How These Interior Designers Are Staying Cozy (and Sane) at Home

“While washing my hair and getting dressed properly has dropped to the bottom of the list, I’ve found myself doing more of the things that felt squeezed into my schedule pre-COVID,” says designer Katie Hodges. “Now, my morning routine involves a podcast while walking the dogs, and a leisurely breakfast before heading off to my design studio. The first week of working solo felt lonely, but I’ve embraced the quiet and have delved deeper into my design work than ever before.”

“Quarantine to me has been all about family and home,” says designer Corine Maggio. “Taking stock of what we have and what we don’t need. Being around to watch our trees and flowers bloom. Stopping to appreciate all the art we’ve so lovingly collected and placed around the house. Somehow it feels like we’re spending more time working while simultaneously more time playing with our son Shiloh.”

“Where my day may have once been filled with two site visits, a vendor presentation, conference calls, and internal meetings, it is now far less programmed and scheduled,” says designer Brad Krefman. “This has permitted a freer workflow ethic which I have found to be welcoming. I have taken a liking to some of the smaller nooks and crannies in our house that don’t always get noticed or used. In particular, I’ve been enjoying conference calls in a pair of vintage mid century chairs we have and also took to restocking the bar cart to inspire post-workday libations. There is something to be said about a collective pause and what this does to shape perspective.”

“I try to focus on the things I have control over—my space and our food,” says designer Carly Waters. “I’ve nailed down the exact grocery list to make meals from my favorite cookbooks. We aren’t sure when this will end but in the meantime, we are just trying to focus on the everyday accomplishments to keep us going.”

“I’m trying to focus on silver linings of shelter in place,” says designer Lindsay Brier. “I am so grateful for the comforts of home and for this time with my family, which as a working mother has been extraordinary, unique, and of course challenging. I am absolutely loving our open kitchen which is geographically and figuratively the center of our home. We have been cooking, harvesting veggies from our garden, and having early dinners together which is often a challenge in normal life with all of our schedules.”

“Living through this unprecedented time, quarantine is taking on so many meanings,” says designer Anja Michals. “It’s forced me to slow down and enjoy what I have. I look around at my home and am humbled and reminded of where I have traveled and what is meaningful to me. As hard as this is, there are moments of beauty in knowing what matters most. The pieces I have collected over the years remind me of this.”