We’d like to welcome this week’s delightful guest blogger, Linsi Brownson of Inspired Design Daily.  Linsi is a practicing interior designer in Southern California, and seems to have as much energy and drive for sustainable design as two normal people.  We’re really happy to have her here!

photo credit: http://melindapatrick.com/

As an Interior Designer it’s pretty much my job to help clients define what home means to them.  When you put aside the finishes, colors and budget, what a residential designer really does is create a living space where clients are happy to spend their time.  But what exactly does that mean?  Well, it’s personal.  This is part of what I love about meeting clients.  So many lives are touched as a designer, so many relationships built.  And when a project goes well it leaves us designers with a happy feeling in our gut (likewise, if it doesn’t go well…you get the idea).  We are very attached to our projects and to our clients.  But I digress…

Defining a home, to me, has always meant surrounding yourself with things that make you happy and function well.  My values include creating homes that are safe (for the people, the environment and our culture as human beings) and give the impression of its inhabitants from the moment you walk in the door.  After all, we are most comfortable in places that resemble our personality.  The more people in the house, the more difficult it can get.  That’s when you give each person their due respect and follow this motto: If you need it, it stays. If you love it, it stays.  If not, it’s up for discussion.

When you pair down the items that are important it leaves room to grow.  I often use the word cultivate instead of decorate.  This is because I believe that design is a process similar to life, where you grow and learn and shift from time to time.  Of course, a kitchen remodel can’t follow that path (or it would last 10 years and drive your designer mad), but the theory still applies: go for the finishes that really speak to to you, select materials that can grow with your changing tastes, create a space that is both solid and fluid.  Work with your designer to define what that means for you – we are quite skilled in interpretation.

They say home is where the heart is, and that makes a lot of sense to me.  When you love your home it becomes a sanctuary: a place to rejuvenate your spirit, strengthen relationships and plan your next move in life.  This is why I love helping people build a home.