Having grown up surrounded by the lush Hawaiian outdoors and her mother’s vibrant watercolor paintings, Jenni Leasia’s natural inclination to improve people’s environments informs her design aesthetic. “My Hawaiian childhood instilled the importance of connecting indoor and outdoor spaces, which is a huge part of...
When Annie O’Carroll was in her twenties, traveling the world as a sales manager for Marriott Hotels, she never dreamed that she’d have a flourishing interior design career someday. “I think my whole life, it was like being in training for what I eventually landed...
Terry Winchell was a child prodigy antique dealer. Growing up along the border of Wyoming and Nebraska, he was fascinated by Western history from a young age. He was only 14 when he bought — and swiftly resold — his first piece of antique furniture....
Watching your house take shape from foundation to fully furnished can be an informative experience. In Laura Umansky’s case, it sparked a lifetime passion for design. “I watched my father design and build our childhood homes [in Texas],” the founder and CEO of Laura U Design...
Growing up, Max Humphrey didn’t know that interior design was a thing. “My hometown in New Hampshire was preppy adjacent,” he explains. “In my town, parents worked at the ball-bearing factory, but in the next town over they were professors.” It wasn’t until after he’d...
You might say it all started with Frank Lloyd Wright. Vernon Swaback, founder of the Scottsdale, Arizona-based interior design firm Studio V, holds a place in history as the renowned architect’s last surviving apprentice. When he was only 17 years old, Swaback came to Arizona’s...
Interior designer Sharon Lohss, founder of Shelter Interiors, based in Bozeman, Montana, credits good genes for her deep-rooted creativity. “My mother could have been a landscape designer; she is so talented at transforming a space and has a major green thumb,” she says. “My dad...
Good design doesn’t only transform a space, it can change a life. Just ask interior designer Lisa Samuel, founder of the award-winning Samuel Design Group in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “I grew up in a humble setting and didn’t even really know that interior design existed,”...
How does a former nutritionist become one of Vail, Colorado’s top interior designers? For Amy Casey, a principal at Casey St. John Interiors, her circuitous path began in her hometown of Bowling Green, Kentucky. “I was always interested in making beautiful spaces while I was growing...
Designer Tracy Lynn’s father served in the military, so her family moved every few years when she was growing up. Perhaps that’s one reason why she always felt grounded at her grandmother’s home in Chatham, Virginia, where Lynn spent part of every summer. “My grandmother...