Meet: Emily Mauldin
Seattle and Austin-based Designer
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Meet Emily Mauldin, the art-forward interior designer behind Emily Mauldin Design. With a deep belief that art gives a home its story, Emily creates bold, deeply personal interiors for “people who take up space,” helping her clients trust their taste, embrace their eccentricities, and give themselves permission to buy the weird thing.
Before we start, for those who don't know you, can you share with us what you do and where you're based?
I'm Emily Mauldin, and I'm a designer specializing in interiors, art, and design thinking. Currently, I split my time between Seattle and Austin. I like to say I'm bicoastal, but the TEMU version.
Before interior design became your career, you studied economics. Did you always know you were going to find your way back to the creative world, or did you genuinely think your life might take a different path?
The drive to go down a creative path has always been gnawing at my ankles, and I pushed it aside for as long as I could/ didn’t know where I would fit in the world. Growing up, I think I felt enormous pressure to be someone I wasn't, and, as hard as I tried, it was never going to make sense for me to work at Goldman Sachs or the like.
You later earned your M.A. in Leadership for Creative Enterprises. What made you want to understand the business of creativity as much as the creative work itself?
I've always heard that if you want to be successful making creative work, you need to know how to run a business. Therereally isn't one without the other, so that's what propelled me to get the master's degree. It's a totally unique program at Northwestern that sort of puts an MBA into the context of creativity. I loved it, and it's been integral to how I'm running Emily Mauldin Design. I fly by the seams of my pants, but with a good foundation buoying me.
Your work is described as art-forward. What does that actually mean to you, and when did you realize that was the kind of designer you wanted to become?
Without art, there is no home. So many people think it’s just aesthetics, but it’s beyond that in my eyes. Art gives a space a story, and a unique one at that. Many designers treat art as an afterthought, throwing it into a project as an obligatory thing. For me, art is the whole thing. I want my client’s home to feel like a lived-in gallery of their favorite things. Art-forward also means bold to me, and I can be quite bold in my design approach. There are plenty of traditional designers out there who will put together a perfectly safe room for you, and that’s not me. I’m a Triple Aries, so I think it was written in the stars that I would be forward in my life and in my design. I’m trying to lean into this more and more every day without scaring people off too quickly :-)
One phrase that really stood out to me is "interiors for people who take up space." What does that mean to you, and who did you have in mind when you first adopted it?
Whether you intend it or not, your interiors end up reflecting who you are. I started to notice that the homes I love most belong to people who are excited to be picking the “weird” thing that no one else but them might love, interested in understanding who they are in the context of their spaces, and unafraid to stand up for what they believe, whether in their homes, or in society at large. In other words, people who take up space.
You also describe your practice through a feminist lens. What does that look like in practice? Is there a design decision or client story that captures what you mean?
Systems that oppress women and keep them boxed into the patriarchy are everywhere, and historically the home was one of them, and sometimes still is. In my practice, I help women reclaim what home means to them and how they operate within it. I recently worked with an empty nester whose unused bedrooms were gathering dust. We turned one into a yoga room and another into an office. She felt she needed permission to do this, and I happily gave it. Now she uses those spaces to help other women and put something good back into the collective. This is all I could ever want! Good design and strong women can change the world.
I noticed you refer to your clients as creative collaborators. How does that shift the relationship? What does the process feel like from that very first conversation to the final installation?
We’re creative collaborators in the sense that you tell me who you are and I translate it into a space. The way I'm working right now, I take your references, your Pinterest, and turn them into real life through sourcing. I never design two rooms alike, because every person I work with is at the center of their own design. It doesn’t matter if a room looks good- I only feel like I’ve done a good job if a client says, “Oh, this room is so ME.” The more you know who you are and are able tocommunicate that to me, the better I'm able to help you. Also, the “your design friend Emily” that I throw around in my videos- that’s not just a line. I really do become friends with my clients throughout the process and after the fact.
What's the difference between a home that's simply beautiful vs a home that actually feels like the person who lives there?
Tons of homes are beautiful, but very few actually have a strong point of view. I want to see your eccentricities reflected in your space. I always like to ask, “Could a person walk through your home and identify three interesting things about you”? That’s usually a good tell. Also, things are rarely ever “perfect” in a lived-in home. Imperfection is patina, and patina is the sign of life.
Is there a design "rule" you find yourself breaking again and again?
Of course, I kind of roll my eyes when people say less is more. I don’t believe that, and never will. Recently, I did a project where we just said: “Let’s throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks.” It all stuck, and it was a lesson in that having fun, with a dash of restraint, yields a really cool home. So, for me, less is not more. As long as you feel connected to a thing or it’s needed for you to function, it belongs.
For someone who's never worked with an interior designer before, what does the process actually look like? Where do you guide people most, and where do you intentionally leave room for them to shape the outcome?
This is where I probably differ most compared to other designers. I noticed a big gap in the market for people who weren’t DIYers, but also didn’t want to fork over 100 grand to work with a full-service interior designer. So I created a product within my business called The Deliverable. This is where I translate your Pinterest into real life. It’s a totally custom PDF, think magazine, not mood board, that gets you to the space you want and includes every link, note, piece of art, and thought I have that will make your space you. I create The Deliverable, and you execute it by ordering and acting on my recommendations. I work with a lot of creative people, and it’s fun for them because they like to be hands-on with the process too, so this structure really helps with that. Something interesting I’ve noticed is people usually need the most help just giving themselves permission to pick the crazy piece of art, or the yellow sofa instead of the grey one. I think more people inherently have good taste than they give themselves credit for.
Has there ever been a project where you gently pushed a client outside their comfort zone?
Unless a client starts out with an extremely specific vision, I'd like to think I push everyone I work with, whether that's toward a piece of art they wouldn't have initially chosen or a chair that’s really unconventional. The people I work with are usually up for the challenge and come to me because they are looking to be pushed.
Alongside designing homes, you've also built a community on TikTok and Instagram. Has sharing your work online changed the way you think about design or the way you approach projects?
Absolutely! First, I’ll say I’m inspired every single day by someone online. There are so many interesting people out there sharing their work and I think it’s amazing we live in a day and age where it’s accessible for people to post their art online and get eyes on it. I think posting my thoughts and sharing work online has affirmed my thinking that people are increasingly wanting spaces that reflect who they are, and I love that more than anything. I’ve also really loved getting to know my online community. Our time is precious, and I don’t take it lightly that people choose to spend some of that time following along!
You also have a substack!!! Apple of My Eye. Can you chat to us a bit about that and how you find creative expression via that platform?
I started Apple of My Eye in June. I’ve been sharing my series about women who inspire me in art and design, “Design Heroines”, alongside a series I’m calling “Buy The Weird Thing”, which is basically a miniature version of The Deliverable filled with things I love and that can add personality to your home. I’d love for the Substack to be a full guidebook to creating a home that feels like you, getting inspiration from the Design Heroines, working with me on unpacking what makes a home uniquely yours, and then acting on it, if you wish, through Buy The Weird Thing. This is a work in progress, and that’s the interesting thing about building something online in front of a small audience: I’m just iterating in real time all the time.
What's inspiring you right now?
I feel like I rarely wear anything other than black or white, but I’m really inspired by a lot of people in fashion right now. Amy Smilovic, Emily Dawn Long, and Laurel Pantin, in particular. I think what draws me to these women is A) they are uniquely themselves and B) what they're selling is helping women be uniquely themselves. It's a beautiful mirror, and it reminds me that the best businesses build worlds and identities around them, not just products. That balance is extremely captivating to watch. I’m also headed to Venice for the Biennale in September, so I'm really inspired by the bold work people from around the world are putting out, and I’m excited to see it in person.
Before we let you almost go, where can we find more of you?!
I’m @emilymauldindesign on TikTok, Instagram, and Substack, the publication itself is called Apple of My Eye. My website isemilymauldindesign.com and I work with people all over the world via Zoom.
I’m new to Instagram, but I’m doing an AMA on Tuesdays if you have any pressing design questions!
Let’s Get Deep
What’s your theme song?
Coming Home Song by Sammy Rae & The Friends
Night In or Night Out?
Night in all the way!
When do you feel most you?
I recently was on a trip with my best friend Laura in Marfa, TX and I felt like a kid again! I always feel like myself with Laura wherever we are
What’s something you’re obsessed with right now?
Mnemosyne notebooks and Artline200 Fine 0.4 pens
Call or Text?
Can I say a voice note? They’re my favorite thing.
When was the last time you cried?
My whole life, if I ever need to make myself cry, I watch the clip from Land Before Time where Littlefoot’s mom dies. So that’s the last time I cried.
When’s the last time you laughed (like a big belly laugh)?
A friend brought something up over text that happened in elementary school. I have to save the details for another time, but I was in a silent Uber and burst out laughing. Nothing makes me laugh more than a scenario where you can’t laugh.
Current favorite follow on social media?
I couldn’t narrow it down to one! @tsz.arts, @mymind, @thecreativeindependent, @designboom on Instagram
What’s one thing you would tell your 16-year-old self?
You’re going to be OK!!!
Find More of Emily here:
Playlist: Here
TikTok: emilymauldindesign
Substack: Apple of My Eye
