decor8

For years, people have asked me two questions: "How would you describe your style?" and "How do I find my own?" My answer has changed over time because I have changed over time. I no longer believe that great interiors begin with choosing a design style. They begin with understanding yourself.
The homes we love most aren't created in a weekend or copied from Pinterest. They evolve alongside us. They collect memories, reflect new chapters, and quietly adapt as our priorities shift. The most beautiful homes are living spaces that grow with the people inside them.

Instead of asking, "What's my style?" maybe we should ask: "How do I want to feel when I walk through my front door?" Calm? Inspired? Creative?
Comfortable? Free?

Those answers become the foundation for every design decision that follows.
After twenty years in design, four books, dozens of homes I've lived in, and countless conversations with homes I've been to, I've come to believe that personal style isn't something you find.

It's something you uncover by paying attention to who you're becoming.

I wrote more about this in my latest essay, "A Home That Grows With You." I'd love to hear your thoughts. What do you think changes first over the years - our homes, or us?

---> https://decor8.substack.com/p/a-home-that-grows-with-you

My new creative living membership just started and it’s already so inspiring with some amazing people to learn with and from. Join us for THE EYE: https://www.decor8blog.com/the-eye

I’ve been thinking…. 💭 Your business can only draw from the creativity you have available.

After twenty years working in a creative profession, and seventeen years as an educator and creative mentor, I can say this with complete honesty: many creative entrepreneurs spend years pouring into clients, customers, content, products, and projects without replenishing themselves first.

Then they wonder why sales feel slower, why their audience feels quieter, why new ideas are not being acted on, and why they themselves feel flat, tired, or disconnected.
The truth is, it all comes back to finding and filling your creativity in the right way… and not through more screen time, more noise, or more AI.

👁️ The Eye was created as a place to refill that creative well. An analog lover’s happy place. A creative escape. A space to sharpen your vision, reconnect with your instincts, and nurture the source of your best work.

Whether you’re an interior designer, stylist, shop owner, photographer, content creator, artist, or simply someone whose work depends on original ideas, this five-month experience is about strengthening your creative eye…your perspective, your point of view, your unique vision.

Creativity is not separate from business success. For many of us, it is the business.

Treat yourself to THE EYE. 👁️

🗝️ We begin June 1. Link in bio.

I’ve been thinking…. 💭 Your business can only draw from the creativity you have available.

After twenty years working in a creative profession, and seventeen years as an educator and creative mentor, I can say this with complete honesty: many creative entrepreneurs spend years pouring into clients, customers, content, products, and projects without replenishing themselves first.

Then they wonder why sales feel slower, why their audience feels quieter, why new ideas are not being acted on, and why they themselves feel flat, tired, or disconnected.
The truth is, it all comes back to finding and filling your creativity in the right way… and not through more screen time, more noise, or more AI.

👁️ The Eye was created as a place to refill that creative well. An analog lover’s happy place. A creative escape. A space to sharpen your vision, reconnect with your instincts, and nurture the source of your best work.

Whether you’re an interior designer, stylist, shop owner, photographer, content creator, artist, or simply someone whose work depends on original ideas, this five-month experience is about strengthening your creative eye…your perspective, your point of view, your unique vision.

Creativity is not separate from business success. For many of us, it is the business.

Treat yourself to THE EYE. 👁️

🗝️ We begin June 1. Link:

the eye — decor8 Now Accepting MembersThe Eye This special 5-month creative studio just opened for women who want to trust their eye, reconnect with their creativity, and create a home and life that feels more expressive, soulful, and alive - while gathering ideas and practices to carry into their own work, workshop...

Over my 20-year career in interior styling and design publishing, I've seen countless beautiful spaces. But it wasn't until I moved into my current home that I learned how to see that true beauty comes from what feels honest and deeply personal. That shift in perspective is the foundation for my newest venture - an online design STUDIO MEMBERSHIP called: THE EYE.

Launching June 1st, THE EYE is a 5-month creative interior styling studio. I designed it to help design enthusiasts and creative professionals bridge the gap between their home environment and their inner creativity. Through instructional videos, hands-on projects, and live group calls, we focus on developing a stronger aesthetic instinct and a more confident creative voice.

If you're a design lover like me and you want to expand your horizons and explore a deeper creative education, or to simply learn new skills and ways of seeing the world around you... I'd love for you to learn more below: https://www.decor8blog.com/the-eye

(We begin June 1st. Feel free to message me if you have questions about joining!)

In art and design, guidance is not authorship. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. We recently discussed it during one of our group calls with those who just completed my current online program.

This conversation keeps resurfacing because so many creative people are now teaching… sharing their methods, processes, philosophies, and “secrets.” They write books, build courses, lead retreats, create membership spaces - all designed for adults, often creatives themselves, who are searching for direction, clarity, or permission to fully step into their work. And they can also earn quite a remarkable income from it.

But teaching comes with a responsibility that many people do not fully understand long term.

If you choose to teach your process, your visual language, your way of thinking - especially as a paid service and business - then you also have to accept what naturally follows:

Your students will absorb what you teach.

And in the beginning, before they fully trust their own instincts, before they develop discernment, confidence, and an inner voice of their own, their work may resemble yours. This is not theft.. I believe it’s learning and growth. That is the way of nature at its very core.

Every artist begins by echoing something before they discover what is distinctly their own.

A teacher like me may open the door, but it’s the student who walks through it… We don’t walk beside them for long - we release them to the world - they journey through their own doubt, obsession, experimentation, failure, fear, vulnerability, and relentless “tapping in” that ultimately gives the work its identity.

That part belongs entirely to them.

Students are not extensions of a teacher’s ego. I actually believe the highest form of teaching is knowing when to step back and allow the work to belong to the person who made it.

It also takes away your anxiety as a teacher, to not police your students or feel threatened when some of your students actually, one day, become even better than you. I’ve had this happen many times… Women I’ve taught or coached who went on to become millionaires. I’m honored to have helped them.

Not everything influenced by you belongs to you.

I am truly grateful for those who are sharing my rug collection with and now my gratitude goes out to Irene Hoofs, Editor‑in‑Chief at KOEL Magazine for the incredibly generous 20+ page feature. Your support, insight, and belief in my work mean more than words can express. Thank you for shining a beautiful light on what I love to create. ✨🤍

Visit koel‑magazine.com to see the full feature or visit them on Instagram here:

Photos:

Hello from the other side! I celebrated my birthday last Saturday and spent another day recovering from it (lol) because I got home at 5:30am - I honestly had such a great time, I laughed and danced and we ended up experiencing a few different DJs in one night, one was Afrobeat House (I love Afrobeat for years now) and then we enjoyed the fabulous who is such a next level professional, Hannover is honestly so lucky to have a local gem like him playing regularly here. He mixes stuff that you’d never imagine would work together and it just does - his ear for music is impressive. Anyway, I have such deep appreciation for musicians and artists and I was happy I got to dance and enjoy myself being surrounded by all this positivity. A big thank you to Esra for giving me such a surprise birthday celebration - I’ll never forget all that you did for me - a birthday I nearly didn’t celebrate so thank you for “making” me - and it turned out to be one of best birthdays I’ve had in years.

Love,
Holly

I caught myself reaching for my phone… again… without even thinking. I do this often. It’s beginning to bother me A LOT. I don’t pick it up because I need it. Just habit - blindly. Which makes me think… 💭 How often are we using screens on autopilot instead of by choice?

I’ve been exploring what balance really looks like (without guilt, rules, or extremes) through my research 🧐 and I shared my thoughts in a new post on Substack.

And don’t worry, 😉 I’m not going full analog - It’s not about quitting screens… it’s about using them in a way that actually feels good and supports our well-being.

If you’ve been feeling the same, you might enjoy this one 🤍

🔗

Finding the Balance Between Screens and Paper How, together, blogs, Substack, newsletters, and analog content should become the new norm