Starting an interior design business
Hello, everyone! Today’s the day I’ve finally launched the website – www.mawinteriors.com - for my interior design business, and I couldn’t feel more thrilled, excited, and yes, scared. Thrilled and excited to see where this new adventure of mine goes, but scared because I’m deeply introverted and generally anxious about putting myself “out there.” But, after several years – years of working in a profession I didn’t like and years of questioning what I did like – I’ve decided be brave and see if the world likes what I’ve got to offer. No risk, no magic, right?
Career pivot: lawyer turned interior designer
So, how did I get to be brave, exactly? Well, my path has been anything but linear, but I believe the twists and turns I took along the way before starting this business has enabled my growth into the person I was always meant to become. Let me paint the picture for you: it’s 2018 in Los Angeles, and I’m working as a tax lawyer for ultra-wealthy clients who’re looking to set up their estate plans. The work, while intellectually stimulating, is soul crushing, and I have no passion for it. Instead of spending my time networking or investing in some other means of advancing my career, I found myself constantly searching the Internet and local shops for what I call “treasures” with which to decorate my tiny apartment.
I was officially hooked: with each piece of furniture or décor I acquired, the more “at home” I felt. As someone who is often self-conscious in public settings, inhabiting a space that made me feel calm but engaged was a much-needed breath of fresh air. Now, while I might have felt that sense of peace that comes with living in a space authentic and unique to me, it took me several more years to recognize that I needed my passion for designing my apartment to transition into a career. I had come to a breaking point in my life: I was unhappy being a lawyer, and that unhappiness had spilled over and infected every other aspect of my life. I sought out professional help, and was able to eventually realize that I needed to take a risk and make a career change to become an interior designer. And so, here I am – at the starting point of this big, new endeavor in my life – and I couldn’t be happier.
The pictures above are of my apartment in Los Angeles from a few years back.. For more pictures, check out my apartment tour on Apartment Therapy here.
Personal authenticity in interior design
I view interiors as an extension of those who live in them. Much like a favorite outfit or song, a favorite vase or other collectible is something that reflects a part of its owner. For me, the interesting bit about interior design is how all of those little reflections combine to create the whole. Design should not be about a specific style or feeling per se – that would be too limiting (and we all like to have options!). Rather, it should speak to an integration of one’s self and environment, because when we find ourselves in our surroundings, we’re at peace. I don’t know about you, but, being the high-strung person that I am, I look for peace in my life wherever I can get it. And designing your home with your own sense of self in mind is a good place to start.
Now, I’m not a total hippie – though I admit I have my moments – but I strongly believe in finding synergy between yourself and your home.
As someone whose mental health and wellbeing was directly improved by designing and decorating one’s environment, I can definitively say that good design that represents yourself will bring a quality of awareness to your life. What I mean is this: instead of passing by the old glass vase you picked up at a big-box retailer (that you didn’t even really like to begin with) and giving it absolutely no thought, when you bring only the things that you truly love into your home, you’re more mindful of them and your overall environment: You observe them separately and as a whole, and each time you gaze upon them, they fill you with joy and peace. This, I think, is something that everyone – regardless of whether they hire an interior designer – should feel in their home.
