DESIGNER DIALOGUES - LAUREN LIESS OF LAUREN LIESS INTERIORS

In September of 2009, I published my first blog post.

I began blogging as a way to reflect on my design journey. Week after week, I shared my thoughts in my online diary, and slowly but surely, people began reading along. Comments were exchanged, connections were made, and we discovered that we were not alone in our tastes or our thoughts. As I continued posting my musings, deeper relationships formed with readers and with a growing community of designers walking a similar path.

Among the many wonderful people I met during those early blogging days was Lauren Liess, an interior designer and the author of a blog then called Pure Style Home.

With her incredible eye for beauty and the sweetest soul, she shared her design projects, inspirations, favorite recipes, and life updates from her growing family. Reading her words, I knew we would become friends. And we did.

A lot has changed over the past 15 years. In addition to continuing her interior design business, Lauren Liess Interiors, and her blog, Lauren is now the mother of five children and the author of four design books. She is also the co-founder of a textile company, a retail shop, a real estate brokerage, a property development business, and a lifestyle brand. But I am happy to say that we are still friends, connected by a love of design and intentional living.

Today, I thought it would be fun to introduce you to Lauren and have her share a bit about her design philosophy and her work. I always leave our time together feeling inspired, and I hope you will too after reading.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR DESIGN STYLE

Down to earth, relaxed, natural, and collected... I love it when homes tell a story about the people who live in them.  Perfection isn‘t really my thing, and I appreciate quirk, stories, and soul in a house. 

WHAT ARE YOUR GO-TO COLOR PALETTES OR TEXTURES RIGHT NOW?

They probably don’t change too much… I love natural earth tones- browns, ivories, tans, greiges... I often wake up with an earthy palette with hits of some of my favorite colors: olive greens, mustard/golds, and peachy pinks.

WHAT'S ONE DESIGN RISK YOU'VE TAKEN THAT PAID OFF?

Every room should have some sort of risk in it… If you’re not a little uncomfortable with something, you may not have pushed yourself enough. In our house, we have an orangery, and I had one wall covered in oddly-shaped cubbies with a round moongate doorway, and then the whole thing swathed in stucco. It had the potential to feel too much, to be out of this work, too busy, but it’s one of my favorite places now. 

DO YOU HAVE ANY DESIGN RULES YOU SWEAR BY OR LOVE TO BREAK?

This might be more of the above, but I believe in sort of shaking off “normalcy” when designing and even just living life. I think when we realize that we don’t have to do what everyone else is doing, or get anyone else’s approval, and when we really just exhale and find ourselves and go our own way… that’s when we thrive. And that shows up in all forms of creativity: art, design, and life overall. You can then express yourself in an unbridled way, and it’s free

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE SEASON TO DECORATE FOR, AND HOW DOES THAT SHOW UP IN YOUR WORK?

Oh gosh, this is a hard one!! I love them all!!! I often shoot my work in late summer or early fall, though, because I am obsessed with wildflowers. I love that slight glowy golden hue that tinges the grass and trees at that time. 

WAS THERE A PARTICULAR PROJECT FEATURED IN YOUR BOOK, FEELS LIKE HOME, THAT FELT ESPECIALLY PERSONAL OR TRANSFORMATIVE?

My own house was featured in Feels Like Home and it was definitely the most personal for me. The previous owners were the original owners and were from Alsace, France. They designed the home in the style of a traditional Alsatian country house down to the terracotta roof and every last reclaimed beam and wide plank floorboard.

I had been wistfully watching the house on the market for years before we finally made an offer. It was on a pond and came with a pair of Embden geese, which began our love affair with geese. This house, set on 6 acres, changed our way of life, and we haven’t looked back since. It was a fairytale house to me and it taught me how I wanted to live - connected with the land and our animals. 

WHAT'S ONE STORY OR MOMENT BEHIND THE SCENES OF MAKING FEELS LIKE HOME THAT DIDN'T MAKE IT IN, BUT YOU WISH IT HAD?

Writing Feels Like Home was transformative for me. I use my writing to delve into and solidify ideas, and so this one really got me thinking about contentment in each moment and how, if we aren’t careful, we can always be wanting the next thing. Feels Like Home focuses on creating and making a home, yet also appreciating what we already have and how to make the best of it… and how to appreciate that home once we’re in it.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE READERS WALK AWAY WITH AFTER SPENDING TIME IN THE PAGES OF YOUR BOOK?

I hope that they are able to let go a bit with their homes and to feel free to express themselves in their truest ways within the walls of their homes. I hope they see how much the design of a home affects our daily habits, mode of thinking, our feelings, and even who we are. Our homes can help us become our truest selves if we design them in such a way that they elicit certain emotions and modes of thinking.

WHAT PRACTICAL ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO CREATE A HOME THAT FEELS PERSONAL AND LIVED-IN RATHER THAN PERFECTLY STYLED?

Do you. Collect things you’re drawn to rather than what’s “in” or “of the moment.” Forget about the trends. Take your time. 

WHAT'S THE BEST WAY FOR PEOPLE TO STAY CONNECTED WITH YOU AND FOLLOW ALONG WITH YOU DESIGN WORK?

For so long, it has been Instagram (and I’m still there!), but we have also recently started sharing life on our YouTube channel! We drop new videos at least twice a week and have several series going on: The Meadow (about life at our house), Saving Lost Cottages of the Outer Banks (about rehabbing old houses at the beach) ,and Down to Earth Kitchen (our fun home cooking show)

Thank you so much to Lauren for taking the time to share with our community here at Patina. We are thrilled to be in community with such a wonderful and talented woman.

I hope this inspires you to design a life you love.

xx,

Brooke