I’ve been working with clients for a long while now and I thought I would share a little about what I do as an interior stylist. At its most elemental, my job is to solve problems. But did you know that when it comes to our homes, we all have the exact same issue? Can you guess what it is?

I call it unintentional blindness. We are immune to the shortcomings in our own space. Even if we know they exist, we get comfortable with them until they sort of disappear. Like my friend whose thoughtful husband reached over once and plucked one of her chin hairs with his fingertips. It took his fresh eyes to see what on some level she already knew was there. Problem solved.

Very often, I can walk into a room and immediately spot the rogue hair. My eyes are trained to notice what is off balance or why a room feels lifeless or flat.

A couple years ago, a designer friend walked into my family room and told me that the space felt dead. “You need plants,” she said. And she was correct. I sat in my comfy family room night after night, never realizing that it resembled a church potluck in its lack of green.

I think the second hardest part about styling is to understand composition. To help you see what I see, I deconstructed some of my projects. Slide the bar over the images below and you will see that every space, every vignette, every collage is symmetrical in subtle ways. I call this the principle of secret symmetry.

If you need styling help and would like to work with me, shoot me an email, or feel free to learn more about working with me first. I’d love to help!

If you’re local, stop in at Past Basket and make an appointment. It’s fun and it’s fast!l

Photos by Renn Kuhnen.