Announcing Our 2026 360° Designer: Jay Jeffers!
Life By Design
From sewing his own curtains in a San Francisco apartment to leading an internationally recognized design firm, Jay Jeffers’ journey is anything but ordinary. As the 2026 recipient of the DSA Design 360° Award, his career reflects a rare balance of creativity, business acumen, and industry influence. Step inside his story—and hear directly from Jeffers in our exclusive video feature
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Putting Belief in Action for Your Interior Design Business
Life By Design
“Creative people have to believe in the value of their work. If you don’t have any belief, then you can’t give anything. Designing is an act of giving, and a belief in the value of the work fuels the desire to express something.” – Peter Saville, Renowned British Art Decorator and Graphic Designer Being an interior designer and running your own business can be difficult. There are a multitude of responsibilities within the business that can overwhelm you at any given time. But throw in your personal responsibilities, too, and it can simply wear you out. You may find yourself...
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Holistic Design Is Here to Stay!
Life By Design
“A designer must strive to create timeless design. Design that is not subject to trends.” – Alberto Alessi, World-Famous Designer and Owner of ALESSI Imagine walking into a space and not just seeing the incredible care taken to create a home, office, living room or lobby, but also feeling the incredible care taken to design a space. Interior designers have seen several trends come and go throughout the years (and decades) when it comes to our industry, but Aimee Lopez, founder of the Holistic Interiors Design Community, believes her desire to create holistically designed spaces is a...
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Benjamin Johnston Excited About Release of His First Book
Life By Design
While Benjamin Johnston’s main focuses may be interior design and his firm, in Houston, he’s also an artist, teacher and tastemaker. And, mostly recently, he added author to the list with the release of his first book, “” by Rizzoli. “It was fun writing the book and putting into words what hadn’t really existed in conversation, thought or in process in the office,” he says, “and be able to crystalize and articulate what we did. It was a worthwhile experience.” In this debut book with Rizzoli, Johnston unveils eight recently completed residences that embody his...
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Only the Best Moving Services for Interior Designers
Life By Design
“Give me a museum and I'll fill it.” – Pablo Picasso, Spanish Painter, Sculptor and Printmaker World-renowned artist Pablo Picasso, whose works of art have sold for hundreds of millions of dollars, often made this comment when talking about his prolific ability to create. Museums, which are where so many of us have seen some of the most delicate, intricate and studied art pieces in the world, are time capsules for history. They preserve some of the most beautiful things on this planet, and Picasso’s pieces are absolutely some of the best. So imagine, if you...
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Rebuilding After the L.A. Fires
Life By Design
In January, Caren Rideau experienced the unimaginable. Her interior design firm of 30-plus years, , burned to the ground in the devastating wildfire that swept through Los Angeles. “Within the first week after the fire, I had about 10 clients tell me that I better not get out of this business,” Rideau recalls. “They were depending on me to rebuild. I knew I mattered.” About two weeks later, she decided she was—in fact—coming back, although she wasn’t quite sure what that was going to look like. In September, Rideau and her team reopened their showroom in...
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Carl Dellatore’s Newest Design Book Is Out!
Life By Design
By Lindsay Field Penticuff ’s fifth book for Rizzoli New York, “” was released earlier this month. “I wanted to make a book about practical application,” Dellatore says. “You have a subject, but within that subject, I’m giving you some suggestions, advice and information that will concretely inform me and the readers.” Dellatore, who is originally from Pennsylvania but moved to New York City in the 1980s to pursue a career in the arts, has a background in printmaking and textiles. He released his first book, “,” in 2016, and is also a content consultant for the interior and...
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Following Her Passion: Melissa Fields’ Journey From the U.S. Air Force to Interior Designer
Life By Design
Many—well most—of us have a natural talent for the work we do in the interior design industry. We remember rearranging and redesigning our childhood bedrooms over and over again. And we practiced that skill in more ways than we can probably count. But when it comes down to the nitty gritty of what makes each of us successful, and aspires us to be successful for those just starting in the industry, it comes down to passion. And that’s what designer Melissa Fields discovered was driving her love for interior design at the end of a 20-year career in the U.S. Air Force. ...
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Strategy Was Key When Cheryl Luckett Launched Her Design Business
Life By Design
Most people don’t typically fly by the seat of their pants when starting a business, whether it’s launching a new app, opening a bakery or starting a design firm. But many people probably aren’t as organized as Cheryl Luckett was when she developed a plan to shift her profession to interior design. Luckett, the principle designer who owns Charlotte, North Carolina-headquartered Dwell by Cheryl, studied family and consumer science, with a concentration in nutrition, at Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee. She says it was a dream job, but it just never felt right for...
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Ericka Saurit's Marketing and Branding: Making Sure Clients See You as the Solution
Life By Design
“If you don’t give the market the story to talk about, they’ll define your brand’s story for you.” —David Brier, Award-Winning Brand Expert and Rebranding Specialist One of the biggest misconceptions Ericka Saurit—founder of Saurit Creative and Marketing School for Creatives—hears from interior designers is that marketing feels salesy. However, she believes good marketing can be an educational tool that helps interior designers position themselves as thought leaders, helpers, resources and guides in our industry. “The more you feel like that’s true, the...
info_outlineWelcome to Life by Design with Natalie Papier!
The Designer Society of America has launched a new digital series called Life by Design, which will feature in-depth conversations with designers and industry professionals, highlighting the unique missions and stories that make up the fabric of our DSA community.
Natalie Papier, Interior Designer, Founder of HOME EC
Natalie has a lifelong love of all things eclectic and colorful. Her childhood Victorian home instilled a deep appreciation for period charm and storied furniture. She firmly believes that homes should reflect the people who live in them, full of life, character and warmth.
Her early exposure to art has sharpened her keen eye for unique art and unconventional design. Natalie quickly built a reputation in the Chicago community for her unapologetically out-of-the-box designs. Now residing in Charlotte, North Carolina, her portfolio defies all things beige and cookie-cutter. Natalie's vow against bland and boring has taken shape in her many uses of colorful wallpaper, eclectic art and funky texture. Catch Natalie on her new show, Artfully Designed, featured on the Magnolia Network!
As an artist herself, Natalie supports local art. Much of her interior design centers around the character of art pieces in her community. She loves to collaborate with artists, designers and makers to add life to the spaces she designs. Her bold and playful designs are featured in Domino, Real Simple, HGTV Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, Luxe Magazine and many others.
To learn more about her style, check out Natalie’s Instagram.