My shelf styling secrets—and how designers get inside your head

Plus, a fresh take on a classic Finnish print.

Hi there!

How is your week going so far? I just got back from a quick work trip to L.A. to review a new Schoolhouse design with a sofa supplier. (Hint: it’s straight from the archives and checks both comfort and clean lines.) Our team also got to sneak in visits to a few amazing design spots, including Nickey Kehoe (below). I’ll share my full debrief on another particularly great L.A. shop next week. In the meantime, here are some of my inspirations and ideas from life as of late—like a plant refresh that became my crash course to you in creating (and remixing) little vignettes at home, and the reminder I received that good design is an experience as much as an aesthetic, whether you can see it working its magic or not.

Off we go!

1. What’s Your Line?

A zippy stripe: so simple yet so satisfying.

While in L.A., I made it to Nickey Kehoe and—no surprise—filled my camera roll. Scrolling back through the photos, a theme started emerging: the power of a thin line. Whether contrast braided piping on a yellow velvet chair or hand-painted stripes on a white ceramic plate, a crisp edge adds a pop of color and a graphic touch. This perfectly textured corduroy chair really drives the linear motif home, too. I love the combination of humble workhorse cord and formal tufted upholstery.

2. An Impromptu Shelf Styling Lesson

The sun-thirsty plant that started it all—who’s now much happier on top of the piano.

I did a little reshuffle at home last weekend. The catalyst was to move a sad plant, which started a chain reaction. With the days getting longer (woo!) and the arc of the sun getting higher, I wanted to take advantage of the natural light coming through my windows in a different way. And wherever my plants go… all my vignettes and arrangements follow. It’s amazing how just moving something to another room or pairing it with different things gives it new life.

When creating groupings, I look at a few factors: material, height, color, form, balance, and storytelling. As a collector at heart, I like to find some logic as to why I’m curating things together (this also helps to justify frequent trips to vintage shops and thrift stores). But—first rule of Design School—you can create whichever rule you want. Here are a few tricks in action that I’ve picked up from styling my own home and working on Schoolhouse shoots over the years:

The only item that I collected on my own is that happy rotund Dansk teapot (top middle).

When I started to rearrange my kitchen shelves, I let function lead, while showing off some of my favorite items. My son is spoiled with pancakes every morning, so the tulip canisters stocked with flour and baking essentials are within easy reach. I like the tension created by the cookbooks breaking with the other round, organic shapes. Those cheery canisters (I can still picture them in my grandmother’s kitchen) establish the color palette and pick up shades of white in the other pottery—which include hand-painted ceramic pitchers from my parents when they lived in Madrid before I was born, and a soup urn with an artichoke knob from my grandmother. Even the wood bowl up top speaks to the wood cutting board down below on the counter. Your eye keeps moving...

Futuristic plexiglass, traditional cut crystal, timeless teak—I love a material mix that defies one design era or style.

For the dining room credenza, I gathered objects with transparency and reflective qualities. My grandmother’s ornate mirror is the centerpiece here, so I played around with other pieces that would complement rather than compete: a Pop light from Schoolhouse in modern bent plexi (now hanging out in the archives; but check out this little guy) brings some ’70s cool, along with a handblown glass decanter from Australia, a round mirror with oak frame, and a cut crystal decanter. The simplicity of form keeps everything from becoming too busy. All that was left was to layer in photos, art work, and other little treasures, each telling their own story.

3. Single-Serve Cups To Keep Forever

A row of reusable glass sake cups would look so cute on an open shelf, like a little menagerie of characters.

My son’s favorite restaurant in Portland right now is Fat Kitty Ramen. I love the food, too, but it’s the delightful single-serve sake cups with peel-off lids and charming artwork (more inspo here) that I want to give a shout-out. The little vessels are in regular rotation in our home, repurposed as water glasses for kids and wine glasses for adults. They remind me of those glass yogurt containers in Europe—I still have some saved from my honeymoon in Paris. They make the perfect collectible and look so cute lined up on an open shelf, channeling memories of wonderful meals.

Empathy Makes Everything Better

Schoolhouse Edgecliff pulls working their magic in a kitchen. (Photo courtesy Schoolhouse)

I recently went to a John McCutcheon folk concert at a small local theater here in Portland. Each song was introduced with a lovely story, and in one rambling he said something that stuck with me: “Songwriters don’t write from experience; they write from empathy.” In my view, that sentiment can be applied to design, too. A central part of our job as designers is to anticipate the needs of the user. How does a product fit into your life? This could be how it functions—our Edgecliff hardware, for example, has a soft curve on the interior that’s pleasing to the touch. The detail isn’t really visible, but it’s so important to how you interact with the handle.

One of many cozy nooks that cocoon guests with intentional design at Ett Hem. (Photo by Magnus Marding, courtesy Ett Hem)

British designer Ilse Crawford also embraces human-centered design through her interiors (including public spaces in education and health care)—perhaps most famously at Ett Hem, a boutique hotel in Stockholm. Soft, natural materials and colors imbue a wonderful calm. The atmosphere is like a home, welcoming guests into intimate communal spaces filled with objects and art work that create a sense of discovery at every turn and encourage people to linger. There is no distinction between front and back of house, furthering that idea. The whole Ett Hem design—grounded in sensory experiences and enhancing connection and well-being—focuses on how you feel rather than solely on how everything looks.

Ett Hem is a masterclass in curating eclectic collections. (Photo by Magnus Marding, courtesy Ett Hem)

Being an empathetic designer means I don’t have to live the same life, or share the same needs or personal style, but I can still “get in your head” to create objects you’ll love. (Is “method design” a thing?!)

Spring Denim Meets Petal Power

Finnish brand Marimekko splashed its classic poppy print on workwear. (Photo via Marimekko)

There’s something about the utilitarian nature of denim paired with optimistic flowers in this Marimekko shirt that looks fresh. (How cool would it be if Schoolhouse made a denim sofa?!)

Hope your week is all flowers, no thorns. Curious to hear: How have you recently refreshed your space (with new finds or old favorites)?

Katie xx