.
Zelda had recently transitioned into an aging facility. While the care was excellent, the space didnโt feel like hers. The layout wasnโt functional. The paint felt cold. The lighting was harsh. And maybe most painfulโit felt like none of it remembered who she was.
WE DIDNโT START OVER. WE STARTED WITH WHAT MATTERED.
Weโve designed several homes for Zelda over the years. Sheโs always had a distinct point of view. Sheโs traveled, collected, lived fullyโand her spaces have always reflected that. So when I walked into this new room, filled with standard-issue furniture and the kind of art you hang just to say the walls arenโt empty, it didnโt feel like her. It didnโt feel like home.
We leaned into what she already lovedโnearly 90% of the furnishings came from her previous home. We edited for scale, rehung her art with care, repurposed her rugs, and resized her drapery to soften the light. We repainted the walls in a warmer, more familiar tone. It wasnโt about reinventing anything.
It was about remembering.
A SMALL CHANGE WITH A BIG IMPACT
And when she saw the finished space, she smiled in a way I hadnโt seen in months. It wasnโt a big, showy moment. It was quiet. But everyone in the room felt it.
A few days later, her son texted:
โSheโs over the moon. Proud. Loves everything.
That makes me beyond happy.โ
He called the space thoughtful. Said it looked bigger.
More โforward-thinking.โ
And what stayed with me most:
โSeeing how happy she was blew all of us away.โ
There was no photoshoot. No glossy final reveal. But this kind of work reminds us why we do what we do.
THOUGHTFUL DESIGN ISNโT ALWAYS FLASHY. BUT ITโS ALWAYS POWERFUL.
Because designโwhen itโs done with empathy and intentionโcan offer something powerful: familiarity in a new chapter, dignity in a difficult transition, and comfort when the rest of the world feels unfamiliar.
Whether itโs aging in place, downsizing with grace, or simply making a small space feel truly personal, thoughtful interior design has the power to do more than look beautifulโit can make someone feel seen.
Thatโs the kind of beauty weโll always fight for.
