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Curated

Whole Home Conversions: The Real Luxury in Life Is Not Managing Your Own Renovation

Inspired Interiors' whole-home approach means we hold the thread so your life doesn't unravel around your residential renovation project.

Curated

Built to Host: Designing a Home That's Ready When Everyone Arrives

If you want your home ready for the holidays, Sept. 1 is your design deadline. Here’s the real timeline and the spaces that make a full house feel effortless.

Curated

Inspired Interiors' Top 10 Design Moments (to Date)

Welcome to the Wild Design World of Inspired Interiors. Here Are Our 10 Favorite Design Moments From Over the Years

Five Lessons From My Father — Daddy's Little Girl

For those of us who were Daddy's little girl, this one's for you. My father, Sterling, wasn't perfect — but he commanded every room he walked into, and he left me five lessons I've never let go of. A Father's Day story about the man who INSPIRED me to create.

A Glimpse Into a Gatsby-Style Expanse for Opulent Outdoor Entertaining

We’ll soon be doing the full reveal of a Winnetka home that inspired this ode to outdoor entertaining, but in the meantime, let’s explore the essential elements of an extraordinary exterior space.

Say Hello to Mandavilla, Our Latest Vacation Villa Success Story

Like a postcard from paradise, the finished photos of our Mandavilla project have finally arrived. Drink them in like a cool tropical cocktail at sunset.

10 Lessons On Flipping a USVI Property: Inside a Luxury Caribbean Villa Renovation

What does it actually take to flip a luxury villa in the Caribbean? From shipping containers to 220-hour assembly timelines, this is what a St. John, USVI renovation really looks like.

Veneer Isn’t a Trend. It’s Centuries of Craftsmanship

Wood veneer is often mistaken for a modern design trend, but its origins trace back centuries. From historic interiors like the Palace of Versailles to today’s luxury architectural spaces, veneer has long been used for its precision, craftsmanship, and ability to create cohesive, intentional surfaces. This article explores how veneer continues to shape custom millwork, paneling, and interior architecture, and why it remains a foundational material in well-designed spaces.

What Mark Zuckerberg’s Miami Mansion Reveals About Modern Luxury Design

Mark Zuckerberg’s record-breaking $170 million purchase in Miami’s exclusive “Billionaire Bunker” offers a glimpse into the architectural features defining today’s luxury homes. From resort-style outdoor living and architectural shade to dramatic glass walls and layered natural elements, the property reflects the design language shaping modern high-end residential environments.

The House She Built - Reflections during Women in Construction Week

A lead designer reflects on Emily Mackie's build at 1760 Washington, where QR codes on site, creative pivots, and a designer's eye reshaped what a construction project can be.

Three Expensive Inefficiencies You Don't See Until It's Too Late

Remodeling is not a creative hobby. It’s a capital allocation decision. Before you commit to managing your own renovation, the real question isn’t whether you can do it. It’s whether the total cost of doing it yourself exceeds what you’d pay a professional. When you calculate the full financial impact, three hidden costs emerge: the value of your time, the steep learning curve tax, and the long-term inefficiencies that quietly erode resale value and functionality. Hours spent sourcing materials and managing contractors carry opportunity cost. Mistakes in contractor selection, space planning, or material decisions compound quickly. Professionals absorb these risks across hundreds of projects. Homeowners absorb them all at once.

Three Frequent Errors When Ordering From Big Box

Beautiful catalogs don’t create functional homes.Big box retailers rely on styled photography and quick transactions, but homes are not photo shoots, they’re systems. When furniture is chosen based on appearance instead of technical space planning, circulation suffers, deliveries stall projects, and rooms feel disconnected.True interior architecture begins with scaled floor plans, circulation analysis, and whole-home coordination. Without that foundation, even expensive pieces can feel like guesswork.

Curated

Elm Street Reimagined: A 1922 Dutch Colonial Becomes a Living Showroom

A once-dilapidated 1922 Dutch Colonial on Elm Street is reborn as Inspired Interiors’ immersive Living Showroom—where bespoke cabinetry, a reimagined kitchen, a Grand Salon speakeasy, and thoughtfully layered architectural details honor the home’s history while elevating it for modern gatherings, curated networking, and community connection in the heart of Winnetka.

Retro-Futurism Meets Modernism: What Experiential Architecture Is Teaching Us About the Future of Design

A new wave of experiential architecture is redefining how spaces are designed. Blending Modernist clarity with retro-futuristic optimism, today’s most compelling environments are engineered as integrated systems, where architecture, technology, and experience work seamlessly together. This shift signals a future where thoughtful design isn’t about excess or spectacle, but about spaces that anticipate behavior and work beautifully in real life.

Curated

Destination Family Compounds: A Defining Luxury Trend for 2026

Luxury living in 2026 is being redefined, not by excess, but by intention. As families rethink how and where they gather, a new standard is emerging: the destination vacation family compound. These thoughtfully designed estates go beyond the traditional vacation home, offering a private, immersive environment where connection, autonomy, and legacy coexist.Unlike resorts or single-home retreats, destination family compounds are designed to support real life across generations. A central residence anchors shared experiences, while secondary structures provide privacy and independence, allowing families to come together without sacrificing personal space. The result is a living environment that feels effortless, adaptable, and deeply personal.At their best, these compounds are not seasonal escapes but enduring sanctuaries, places where traditions form, milestones are celebrated, and family history quietly unfolds over time.

Curated

Your Home Is Likely Your Biggest Investment — So Why Go It Alone?

Your home is likely your largest financial asset, yet many remodel it by guesswork. Here is why strategic, professional design protects both daily comfort and long-term value.

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Rethinking Construction: Why Women Belong at the Helm

Construction has a reputation for delays, jargon, and dismissiveness. When women lead the build, the process shifts toward clarity, realistic calendars, and homeowners who finally feel heard.

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13 Costly Mistakes to Avoid When Remodeling Your Home

From skipping detailed plans to underestimating costs and hiring the wrong contractor, these thirteen remodeling pitfalls cost homeowners real money, and each has a practical fix.

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Our Secret Process to Define Your Personal Style

Personal style is not one size fits all. Our three-step formula blends where you grew up, the home you live in now, and where you are headed to define a style that is truly yours.

Curated

The Art of Choosing Art

Choosing art is a lot like dating. From complicated family heirlooms to charming budget flings, here is how to flirt with pieces, find your match, and place each one with intention.

Curated

5 Impactful Interior Design Trends to Bring Into 2025

Fresh from Salone del Mobile in Milan, five trends worth bringing home in 2025, from sustainable materials with edge to glossy leather and sculptural dining tables that make an entrance.

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Thoughtful Giving: How to Shop with Intention This Holiday Season

Holiday shopping can do more than check names off a list. A case for local boutiques, craft fairs, and gifts that support the neighbors and makers who keep your community thriving.

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Fireplace Design - Turn Up the Heat in Style

Wood or gas, grand or sleek, the right fireplace sets the tone of a room. A guide to choosing type, scale, and style, from vintage mantels with character to dramatic statement hearths worth starting fresh for.

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The Ultimate Guide to a Seamless Renovation Timeline

Our step by step renovation process, from measuring existing conditions and 2D space plans to 3D white space visualization, keeps every project on track, on budget, and free of unwelcome surprises.

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Remodeling for Better Sleep: How Architecture and Custom Design Can Transform Your Bedroom

How bedroom architecture shapes rest: natural light and skylights that support your circadian rhythm, vertical elements that open up the room, and layered, dimmable lighting that helps you wind down.

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7 Items I Won’t Forget in a Reading Nook Design

Seven essentials for a reading nook that actually gets used, from a quiet, light-filled corner to personal touches like a custom bookshelf that dispenses a client's monthly reads like a PEZ machine.

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Holiday Prep: Designing the Perfect Dining Space for Family Gatherings

Getting the dining room holiday ready takes more than a pretty table. Thoughtful lighting, candlelight, and a restrained tablescape set the mood for gatherings that feel elegant and effortless.

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The Mudroom: Our Best-Kept Secret for Home Organization

Why a well-planned mudroom may be the hardest working room in a Chicago home, with shoe storage at varied heights, flexible coat hooks, and catch-all baskets that finally tame the kid clutter.

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Choosing the Right Colors for Emotional Balance

A designer's take on color therapy at home: how reds bring warmth and connection, yellows spark energy, and the right hue paired with custom built-ins can shift the emotional balance of a room.

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Aesthetic Drink and Snack Storage Ideas

Drink and snack storage can be beautiful too. Stylish bar carts, open shelving with glass jars and baskets, and built-in wine storage turn everyday essentials into part of your decor.