As an interior designer, I am often looped into conversations with clients that touch on the financial aspects of being a homeowner. Recently, a client of mine called me for my input on whether she should stay in her home and renovate it or sell it and move to a new home within the Bay Area.

Normally, I enter the conversation when renovate is the answer to the renovate or relocate question, so I looped in Silicon Valley real estate expert, Dana Carmel, to weigh in on the relocate piece of the puzzle.

It’s National Sleep Week! You may or may not know that we spend about ⅓ of our lives sleeping. When living a healthy lifestyle, sleep – the amount and quality of sleep – is as important as, if not more than, other health factors such as stress, nutrition, and exercise.

At Flax Interiors, we use evidence-based design whenever possible. We’ve taken it upon ourselves to dig into the research on sleep and make evidence-based design recommendations for how you can adjust your home to improve the quality of your sleep. We’ll dive into research popularized by Ariana Huffington, Andrew Huberman and numerous other scientists and researchers, and translate it for you into design suggestions.

With these gloomy winter days, I can’t seem to get enough color in my life. One design feature I can’t get enough of is stained glass. Once a staple of medieval cathedrals and historic buildings, stained glass is experiencing a resurgence in popularity in residential homes. I can’t help but daydream about splashes of color floating over my own home.

I love seeing where — and how — the things in my home are made. Understanding the process of creation always gives me new design ideas and inspiration.

When I booked a trip to Marrakech for a friend’s wedding, I knew it was a fantastic opportunity to see the artisans at Beni Rugs at work.

Sometimes inspiration strikes in unexpected places. For me this season, it's been the pear. In this month’s edition of The Flax Five, I’ve curated some of my favorite designs, recipes and color schemes inspired by the versatile and unassuming pear.

My autumn muse is the pear. I’ve been so inspired by pear-influenced designs and color schemes, that I took it a step further and spent an afternoon baking a delicious pear galette with my young daughter. I hope you enjoy this fancy, yet surprisingly easy recipe!

I am excited to introduce you to a new monthly edition of the Flax Interiors Newsletter: The Flax Five. Each month, I will be spotlighting an artist, artisan or designer that I admire, as well as share what has been inspiring me in my creative work and life.

My background in psychology helps me bring a unique perspective to design. I focus on removing "design friction" to create environments that aren't just aesthetically pleasing but also functional and emotionally supportive. I firmly believe our homes should evolve as we do.

A huge part of what I do is figuring out how to translate the design ideas that are in my head into something that I can communicate with my clients. Most people think “design psychology” refers to the design of the space — and it does — but there is also psychology involved in guiding my clients through the design journey. Translating their lifestyles and preferences into design concepts with tangible visuals is one of the most important parts of the design process. Communicating my design ideas in an effective way is key to getting clients excited and on-board with new ideas.

I’m thrilled to share that Flax Interiors was featured in a recent article published in the Wall Street Journal, written by Antonia van der Meer. In this edition of her column about “How to Live with a Room You Hate,” she features windowless bathrooms. Here are a few tricks I used to convert this dark, damp closet into a 38-square foot magical sanctuary.

Hey there, fellow dog lovers! We all know that sharing our home with our furry friends can bring so much joy and love. But we also know that keeping our furniture clean and pristine can be quite the challenge. Worry not, I’m here to help you find that perfect balance of form and function. Let's get into some tips for choosing upholstered furniture that keeps both you and your pup happy.

Similar to a lot of us, my mental health relies on getting enough sleep. This is even more true when you become a parent. When I was preparing for the birth of my baby girl, I knew that the key to my wellbeing was going to be directly linked to my newborn’s ability to sleep for long stretches at night. Therefore, as an interior designer with a specialty in psychology, I put on my research hat and found and executed the best evidence-based design tactics to ensure a good night's rest for all. Spoiler alert: it worked!