Home Decor | Lacy Phillips Designs

When I first started this blog, we had just purchased our lot and I documented our entire building process.  I had so much fun drawing up the plans,  picking out all the finishes for our house, and shopping for lots of new furniture.  It was stressful at times because we had a lot of other things on our plate at the time including a new baby, but it was so worth it!  I always said that I hoped that I would get the opportunity to build another house one day.  We didn’t use a decorator when building our current house.  I had some help from the owners of a local furniture store and my Mom has a very good eye for decorating, so I leaned on them!  I certainly love the way it turned out, but there is no doubt that I will hire the help of a professional next time.

Even though we haven’t started the process of planning our new home yet, we do know we will be building again in the next couple of years.  We love our house now so much, but we’ve purchased a new lot in the school district we would like to be in for the kids and will eventually build.  I’ve just started dreaming again of a new home and it made me want to ask a local friend about her business and how she got started.  She is a very talented interior designer (just featured in Southern Living), Lacy Phillips Design, and was sweet enough to share her work with us.  I think so many of us love home decor and enjoy seeing inside other people’s houses.  So here’s an interview with Lacy Phillip’s and a sample of some of her beautiful work.

1.) How did you get into design?

Looking back, I was keenly aware of my surroundings growing up and enjoyed being in beautiful spaces with pretty things. As I grew older, my interest never changed but my educational path went a different direction as I figured design could just be a hobby and passion. I was an English major / Political Science minor and went through semesters in college knowing that wasn’t quite right…then I worked in journalism and event planning and knew that wasn’t quite right. Finally as a newlywed living in Dallas, Texas, I enrolled in an interior design program and began working as a design assistant and it has continued from there and feels very, very “right.”

2.) Where do you find your inspiration?

Travel is also a huge source of inspiration. It allows you to step away from your routine and daily calendar and lets your mind absorb new influences. This doesn’t have to mean an exotic trip and a luxury hotel. A quick road trip to Birmingham or Atlanta always revives my “design soul”, taking in architecture, restaurants, and fashion.

I also honestly find so much inspiration from other designers – I love my design magazine subscriptions and coffee table books.  Every month, your mailbox is flooded with inspiration from all over the world.  A glossy page torn out of a magazine can initiate a whole design direction for a project. There are some amazingly talented young designers out there right now and I follow as many as I can on Instagram and Pinterest. It is motivating to see how others do things and encourages me to excel at both my creative and business methods.

3.) When was Lacy Phillips Designs born?

It was quite exciting to start a design career in Dallas, but my husband and I moved back to our hometown of Pensacola in 2008 when we were expecting our oldest child. Within a few months I began taking clients and working out of a home office. Nine years later, I have an incredible group of ladies that help me, a downtown studio where we work and a fun portfolio of projects that have been installed.

4.) What’s your trick to mixing high end and low end items together?

Spend money on things that matter….good upholstery, a piece of art that makes your heart sing, a gorgeous antique. These foundation pieces deserve the investment, and allow you to be incorporate trendier or less expensive pieces and still have good design. Throw pillows, table lamps and accessories are all items that can changed out over the years and can be found at a lower price point.

5.) What’s your advice to someone that doesn’t have a huge budget?

Focus on one room at a time. A finished room can bring bring such satisfaction, rather then sprinkling your efforts throughout the house.

6.) Do you have a favorite room you have designed?

In general, I love powder baths. Clients tend to have a little more fun in here and let us treat them like little jewel boxes. Wallpaper, fun sconces, monogrammed hand towels….just lots of details to relish and enjoy.

A specific room is so hard to answer – we once did a playroom with a pool table recovered in pink and lime green felt, a phone booth painted in silver leaf, and lots of fun and crazy-patterned fabric everywhere. It was all so uninhibited and crazy and I always just imagine those kids having dance parties in the space which makes me smile. On the flip side of wild and crazy, I recently designed the most feminine bedroom for a very sweet, dear client that had these gorgeous silk panels, sumptuous bedding, details of ruffles all in shades of celadon and muted blues with a gorgeous dressing table. I just love that room, and she does too. There are lots of favorite rooms!

7.) What are the steps you take when someone initially contacts you for help?

I usually invite a potential client to first meet at my office where we can get to know one another and explain in detail how we work. The truth is, once I step into someone’s home, the wheels start turning and we all become emotionally involved, so I try to get the business out of the way first! We review the scope of the job, a timeline, their budget and a little about the style direction they are hoping for. I really value open communication with my clients, and I feel this first meeting is very important in establishing that. From there, the fun and designing can begin.

8.) What would you consider your design style?

My clients are all across the board with their style preferences so I am constantly feeding my multiple design personalities. Yet no matter what “look” the project may take, I do value many of the same practices in designing the spaces, putting a priority on  things such as scale and cleaner lines.

I recently heard the term “relaxed traditional” and that resonates as far as my personal design style. We are currently renovating a new home and the house itself has a traditional, elegant feel which is very comfortable to me, but I also want a comfortable and livable space that is family-friendly.  In my own home, I love natural fiber rugs, blue and white porcelain, and am a huge fan of wallpaper. I love my antiques almost as much as my children! I tend to favor a neutral palette for my foundation pieces and layer with texture and muted patterns. Quite a contrast from a current job where we are about to install a plum-colored goatskin console and contemporary glass cabinets so really, I am all over the place, but that is what makes it all so fun.

9.) How do you balance your career along with being a wife and mother of three??

I love what I do and of course I love my family, so these roles have to co-exist. My husband is in a similar role as a business owner, which is helpful as we understand the responsibilities the role entails and also share the flexibility to adjust one’s work schedule for childcare, school activities, etc. I was once given good advice to never apologize for the help you receive, and the help I receive is really the only way I can do it all….my team at work, grandparents, teachers, babysitters, help with the laundry, friends who will pick up my children, etc. I definitely have, and love, my village!

What room is your favorite??  I love that neutral and blue breakfast room!

You can find Lacy’s website, here, where all the images are from. Hope you enjoyed.