“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” — Maya Angelou

I love homes. Furniture, decorative accessories, window treatments, area rugs, appliances, lighting, and architectural finishes—all of it takes up my full attention. As an Austin interior designer, I love everything to do with houses, really. I’m not sure why it’s such an obsession of mine; perhaps it’s genetics. My mother was the exact same way. She was a collector of homes, quite literally, and she unknowingly laid my foundation for intentional interior design.

Home Economics Lessons: A Balance of Form and Function

My mother amassed around twenty-five rental properties in her lifetime, managing them to support our large family. She decorated constantly, shopping for furniture to fill her own house, her children’s homes, and the properties she planned to sell. She could stage a room beautifully, bringing a lively decorative scene to life.

However, she wasn’t much of a housekeeper. She didn’t like cleaning or cooking, and by the time I came along (the last of a large brood), she was thoroughly done with home management.

My father, a military man with a knack for order, took over. He handled the cooking, cleaning, and laundry with precision. He was tidy, practical, and highly organized. But he also had a fantastic eye for design. As a flamboyant dresser and avid world traveler, he filled his bachelor home with bold mid-century furniture and treasures collected from his years in Africa and Asia.

Watching those two opposites—my mother’s decorative flair and my father’s disciplined routines—I learned early that a home could be both highly expressive and beautifully orderly. I paid close attention. Initially, I wanted to define myself against my mother’s laissez-faire approach. I was determined to do modern homemaking “right.”

Cue my Martha Stewart phase. I bought an enormous book called Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson and started reading.

Discovering the Art of Homemaking

Home Comforts is a 906-page doorstopper that reads like an encyclopedia of domestic life, covering everything from laundry labels to the proper way to vacuum upholstery. These days, you could Google most of it in seconds, but that isn’t the point. The magic of the book is Mendelson’s defense of the work itself. She argues that keeping house isn’t a chore or a necessary evil, but something affirmatively good.

“Housekeeping creates cleanliness, order, regularity, beauty, the conditions for health and safety, and a good place to do and feel all the things you wish and need to do and feel in your home. Whether you live alone or with a spouse, parents, and ten children, it is your housekeeping that makes your home alive, that turns it into a small society in its own right, a vital place with its own ways and rhythms, the place where you can be more yourself than you can be anywhere else.” — Excerpt from Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson

That passage has stayed with me. It reframed what “keeping house” means. It’s not something to drudge through, but a celebration of creating comfort. 

Reading vs. Doing

I read that book cover to cover, which is saying something. It’s dense! But I quickly discovered that I preferred reading about housekeeping to actually doing it. Unless, of course, you define housekeeping as creating beautiful rooms. That, I can do all day. (And good thing, because it’s my duty as the leader of an Austin interior design firm.) 

Still, I love the home arts. I’m fascinated by the crafts of baking, organizing, mending, and styling. There’s a meditative quality to these acts—a rhythm that connects us to the generations before us who performed them out of love, necessity, or both. Baking happens to be my current happy place. Creating cakes from scratch and piping my own frosting roses is my version of relaxation: sugar, butter, and a quiet kitchen.

Intentional Interior Design: What Makes a Home Comfortable?

As a designer, I often think about what truly makes a home comfortable. It’s more than style or square footage. It’s about systems that work: reliable HVAC, safe wiring, soft lighting that warms the evening, and windows that keep out noise but let in the morning light.

It’s also deeply sensory. The smell of something baking, the hush of plush carpet underfoot, the glow of a lamp in a reading corner —these are design choices, but they are equally emotional choices. They shape how we feel, how we rest, and how we relate to one another.

Good window treatments, for instance, don’t just look beautiful; they protect our privacy and let us peek out when curiosity calls. Good design is practical and human all at once.

Design for Better Living in the Modern Age

I never get tired of the art of homemaking, albeit in my own unique way. After all these years, I still find it endlessly interesting, both in my personal life and in the work I do for clients through my Austin interior design studio. Every project teaches me something new about what people truly need to feel at home.

At Amity Worrel & Co., we describe our work as “design for better living,” and that’s far more than just a tagline. It’s our core philosophy. A home, no matter how beautiful or well-appointed, is still just a room until people fill it with life. Design sets the stage, but the people who reside there—with all their quirks, rituals, and laughter—bring the story to life.

When I think of homemaking today, I don’t see it as outdated or old-fashioned. I see it as the art of caring for life itself, a kind of creative stewardship that makes space for beauty, comfort, and belonging.

And that is the kind of design I will always champion.

Key Takeaways: The Principles of Intentional Design

• Balance Form and Function: A truly successful space marries the expressive beauty of decor with the orderly systems required for daily life.

• Embrace Sensory Details: Comfort isn’t just visual. Consider the tactile feel of your rugs, the warmth of your lighting, and the sounds within your home when planning a room.

• Prioritize Practicality: True luxury lies in livability. Choose design elements (like high-quality window treatments) that serve your daily human needs just as much as your aesthetic tastes.

• Design for Your Rhythms: A well-designed home creates a seamless backdrop for the everyday rituals you love, whether that’s reading quietly, baking from scratch, or gathering with family.

Ready to bring intentional interior design to your space? Contact Amity Worrel & Co. today, and let’s discuss how we can transform your house into a true home.