What are your sources of design inspiration on the web?
I practically live on the internet—blogs, Pinterest, Instagram—my daily reads include Anna Spiros’ blog Absolutely Beautiful Things, Saavy Home, Amber Interiors, The Aestate, and The Pursuit of Style. I’m so inspired by this up and coming round of fresh taste makers, it’s so fun to watch them put trends into their own context.

What advice to you have for design enthusiasts looking to turn their hobby into a career?
I think you have to immerse yourself in the industry. You have to soak up inspiration and look at every photographed project you come across, either in a print magainze, or online as a lesson—start looking at interior photos differently. Look at the furniture arrangement, look at the finishes in the room, notice the styling, how the window treatment is hung, how large the rug is, where the designer used pattern. If you continually educate yourself by noticing these details, eventually all the challenges that come with designing will start to come more naturally. If you can intern with a local designer, I think it’s an invaluable opportunity to learn the business side of the industry. Without learning how to make money from being a designer, you can’t make a pretty room pay the bills. Be an active part of the blogging community. Foster relationships with everyone you can who you can learn from and go to for advice, source product from, collaborate with and help cross promote your business.

“I’m a sucker for a good looking book.  I’ll never have too many of those.”

“I’m proud that I’ve taken all of the inspiration and eye candy everyone loves from the blog world and Pinterest, and made it real.  At Furbish, you can come into 3000 square feet of real life inspiration – from pink sofas to big chevron wingbacks, kooky chandeliers and neon pillows, leopard loveseats and golden pigs, designer fabrics you may have only seen in magazines and wild kilim rugs…it’s a playground for a design-lover. I’ve done my very best to make owning these special things affordable, and accessible.”

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