How to Get the 'Lived-In' Look: 7 Designer Tips for a More Authentic Home

For this project, Sam leaned into materials that feel timeless and traditional — choices that wouldn’t time-stamp the home, but instead allow it to age with grace and beauty. On the exterior, she selected cedar shingles (my dream exterior) paired with stunning, traditionally styled windows crafted with modern performance and quality.

"I loved the street and the lot but the existing house was just not salvageable. But I knew that I had to do everything I could to save the huge magnolia tree that was in the front yard," she says.

Design Tip: Add A Touch of Whimsy

I’ve always found that when I take a risk, I end up falling completely in love with the piece or the room. It’s the play-it-safe spaces that tend to leave me feeling unsatisfied.

For each room, Sam envisioned a thoughtful mix of heirloom furnishings and collected décor, layered with just a hint of whimsy to create spaces that feel cozy — never stuffy. Floral wallpaper, a natural wood table and chairs, and a sculptural modern pendant nod to the past while still feeling fresh, intentional, and entirely authentic.

Design Tip: Mix Materials

Sam mastered the art of creating cozy elegance without ever letting the space feel overly precious. “I want my interiors to feel natural and curated,” she says. “I want people to walk into a space and feel comfortable — not terrified to sit down because it looks like a showroom. That’s one of the benefits of mixing in vintage pieces: if you choose well, you never worry about kids making a mess or a dog hopping on the sofa.”

Throughout the home, layered materials like linen, leather, seagrass, and wool bring depth and warmth, keeping each space feeling comfortable, clean, and quietly sophisticated all at once.

Design Tip: Create Cozy Nooks

Big, wide-open spaces are starting to feel less on trend. Now, it’s all about creating more personal rooms that feel intentional — spaces that truly feel like their own.

“I feel that in terms of architecture you don't want to see the entire house in one hit — huge interior volumes and massive open plan spaces that don't feel welcoming are not for me. I want a house that ‘unfolds’ and that doesn't feel cold because of the huge scale.”

Design Tip: Embrace Color

She went bold with color in the smaller spaces and embraced a breezy California aesthetic in the main rooms, yet everything still feels cozy, relaxed, and really livable.

Design Tip: Incorporate Vintage + Personal Elements

She has an enduring love of vintage furnishings and found key pieces to help ground the interiors and prevent it from becoming overly precious. As for 2026 home décor trends she’d love to see disappear? “So-called modern farmhouse, bouclé furniture, and fast furniture.”

Instead, she encourages taking your time to find pieces you truly love — and layering in meaningful details like artwork, pottery, books, and lighting at every level to create a home that feels personal and lived-in.

Design Tip: Mix Patterns

It’s subtle, but I love the striped yellow shower curtain paired with the maroon tiled floor — unexpected yet classic, especially alongside the vintage tub and sink.

Design Tip: Match Wall Color + Vanity 

A sage vintage vanity with matching walls? Yes, please! The floor brings a retro vibe, while a pop of brighter color helps lift and brighten the entire room.

Finally, bring the outdoors in and vice versa. To create an invisible border between indoors and out, Sam incorporated natural sandstone flooring in the kitchen and family room, which also flows into the exterior patio. The home now feels unique, warm, and timeless with a curated sense of style.

Checkout the Before Photos!

The original exterior left a lot to the imagination and required a complete gut renovation to bring Sam’s vision to life. "I am extremely proud of the curb appeal," she says of the transformation.

The yellow and white interior was definitely dated and needed a lot of love. "It's always the challenge of working within the confines of the permit requirements," says Sam. These requirements don't take into consideration the aesthetic of the property as they are designed to keep a home proportional to the lot on which it's built. However, it's also the reason why so many boxy, unattractive property's spring up."

"For us it was a constant back and forth on how to have the room volumes and traditional roof pitches that we wanted without giving up too much in terms of space internally. Additionally, building in this manner is challenging as you have to seek out contractors and crafts people that are able to deliver more complex builds."

This is a reminder to bring more color into your walls and spaces — a simple way to make your home feel more lived-in, layered, and full of personality.