Community, Collaboration, and the Stories We Share with Editor Lynn Terry

Casey: 00:00:32

Hi, I'm Casey.

Rainey: 00:00:33

And I'm Rainey. Welcome to the Reframing Design podcast. If you're a new designer, a seasoned designer, a homeowner, or a home enthusiast, you are in the right place.

Lynn: 00:00:44

We are going to talk about all things design.

Casey: 00:00:46

Our stories, our opinions, our experiences, and we're probably going to chase a few rabbits down a few rabbit holes. But one thing we can guarantee, we will not talk about politics.

Rainey: 00:00:58

First of all, thank you so much for coming and an extra commitment that you made to do this with us, and we're so very thankful.

Lynn: 00:01:08

I love Houston, you know, I mean, I do. It's like it. You talk about your wins.

Rainey: 00:01:14

Okay.

Lynn: 00:01:14

This is a win for me to come to a community that I really love. The camaraderie of the design group. It is truly very family feeling in the nicest possible way. Not dysfunctional at all, but just fun.

And, you know, everybody gets along, and I love it because it is rare. This is not true for every design community.

Rainey: 00:01:45

Well, I'm so glad that you said that. That is actually how Kasey and I became really close friends. Is we're part of a design group. There's 10 of us. And I can say this.

I don't know if it has to be blipped or not, but we're called the design bitches with a Z. Oh, there's some bitches in the audience with a Z. And we share contracts and resources and contractors at the last minute when somebody falls through and what in. Yeah.

Casey: 00:02:15

And I'm going to piggyback because the wildness is her. And I really got it because I was here working with Fatima, wherever that beautiful human is, on window treatments.

And she was asking questions, and construction is my background more than window treatments. And I was like, oh, I don't know. My eyes are crossing every which way. And she was helping.

And I walked out, and Raini comes up, and she's like, hey, anytime you need anything, like, this is my bag. And her office was. She had a showroom a couple doors down, and that was it. Like, she just. She. Who does that?

In our industry, most people keep all their stuff. Or you. That's the old school.

Lynn: 00:02:51

But close to the vest.

Casey: 00:02:53

Close to the vest. And she just. Just brought me in on that. And then. Then again, we have this. So that was ex. That's how we met. Was from this showroom, actually. So that.

Actually full circle.

Rainey: 00:03:03

Full circle that we're here. Yes. Thank you, Raphael and Laura, for hosting and Fabric House, which is now a Sunny Road company.

They have really come into this area and made this showroom accessible and happy and full of life. And we're just so grateful to you guys and so happy to give you business.

Casey: 00:03:24

I know this is great. So yeah.

Rainey: 00:03:27

So your win. What's your win?

Casey: 00:03:29

I will be. And this is actually sad because as we're talking about Houston and how great the design is and it's not sad, it's exciting.

We're signed a lease on a place out in Santa Barbara. So we will be leaving our place here and still be working in Houston, but will not be, you know, based here anymore.

But the win is we just found a place.

Lynn: 00:03:49

But you know what, you can take this to Santa Barbara. You have the framework. So let's take this framework. Let's reframe Santa Barbara. I can't talk about that community. I can only brag on Houston.

Casey: 00:04:05

So yeah, no, but I love that. But yeah. So that's my win is we found a great place finally. So we get to know.

Rainey: 00:04:09

And I'm so happy for you. But I don't wanna talk about it anymore cause it will make me cry. But I'm so happy for you and your family.

My win is I have three grands, an 11 year old granddaughter and twin grandsons that are eight. And I'm glammy. You said your full name is Hon. So I'm Glammy.

And my husband and I are taking our twin grandsons to see the Savannah Bananas Friday night.

Lynn: 00:04:36

Oh, how fun.

Rainey: 00:04:37

And I am so excited about it. It's like I just keep thinking about what their faces are going to be like. They're big into sports, their dad is 6 foot 7 or something.

So these kids are going to almost taller than me and they're eight. So this is going to be exciting for us. So that's Friday night for us. So that's my win. So we are doing a podcast today.

I'm Raini, this is Casey, and we are reframing the art of interior design.

Casey: 00:05:06

And if anybody's listening, normally you're listening. Maybe in your car, your earbuds or anything. But today we've taken it live on the road like we kind of already mentioned.

But here it's Fabric House in Houston, but with the great and talented Lynn Terry. So we can't wait to dive in with you.

Rainey: 00:05:22

So we were reading your biography and the first thing that became apparent to me is that your background and your job are completely on opposite sides of the spectrum.

Lynn: 00:05:34

Correct.

Rainey: 00:05:35

Tell us about your background and tell us how you became the editor of Southern Hump.

Lynn: 00:05:41

So what I would say to everyone is, you can always reinvent yourself. You know, you have to be open to the possibilities and not think, I can't do this. I think it's kind of like, why can't I do this?

So, yeah, my undergraduate degree is in economics, and I have a master's in business and a master's in health administration. And so I started my career with ENY doing bond refinancings for hospitals. So that's really my comfort zone. And, you know, one thing led to another.

And when my husband. We moved from Charlotte to Atlanta to Dallas, Birmingham. And when I was in Birmingham, I was like, I can only walk so many miles.

My house can only be so clean. I need to get back in. And so I interviewed with Phyllis Hoppin, who is the CEO of Hoffman Media, and.

And started with them 20 years ago as basically a jack of all trades. I did the test kitchen build out. The test kitchen reported to me. HR reported to me. It reported to me.

Well, as we evolved as a company, we were always looking for what's missing in the market. And so Phyllis's son Brian, started Bake from scratch because he felt like that there was a real need for. For artisan baking.

s. Southern accents closed in: 2008

I'm not an editor. I don't have any of that background. And so my boss, Phyllis, said, you know, Lynn, I believe you're the most passionate about this project.

I think you should do it. And I'm like, but I am not a writer. I can write, but I'm much more comfortable with bullet points, you know, to the. To the fact.

Not a great friend of adjectives, but. But you know what I learned. But I said, you know, I'm willing to try it. And what I found is I needed a group of writers, freelance writers.

But I had always been a real student of design. I love looking at pictures. I love looking at how they put things together. And that part came naturally.

And you just have to be very organized to be a good. In my opinion, to be a good editor. And at the end of the day, Southern home, we started 10 years ago. I've learned a lot over 10 years.

I figured out how things work a little better, but I pride myself in the professionalism that I learned at ENY about how you treat people, how that comes back to you. And I try to be nice. I do. I think that it costs nothing to be nice and to be professional.

And so if you have a project with me, I want you at the end of the day to say, I had a great experience with Southern Home. The writers got me. I love my layout because they're gonna have another great project. Now, I will say being published is like being on crack cocaine.

Not that I know what crack cocaine is like, but it is very. I love her very similar. Cause, you know, once you get published, you want everything to be published. And I can't publish every project that you do.

And honestly, every project is not magazine worth, you know? And you have to know your magazine. Like, I see a beautiful kitchen. They're like, oh, you need to do this kitchen. It's like, that's fantastic.

I love this kitchen. But I do whole houses because that's what my readers want.

You know, they want to go through the whole house and see how everything relates to each other. So I listen to my readers, and everybody does it different. But we stick to homes that are in the south, and usually by noted architects or designers.

But I have a real passion for showcasing some people that may not be as well known. You know, they may not have been in the industry 25 years and have five books out. The design is just as good. So it.

It makes my heart happy to showcase somebody that everybody doesn't know.

They're not a household name, you know, not taking away from any the people that are super experienced, but trying to say, hey, you need to know about Rainy or Casey or whatever. And this is what they're doing. And we. I'm not saying we don't care about the homeowners.

We do care, but our copy is totally geared towards the designer and the architect. And so, yeah, the homeowner may have a quote in there, but it's. You know, I don't use their picture. I'm not going to use your picture.

Y' all are beautiful, but I don't care. You know, I had a designer tell me one time, I'm really beautiful. I'm really pretty, and you should run my picture. And I said, that is fantastic.

I'm so happy for you, and you are lovely, but I don't care. So your design work is gonna have to really speak for itself, as beautiful as you are.

Rainey: 00:11:18

Right, okay. So you answered all of that.

Lynn: 00:11:20

Oh, my God.

Rainey: 00:11:21

So we're done.

Casey: 00:11:22

I just literally said everything that we're.

Rainey: 00:11:25

Gonna make a tea and just listen to you.

Casey: 00:11:26

Yeah, we're just gonna say Lovely. That was perfect. But that kind of does lend to.

So when you started 10 years ago and you were interested in houses and you loved it, but you weren't necessarily. I didn't have the background.

Lynn: 00:11:39

I did not.

Casey: 00:11:39

So you went out looking for these freelance writers.

And at that time, though, it feels like it could have been so fresh because you don't have all the designers that everybody already knew and were already being published. So were you. Your eyes were so fresh to it.

Lynn: 00:11:54

Did that continue? And I do think it helps a lot that I have a strong business background.

So some of the things that people do as editors, I'm like, they're real head scratchers. I don't understand why do we do it that way? Like, that's stupid. So that. Honestly, I thought.

I feel like that's almost like a plus because I didn't have any preconceived ideas of how it had to be.

Casey: 00:12:23

Right.

Lynn: 00:12:25

And a lot of people really want to use higher writers, and they have to write three stories. I feel like my magazine is better because I have different voices and I can talk to designers. And I think, oh, wow, they need to be with this writer.

Cause they're gonna get them. You know, every writer doesn't get every designer.

And I would tell you, if any of you are considering books, regardless of what they will tell you, you should always interview, like, three writers to see who gets you, who understands your voice. And like, 83 Press is our book. And that's just one thing that we tried very hard to say.

Okay, this is kind of how it should be, because you don't want it. It shouldn't have to be hard to talk to someone about your thoughts when you created a room. Right. And you should.

Your book, when people buy it, you want them to pick it up and think, yeah, I get that. I get that designer. I understand what she was saying. Andrew Howard. I was just interviewing him. His book is. He's very funny. Very, very funny.

And, you know, he has a completely different writing style than you're going to typically see, but very approachable, which is approachable.

Casey: 00:13:59

That's the big word. And so with that, you brought both entities to this in such a different way.

Lynn: 00:14:05

Right.

Casey: 00:14:06

Like, so your eyes are fresher. You will take that designer who hasn't cut their teeth already. And that, I think is really special because I think we can all be in it for so long.

We only know these players. These are the ones who kind of get the heads. And it doesn't sound like you play that game. You're like, I'm giving the talented one place.

Lynn: 00:14:21

And we do so many projects in Southern home, you know, I can't. We do six or seven in every issue. So that is a lot. And I try to make sure that my projects are geographically distributed as well as the styles are.

Because you can't be everything to everyone. Now, because I'm not a designer, I'm not a journalist, I truly look at it as a homeowner. You know, do I find this house inviting?

Would I feel comfortable sitting down? And it's not just about how much money you spend, it's about how you put it all together and what's the end result.

And because we do whole home tours, it. You have to have the magic in more than one room. Right? So I mean, and I mean I look at some magazines and I'm like going, I don't get it.

And if I don't get it, it's probably not going to go in my magazine if I'm having to think too hard.

Not that I, you know, I'm, I can do mental gymnastics sometimes, but you know, probably less so, you know, you know, I spend my mental gymnastics on being honey time, you know, so. But I mean, those kind of things, it's like, okay, really, would anybody really do that in their house? Probably not going to come in my.

Rainey: 00:15:48

Magazine so that, that I have a follow up question to something that you said and you don't have to answer this. We can edit it out if, if you don't want to answer it. But you said that there are some things that other editors do that make you scratch your head.

Is that one of the things that you're referring to? Or can you give us like another thing that you're just like, I don't understand the how or the why of that decision.

Lynn: 00:16:13

Well, something, some projects are just eliminated because they're okay. We have a competitor and if you don't have a famous homeowner, you're not going to get in, you know. Okay, well I don't care.

I don't not care about the homeowner. The homeowners are generally lovely and I need them, but that's not my thing. And so it's, that has become very popular with competitors.

Like, okay, if I'm not gonna publish you unless it's Jennifer Aniston's home. Well, again, Jennifer Aniston is probably lovely and has a beautiful home, but I don't care.

I wanna talk to the designer who did her home and she can remain anonymous.

And that's the Other thing, a lot of people will only publish if the homeowners are named, I am happy to say the homeowner, you know, because I'm gonna be interviewing Raini and Raini can say the homeowners or the husband or the wife, you know, whatever. There's, there are ways around that. Whereas some of those projects don't get published because they don't have a famous person.

Rainey: 00:17:30

As a Southern girl, this sounds so approachable and so authentic and so kind and so lovely. And so it really is on brand the things that you're saying and really resonate with me.

Lynn: 00:17:42

Well, and I mean, I truly, I love to entertain. I love to have people in my house and to.

I mean, and as my husband says, it's an occupational hazard that I get to go in these really beautiful homes because I'm coming home going, wow, this, we could do this. And he was like, oh, gosh, back the bus up. You know, we don't need to do that. Let's like just have a hot moment here. But it is fun.

And when I see the project, it's like, readers are going to really like this because they're going to figure out how, you know, that really strong color that you thought, probably I'm not daring enough. You see how it's beautifully executed and it gives you confidence, right, that you say, I think I could do that in my own home.

Casey: 00:18:35

Absolutely love it.

And you spoke to the entertaining, your panel earlier, which was fantastic and I'm totally going off strips now, so I don't even know what that's supposed to say. But you spoke to a house. It can be beautiful. But it's the people that you in the entertaining part. So that seems like it's a really common thread.

You are very much into bringing people together and selling things.

Lynn: 00:18:56

And a lot of that has to do with.

I am truly concerned about how we live in an Instagram, Facebook world where we see that everything is perfect and it becomes almost a news that we don't want to invite somebody over because I don't have the rug that I really want or my pillows aren't. Whatever, whatever.

It's all a bunch of nonsense, really, because what people want is a face to face connection and feeling like this person has seen me, they've heard me, not that they like me. They put a heart next to something that I curated on Instagram and Instagram. Look, I use Instagram, it's part of my business.

But I don't live and die by Instagram. I mean, it doesn't define Me. And I would say, at the end of the day, what's important?

No one's going to give me a gold star on my tombstone that, you know, it's like that. I was a good. I was a good mom and wife and honey to my grandkids and daughter to my parents. That's as my boss would say.

We are just enriching people's lives. You know, we're bringing a little joy. We are not curing cancer. I have no illusions about that.

But what I do, I pour everything I have into making it the very best that it can be within the parameters that I have.

Rainey: 00:20:35

So this makes me very curious about your home. I have two questions. Okay.

Lynn: 00:20:42

Okay.

Rainey: 00:20:43

So number one, did you have a designer help you with your home? And I was going to ask, and who is it? And number two, what is your favorite piece in your own home? And why?

Lynn: 00:21:00

Well, okay, so we have built seven homes over the course of our marriage. And this home.

Rainey: 00:21:07

And you're still married.

Casey: 00:21:08

And we're still married.

Lynn: 00:21:09

Oh, okay.

Casey: 00:21:10

Same one.

Lynn: 00:21:12

We're a success story someday. We thought the renovation. This house we renovated, and I would build a house 10 times over than I would renovate.

And, you know, Knoxville's not a big city. And you bring some ideas. Cause guess what? I've been to places that are a little more forward, and they're like, oh, that's not the way we do it.

I did. I had a Navy study in: 2018

Rainey: 00:21:49

Okay. So Avant garde.

Lynn: 00:21:51

Yeah. Right. And literally, I have had probably 10 projects. All the studies were Navy, and I love it. And that's what I want to say. I love.

I love, love, love this home. And I would be, like, absolutely pleased as punch to live in it. But I can't have every project look the same. And that.

That's probably the hardest message. It's easy when it just doesn't quite fit, but it's hard when it's a really beautiful project. But every study is Navy. Every sofa is light blue.

The club chairs are white with blue trim. I mean, I can see it all in my head because I've seen it so many times. And that's. That's the thing.

And I do want to tell people, when you're submitting projects, if. If you haven't had a professionally shot, take iPhones pictures. Pictures do not lie. You can tell where your holes are. Maybe you have a problem.

Call me Up. I have walked through so many designers, so many.

Rainey: 00:22:55

Can we have your cell phone number?

Casey: 00:22:56

What was that again?

Lynn: 00:22:57

I literally spent two hours with this one designer, and she was young, and she just didn't see. And again, I'm not a designer, but I see thousands of images, and I don't want to be negative. I can tell you it's a beautiful project.

But I could also really hone in on what's wrong with your project or why it's wrong for me or what I need. And, you know, sometimes designers, they're confused about what issue, what publication they're trying to get it in.

Like, I need whole house projects. I don't care about a tight shot of flowers. That's fine for your Instagram, but I don't care in terms of.

But there are publications that are very much into those kind of shots. So you need to know what you're going after. Right. And you need to.

If your goal is to really show a broad spectrum of design talent, you need to be showing that in terms of, like, your Instagram or Facebook, not have everything be all neutrals. If you really want to say, I can do neutrals and color, which is.

Rainey: 00:24:17

An artist, you should be able to do.

Lynn: 00:24:19

Right, right, right, right.

Casey: 00:24:21

But so to that designer, the younger designer, or just even somebody who hasn't been published and they think their work is amazing, because it. Sure it is. How. What do you recommend? I mean, so people say, hold back your. You know, we had this. That was on the thing yesterday, forever.

People were to hold their work before they actually got published, and it could be a couple years. And now with Instagram people, that's our marketing.

Lynn: 00:24:44

So what do you guys. So for us, I do not want you to show big room shots, because that's what I want to show. I don't want to show.

I don't want to have content that's been already seen before, because why do they need me?

Casey: 00:24:58

Right.

Rainey: 00:24:58

There it is.

Lynn: 00:24:59

But I don't. It doesn't bother me if you have a tighter shot of a vignette in that room, because it doesn't give away the whole design.

Casey: 00:25:08

Right.

Rainey: 00:25:09

But once it's published.

Lynn: 00:25:10

Once it's published, you can knock yourself out. Yeah. And I want you to. And tag Southern home act. So, I mean, but it needs. You know, it needs to be kind of mutually beneficial. Right. So that's.

That's. That's a big thing that I'm. In terms of vendors that advertise with me, in terms of designers, I try to be a good steward A good partner.

And that's kind of. And I'm gonna be honest with you, or whoever happens to pitch the project. Not unkind, but honest.

And I do suffer from directness, so that's my spiritual gift. Thank you. You know, but at least you're not confused. Right where I stand.

Rainey: 00:26:00

I love that.

So I wanna shift the conversation just a little bit because one of the reasons you're in town for design, that you published this gorgeous new book, the Inviting Southern Home.

Lynn: 00:26:11

Correct.

Rainey: 00:26:12

And it's celebrating 10 years of the publication of Southern Home. And I guess your hands, your DNA is all over every single issue.

Lynn: 00:26:19

Yes, because it is me.

Rainey: 00:26:22

It is you.

Lynn: 00:26:22

I am the problem. And the problem is me. So.

Casey: 00:26:25

Okay, Taylor, I love Tay Tay. I feel you.

Lynn: 00:26:28

So, I mean, truly, it's like I don't have a huge staff. It is me and an art director.

Rainey: 00:26:34

So how many projects did you showcase in here?

Lynn: 00:26:37

18, but I literally culled from 500 projects.

Rainey: 00:26:40

That was my next question. How did you decide?

Lynn: 00:26:43

Well, I mean, there are projects that really, really stand out to you as, like, they just did it. Well, and particularly for this book, I mean, I don't chase trends. Okay.

So I want somebody to be able to pick this book up in 10 years and not have a clue as to when it was published. I. Timeless. And I can say I have a whole catalog of Southern accent books.

You know, except for the fact that the photography is very grainy and yellow. You know, you would not have any idea necessarily when those projects were done.

And that is always kind of the underlying like, okay, is this timeless? Would you see this in five years? I mean, even though there can be trends, you know what I'm saying? But you don't want a book of trends.

Who wants that? You know, go to Target. That was so last year, Right?

Casey: 00:27:46

Yeah. And that is, I think so to your Southern roots and your goal of really keeping that. What do you find in your head? What is Southern?

Because it's a little different for some people, maybe because you see very modern things in the very Southern cities and, you know, the kind of that juxtaposition position. What will you. Will you entertain a place that's not maybe as traditionally Southern?

Lynn: 00:28:13

Right, right, right. So we do eclectic properties, but they still. You can be eclectic. We are not going to do super modern.

Cause that just doesn't have that warm vibe that we like. But eclectic, transitional. Absolutely. I'm not like signing up for, you know, chintz and antiques. You know, that's not. That's not what Southern is.

Casey: 00:28:39

So I guess that's my question. What are you seeing? Southern is Because I think a lot of people still have the chintzen that, you know, very heavy.

We know because we're all in the south, but people who aren't haven't really engaged in it. So what do you see is.

Lynn: 00:28:54

So what I'm looking for are. And for all the designers out there, this is just.

Note to self, when you submit a project, I understand that you might have not have done the exterior. And oftentimes they don't want to shoot the exterior. But as a reader, you like to know what the exterior looks like.

So when you go in, are you surprised? Does it fit the exterior? Is it kind of does there. Is there tension? So please shoot the exterior. You know, just make yourself. Make. Make your option.

Don't limit your options. Because I'm like, ugh, you don't have an exterior shot, which I don't have to have it all the time, but it sure makes for a much better story.

Just even if it's a small image that we run or outdoor living spaces are so big.

And that's, again, people don't necessarily design them, but if they do, they really do want to show them off, and we're happy to show them off because that's such a big part. So, you know, when I say, okay, what's inviting to me? Well, I like beautiful drapery with trim on the leading edge.

You know, I absolutely like photo styling tip. A brown horizontal surface dining table or kitchen island without anything on it. Not visually appealing.

Rainey: 00:30:23

Not happening.

Lynn: 00:30:24

You know, so to me, I almost always say, please set your dining room table with your clients china or put something on there. But I just feel like the china just tells a story because I'm a china hoarder. I have 12 sets of China, and I love it.

I mean, I take everybody's china. Oh, I don't like it. My mom, you know, I'm gonna. Don't. No, no, no, no, no, no.

Rainey: 00:30:50

I'll take it. I'll helm it.

Lynn: 00:30:51

I'll take it. And I have rehomed it back to their grandkids. Okay, true story.

You know, it hurt my heart that my friend was giving away her mom's china, and this lady happened to babysit for me sometimes when she would when we lived in Atlanta. And so it's like, ah, you cannot give away Mimi's china. Like, I'll take it. I don't know exactly when or where I'm going to use it.

And so we ended up Southern lady is a Sister publication. I was like, hey, y' all ought to do. This was before Southern home was born. But y' all ought to do a new ways with old China.

That you can take this China with a little bitty blue flowers around it and make it feel modern and current for younger readers. And they did do that. So I took it, you know, and then five years later, my friend calls me and says, do you still have her mom? China, Mimi, China?

I'm like, I do. And she goes, well, you know, so and so really wants it. And I'm like, okay, come get it. Aren't you glad? What a great story.

So all of you china hoarders, you.

Rainey: 00:32:03

Know, so we need. We have your cell phone number now we need your address.

Lynn: 00:32:06

Yeah, yeah.

Casey: 00:32:08

To send our check.

Lynn: 00:32:09

Yeah.

Rainey: 00:32:09

So I have a question about this book. So you said there's 18 projects in it, so. Because I always want to know the inside scoop on things.

So you got it down to, like, 20 to get it down to those 18, did you go to I like this designer better?

Lynn: 00:32:26

No.

Rainey: 00:32:26

She's prettier. No, no. She had stuff on her brown table. No. How did you decide?

Lynn: 00:32:33

We actually got it down to 35. And then we decided, you know, what our chapters were going to be classic, colorful retreat second homes. And then.

And we literally printed those out, and then we looked at them. Like, what really stands out? Like, what's really grabbing your eye? And it needs to play well within the other chapters. Okay.

I mean, the other stories. So that's really. And the others were beautiful. But in the context of the book, this is what stood out to us.

Rainey: 00:33:17

So there'll be a book for year 11? Is that what I'm wondering? Because projects are going in the next book.

Lynn: 00:33:21

You know, I have had people ask me to do one, like, on living rooms or living spaces. Not living room. Living room. It feels a very. Like, a dated term. Right. Just like den. People don't say den anymore.

I mean, but it's almost like gathering rooms. This kind of, you know, just like you're not allowed to say a main bedroom or master bedroom. That is politically incorrect.

So you have to say primary and things evolve. And so I do feel like living spaces are such a big area. Just like kitchens. It's hard if your kitchen's not beautiful.

And some people will say, oh, I did everything but the kitchen. It's like, well, when you do the kitchen, come back.

Casey: 00:34:08

Yeah, yeah, that's a trick. Everything but a kitchen kind of makes you go. Because the kitchen's where everybody spends their.

Lynn: 00:34:13

Spot yes, that's right. That's right.

Casey: 00:34:15

So I'm curious and not to derail the. Because I love the design side but in reading your bio community is very important to you and all of so to you.

Where does that, where's your heart in that area? What is your sort of heartstring pulled when in community? Is it kids, is it dogs, is.

Lynn: 00:34:35

It all the way around? Well, certainly kids church is a huge part of my life. And you know, my mom, who is 96 years old, Wow. I never ever.

There was never ever a day in my life that I lived in my parents house that there was not a homemade cake, pie or cookie. Every day, Every day. And to that end, my mom still likes to make cakes. Yeast rolls. She'll call people.

I just have a pan of yeast rolls coming out of the oven. Like, I'm like, who in their right mind says no to that? Like, you know, I mean, yeah. And yes, I'm partial.

But you know, it's like that, that I have this. I can give this to you is so important. And beat.

And I tell friends at in Knoxville, it's like, hey, my opinion is worth the Diet Coke that you can give me. You know, I mean, I'm not, I'm not a designer. I have an opinion, good, bad or indifferent.

And you're not gonna hurt my feelings if you don't take my advice. But I get to see a lot of things and I'm happy to help you just, you know, so that's kind of.

But you know, as a person that gets to see a lot, yeah, I have an opinion and I am pretty good. But sometimes I get stumped in my own house because I've seen a lot and it's hard to have somebody that's kind of on your same path.

But I've always had, you know, two really good friends who love design and have a strong opinion. So that's always nice.

And not that you shouldn't hire a designer, but I'm kind of like, I've been down this rodeo before and I have such a strong opinion, you know, I don't need to pay someone to disagree with them.

Rainey: 00:36:27

Do you ask your friends for their advice?

Lynn: 00:36:29

Sometimes there's two that I do. And the rest of them, no, because, you know, they don't really. They're not in that world. Okay. They're not comfortable. They don't love it.

I mean, everybody has their thing. You know, some people are really big into tennis. I mean, you know, you wouldn't ask me about anything. Tennis. Cause I Don't know. I don't really care.

But, you know, that's. You have to find your tribe. And that's kind of where the Houston design community really has a real nice tribe.

And I believe you can feel candid with each other about. Okay. I'm really struggling with this.

Rainey: 00:37:14

We actually have an episode that dropped today, and it's about the questions that clients ask us that are sometimes shocking and they can almost be off putting because they don't know what they don't know. You know those. So you're exactly correct. Sort of knowing the.

What's appropriate or inappropriate in different settings and how that relates to what we do.

Lynn: 00:37:42

Right. Is very important. Right. Can I use your discount?

Casey: 00:37:46

That's.

Rainey: 00:37:47

That's our favorite favorite. That's one of our favorites. We actually dove really deep on that because we don't actually get a discount. So it was actually. It was a good.

Lynn: 00:37:57

And the answer is yes, you can. But I don't have one.

Casey: 00:38:00

You could if we got one.

Lynn: 00:38:02

Maybe next time.

Rainey: 00:38:03

We don't get a discount. We just have a price and we pay that price. We don't have a discount.

You pay a price, you're going to pay a price, too, which will not match that price.

Lynn: 00:38:11

Right.

Rainey: 00:38:11

So, yeah, all of those things are so interesting. And so it's Saturday morning and you don't have a publication coming out. It's all ready to go, sitting on your desk, and you're just at home.

What are you doing?

Lynn: 00:38:27

I get up and I walk.

Rainey: 00:38:29

How far?

Lynn: 00:38:30

Close to five miles. And in Knoxville, it's really beautiful right now.

In the morning, it's 57 degrees and it's hilly, and sometimes I walk even further, but that's generally my get up. And if I feel like walking further, I. I walk further. And then I do all the normal things, do the laundry, I go to the grocery store.

I'm an avid reader. I love to read. And when I'm in binder phase, my head is in a computer all the time, and I don't enjoy reading at that point in time.

But when I'm away from the pressure of finding errors, which is. That's what the binder phase is, finding all your errors. Then, I mean, I can literally, I can blow through four or five books a week.

Casey: 00:39:29

And what are you reading? What kind of.

Lynn: 00:39:31

Oh, I read Passion, Everything. You know, right now I started reading, like, Lisa Scottellini books. You know, I love.

Like, if any of y' all haven't read the Nightingales, that's a wonderful Kristin Hannah book. I Mean, if you have sisters, it just, you know, really. But I literally. I ask people for recommendations all the time.

I keep a list, and I'm like, okay, this is on my list. And I go to the public library and check out lots of things.

Rainey: 00:40:08

I'm so old. You don't use it on Amazon. I love that.

Casey: 00:40:12

Like, the library has that. It just. The heights one is so fantastic. We'll walk through this.

Lynn: 00:40:16

We have a great library. And it's like, I could buy that. I could go buy the books. I could. But then what? Okay, I can go check this thing out. I have three weeks to read it.

Yeah, all good. All good. Then I return it, and somebody else loves on it.

Casey: 00:40:33

So when we first sat down before the mics were on, we were kind of just talking, and you were really passionate about just community and people just being.

And so Houston is a place, and so I really want to just make sure to thank you for bringing that energy here, because the designers you had on your panel were special. You know, of course, they're Houston, so we love them. But your passion for this city and the designers here is really cool. And I don't think.

Lynn: 00:41:00

But literally, Houston. Houston loved me first.

Casey: 00:41:03

Okay.

Lynn: 00:41:05

You know, so it's literally like a first love for me. I mean, Houston truly embraced me in a way, in Southern home. I mean, shout out to Leslie Sinclair, because, I mean, she gave.

I was doing a photo shoot in Austin. I wanted to meet with her, and she was like, where are you staying? And it's like, oh, I don't know, because I have another shoot in Houston.

I haven't. Oh, just come stay with me. And then it evolved, and that night, she had thrown together a wine and cheese party for 20 designers that showed up.

You know, and it's like, who does that? I mean, she didn't know me from Adam's house cat. I mean, other than the fact that, you know. But wow.

And the people were so genuinely nice and accepting, and I. That is. It's hard to put into words, but people have choices. You know, they have choices with the magazines they buy, with the books they buy.

They have choices. And I don't take that for granted. And when people are good to me.

Rainey: 00:42:16

I'm good right back.

Lynn: 00:42:18

Yeah. Yeah. What goes around comes around.

Rainey: 00:42:21

How often does your magazine.

Lynn: 00:42:23

Six times a year. It is bimonthly.

Casey: 00:42:26

Every.

Rainey: 00:42:26

Okay, Bimonthly. Okay. So make sure that you subscribe to this.

Lynn: 00:42:30

Yes, please. It makes a wonderful gift if you're. You know, the gift that keeps on giving every other month.

Get something beautiful in your magazine, in your mailbox that you can just sit there and be inspired by and, you know, get ideas from. And I love that.

Casey: 00:42:48

And then where are you getting and for the book, which is so beautiful, where can people get that? I mean, you can go to Southern.

Lynn: 00:42:55

Home Mag, you can go to Hoffman Media. It will be in like Barnes and Noble, but I mean, we can ship it right to your door.

Rainey: 00:43:04

Okay. I love that you have been so lovely.

I don't know about the people in the audience, but for me, and I know I can speak for Casey, sometimes being around editors can be daunting and it can feel a little bit scary. And you have made this so comfortable. We just put our notes away and just had a conversation and so I am incredibly grateful.

We are incredibly grateful.

Outro: 00:43:28

That's a wrap for this episode of Reframing the Only Art of Interior Design. We hope you had a blast and found some inspiration to bring your dream space to life. Feeling inspired to start your own home transformation?

Contact us@helloeframingdesign.com we want to help you make it happen. Don't forget to subscribe, Share and leave a review this show was edited and produced by Truth Work Media.

Until next time, remember, your space is your story. Make it beautiful.