Did you know a red front door symbolizes a welcoming place for visitors, a celebration of the interior, and a vivacity for life? Today, I’m throwing open the red front door of this blog and wrapping you in a virtual hug. I’m so excited you are here! Please make yourself at home.

As you certainly know by now, my name is Liz, and I am an interior designer. For as long as I can remember I have loved bright colors and thoughtful designs. I painted my bedroom walls a dreamy pink and purple hue when I was a little girl. I rearranged my parent’s picture frames and furniture pieces on a regular basis. I found mixing and matching prints came naturally to me. Yet, as a child I never knew I could make a living doing these activities.

Instead, I wanted to be a writer. It seemed like an exciting job: to string together words with various sounds and meanings in neat lines of text like one assembles a garland of flowers and leaves across the fireplace mantel. What joy it brought me to organize ideas to inform and inspire. How special it was to share descriptive stories that introduced new experiences and relationships to readers. This was my favorite part. I loved connecting abstract ideas, practical advice, and detailed examples in writing with the intent of helping others.

Then, in high school, I had the opportunity to take an interior design course in which we were asked to create a house. I detailed the entire miniature residence so as not to miss a single to-scale square inch. All the rooms had to flow together. The fabrics had to make sense with each other. I cut out furniture from magazines and even designed the landscaping. It was clear I was way more invested in the assignment than the rest of the class. It became a pivotal course that helped direct my college decision.

Originally from Pittsburgh, I packed up my 1984 red Volvo station wagon, in which nothing worked, and headed east to pursue a degree in Interior Design from Drexel University. This program gave me the tools to explore all aspects of design: color theory, scaling, drafting, etc. I found it fascinating. I also was a student athlete, so my schedule was demanding to say the least. One of my professors told me I would never graduate because I could not possibly do both. This fueled me to keep going and ultimately, succeed.

Soon after graduating, I supplemented my degree with a Certification in Kitchen and Bath Design (CKBD) from the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA). I now live in the Philadelphia area, raising my family, and working with residential clients – many of whom become like family – to transform their most personal spaces into highly functional and beautiful homes.

Over the course of my career, I’ve come to realize interior design is a lot like writing, writing in 3D, that is. Much more than simply hanging garlands (though that is a fun part), it strings together shapes of various styles and purposes to create neat spaces. I enjoy organizing client preferences and spatial necessities to inform designs. Some infuse energy and festivity, others peace and rejuvenation, still others a mix of both. Nevertheless, each space tells the story of the homeowner while leaving room for their life experiences to come. This, again, is my favorite part. I love connecting initial conceptual design, practical organization tools, and detailed fabrics and furnishings, always for the purpose of helping others.

To celebrate the tenth year of Liz Walton Home, I’m thrilled to combine two of my passions – interior design and writing – with the launch of this blog! I’ll share behind-the-scenes stories of projects, along with before and after photos, and concept boards. I’ll reveal favorite sources and offer tips for timeless (versus trendy) design. Ultimately, my wish for this blog is to be a welcoming space for you, dear reader, to learn about the wonderful, wacky world of interior design. I hope to inspire you to open your own door (perhaps it’s red like mine) to new home projects. Please join me every few weeks to celebrate interiors and our vivacity for life together!

P.S. I want to hear from you! Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below – what resonates with you or any questions you may have – or contact me via email, Facebook, or Instagram.