“Basically design is a visual language. So as a designer I know this mahogany will make you feel luxurious. Casual linen might make you feel like you’re on the beach in Greece. Everything kind of has an emotional attachment to it, so understanding what that means and how to manipulate all of that to create an experience for someone is what we study.”
How we feel as we enter a space is a pretty complex thing. Smells, sounds, spacing, art, furniture, plants, lighting - it all melds together in our minds to make us feel a certain way. Do we feel relaxed, energized, uneasy? The interesting thing is, most of us won’t even know why we feel a certain way in a home or building, we’ll just feel that way. Today’s guest is a trained interior designer, which means that it’s her job to create a space that not only looks appealing, but one that makes you feel a certain way. Want to feel relaxed and care free when you’re at home? Mackenzie can do that for you. Want to feel energized every morning when you look around your bedroom? She’s got you covered. Today we explore the intricate ins and outs of the interior design world.
“My favorite thing is to design a space around a song. So I might ask a client, is there a song that you love that when you hear it it gives you the same feeling you want to feel when you wake up in the morning or come home from work? I can design a space that feels like that.”
“The space can have different vibes throughout the day, but I think overall you do have to commit to something. So what is your plan? Do you have a stressful job and you want to come home and feel relaxed, or maybe you’re bored all day and you want to come home and feel energized. So just figuring out what you want to feel in your space and you can plan for that.”
Interview Contents
2:10 - What Mackenzie notices when she walks into a room.
4:45 - The things that make Mackenzie feel good in a room.
6:00 - Getting color right.
9:00 - The visual language of design.
11:00 - Getting interior inspiration from somewhere else.
13:45 - The process Mackenzie goes through with new clients.
16:30 - Various packages that Mackenzie offers.
19:30 - Large scale projects.
21:00 - Designing for behavior.
24:45 - How to design with a plan.
29:30 - Pushing design boundaries.
32:15 - Picking 3 key features, and juxtaposition.
34:00 - The order to work in when designing a space.
37:00 - Working with a budget.
38:45 - Common poor design choices.
42:00 - Recommendations for renters.
43:45 - Translating a song into a design.
46:00 - Changing your mood with light.
47:00 - Plants vs. pictures vs. other accents.
49:30 - The difference between an interior designer and a decorator.
53:00 - Making things fit in your environment.
53:30 - The education to become an interior designer.
56:30 - What to do when a client comes to you with a weird idea.
57:45 - What to do after school.
1:00:00 - Pay.
1:02:00 - Advice for sprucing up your home design.
Links
THIS EPISODE WAS MADE WITH THE SUPPORT OF
Marcus Batson
Roxanna
Michelle & Jim Wortner
Janelle Swanson
Jimmy Seymour
