My Interior Continuum | The Girl I thought I'd be NYC Loft Edition
When I was little, I was convinced I would grow up in New York City.
Not in a penthouse or anything particularly glamorous. Just an old loft somewhere with exposed brick walls, worn wood floors, oversized windows, and a collection of objects gathered over years of wandering antique shops and flea markets.
It felt inevitable.
Maybe that's because I grew up hearing stories about my poppop.
He was a German immigrant kid raised by a single mother in Hell's Kitchen during the 1920s and 30s. He worked hard his entire life, and so many of his stories began and ended in New York. Even though I grew up somewhere very different, the city always felt strangely familiar.
As a child, I imagined myself there constantly.
I pictured old brick buildings, creaky floors, stacks of books, interesting people, and a life filled with creativity.
Life, of course, had other plans.
I didn't end up living in a New York loft.
But I've learned something interesting over the years. The dreams we have for ourselves rarely disappear completely. They simply change shape.
Sometimes they show up in the places we create.
This mood board began with that younger version of myself.
The girl who thought she'd spend her weekends wandering flea markets and antique stores before returning home to a sunlit loft filled with collected treasures.
The materials reflect that vision.
Exposed brick peeking through aged plaster.
Warm oak flooring that feels worn in rather than worn out.
Natural textures that soften industrial elements.
That's def one of the many reasons why I love interior design so much.
It gives us an opportunity to honor every version of ourselves.
The girl who dreamed of city lofts.
The girl who wanted to own a bookstore.
The girl who imagined a cottage in the woods.
The artist.
The collector.
The traveler.
The dreamer.
They all still exist somewhere within us.
And sometimes, if we're paying attention, they leave traces in the spaces we create.
This is the first post in a series I'm calling The Girl I Thought I'd Be.
A collection of mood boards inspired by the different lives I imagined for myself growing up, and the ways those dreams still influence the spaces I design today.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about becoming an adult is realizing that we don't have to choose just one version of ourselves.
Sometimes we can keep them all.
✨ Shop the look below.
Bird Art
Green Vase Art
Rattan & black nightstand
Black & fluted nightstand
Lightwood Fluted Bed frame
6-globe ceiling light
Green fan
Black table lamp set
Pillows
Mustard Ruffle
Tiger Multicolor
Set of 2 Brown Velvet Lumbar
Rug Ideas
Impressionist Style (8x10 black)
Black Oversized Flower Print
Black Rug in Design
