Designing With Three Words: A Home Should Serve You

Interior designers are often taught to design from the outside in — how a space should look, how it flows visually, what works in magazines or show homes. That knowledge has value, but it misses something important.

A home isn’t meant to impress.

It’s meant to be lived in.

My approach didn’t come from design school alone. It came from years on job sites and years selling everything that goes into a home — construction materials, finishes, furniture, décor, and even small appliances. Seeing the industry from that side changes how you think.

Most products on the market exist to be sold, not because they truly serve people. I was often expected to push items I didn’t believe in, where a client’s needs — or even their budget — frequently came second to moving inventory.

Even recently, buying a washer and dryer meant serious research and conversations with repair techs just to avoid machines built to fail early. Today, if you don’t slow down and think, you will be sold something — whether it fits your life or not.

When people feel overwhelmed by their homes, it’s rarely about space or mess. It’s usually because there was no clear intention behind what went in. Things were bought because they were popular, on sale, or “what everyone has,” not because they were needed.

That’s where the three-word approach comes in.

Through years of coaching and personal development, I learned how powerful it is to define direction using three words. I brought that same method into design and renovation — and it changed everything.

We apply the three-word process by defining how a space needs to function, feel, and support daily life — and then using those words as a filter for every decision, from layout to materials to what even belongs in the room.

For example, if a family’s three words are calm, durable, and easy, that immediately rules out high-maintenance finishes, fragile furniture, and anything that requires constant upkeep — even if it looks great in a showroom.

Three words shift the focus away from trends and comparison and back to real life. Instead of asking what a room should look like, you start asking what it needs to do.

This approach isn’t about minimalism or perfection. It’s about purpose. About choosing better instead of buying more.

That’s the way I design, plan, and teach — because when a home is built with intention, it stops demanding energy…

and starts giving it back.