Design as a Way of Seeing
An entry on how my love for interiors, fashion, and creative direction shapes Living Dvnly and how cultivating your eye for beauty can elevate your brand and life.
I’ve always been drawn to the spaces between things.
The way a coat drapes over the back of a chair or an article of clothing that takes shape into a feeling. The soft echo of jazz in a quiet, clean kitchen. The arch of an entryway that lets the morning in just right. Long before I knew what I would do professionally, I knew what I loved: how design could hold emotion. Not just in the expected ways, but in the quiet ones too. It has never been purely about aesthetics, it’s been about storytelling and belonging as well.
Over time, this love expanded, growing roots in interiors, fashion, architecture, and creative strategy. I’ve had the pleasure of working in all these fields throughout my professional career, and somewhere along the way, all of them began to intertwine, shaping how I move through the world and how I help others build brands that feel lived-in, intentional, and authentic.
Design became the language I speak when words aren’t enough. It’s how I create, connect, and ultimately, return home to myself.
Interiors Taught Me How to Hold Space
My love for interior design didn’t begin in glossy magazines or Pinterest boards; it started at home. When I was a child, our house was always meticulously decorated. The finest end tables, wall art, and pearl white sofas. I grew up understanding the power of what rearranging furniture could do in a single space because I learned by shifting things around in my childhood bedroom, noticing how a single lamp could shift the whole mood of a room. I didn’t realize then that I was learning how energy moves, and how form and feeling coexist.
Today, my home is a reflection of that early curiosity. It’s not a showroom—it’s a sanctuary, an oasis. Every corner is designed with intention, and is very limited in perfection. Textures that ground me. Lighting that softens the rush of the world outside. Even where I choose to write, by a window, coffee in hand, is part of the design.
Interior design taught me that one’s environment influences more than how one lives; it influences how one creates.
Try This: Start with one corner—a tray, a candle, your favorite book stacked just so. Design it not for Instagram but for how you want to feel. Let your space become a silent collaborator in your creativity.
Fashion Taught Me How to Be Seen
For me, fashion was never about trends. It was about expression. It was about wearing my story before I spoke it. Certain textures became memories. Certain silhouettes became armor. Over time, what I wore began to reflect who I was, becoming bold, soft, and an ever-evolving force.
As a brand stylist, I often find inspiration in the lines of a blazer or the cut and construction of a cashmere cardigan. I study fashion reverently, the way one might study light, because it teaches me how to shape identity and create a visual language that says this is who I am.
Try This: Next time you get dressed, ask yourself, "What story am I telling today?" Your clothing is a mood board in motion. Let it mirror your values, rhythm, and vision, even in the smallest ways.
Architecture Taught Me Structure and Soul
There’s something spiritual about architecture. The way a well-designed space holds both silence and sound, how arches invite rather than enclose. I often think about the places I’ve visited—or have loved from birth—that have left a mark, not just visually but emotionally.
New Orleans with its whispered magic. Paris and the restrained elegance of its windows and ironwork. The quiet grandeur of Savannah, where moss-draped oaks meet stately facades. The earthy minimalism of Tulum, where structure blends with nature. The polished historic weight of Rome, where time is etched into every stone. And even the buildings in my own neighborhood, with their soft stucco walls, sun-faded shutters, and architectural echoes of another era.
Architecture taught me how to build within and without. It taught me respect for form, rhythm, and restraint. In branding, that translates to white space, visual hierarchy, and flow. It’s never just about filling the frame; it’s about honoring it.
Try This: Go for a walk and look up. Study the shapes, the proportions, and the materials. What do you resonate with most? What draws your attention? Let that noticing become a practice. Design begins with observation.
Creative Direction: Where It All Converges
When I create for myself, my clients, and my community, it's never in a vacuum. It’s informed by all of these loves. I might pull color inspiration from a rust-toned linen curtain or hard finish materials. I might design a brand layout inspired by the way light pours across a concrete floor. I might imagine a client’s brand voice as how I would style a garment: layered, intentional, confident.
Creative direction is the marriage of all the senses. It’s not just about what you see, but what you feel.
In my world of Living Dvnly and Dvn Oasis, the throughline connects the personal to the visual, the story to the strategy.
Try This: Make your next creative project a collage of influences. Don’t just pin logos, shadows, fabrics, spaces, and songs. Let your inspirations live beyond your industry. Let your brand reflect your life.
How to Cultivate Your Own Design Eye
Design is not reserved for the elite or the traditionally trained. It’s a way of seeing. And the more you pay attention, the sharper your eye becomes.
Here are a few gentle prompts to help you begin:
What colors make you feel most like yourself?
What spaces in your life bring you peace?
What are the textures, sounds, or visuals that ground you?
What does your dream brand feel like in a room, an outfit, or a scent?
Start a visual journal where your inspirations can live unfiltered and unpolished. Over time, you’ll notice themes. Those themes will shape your aesthetic. And that aesthetic? It becomes your signature.
In all its forms, design has always been how I find myself again. It’s how I make sense of the world. It’s how I build meaning, build brands, build home.
If there’s one truth I’ve learned, it’s this: Your taste is your teacher. Trust it. Tend to it. And let it lead you toward the kind of life and brand you’re meant to create.