There are people who relax on weekends…
And then there are people who decide Saturday at 8:42 p.m. is the perfect time to rearrange a virtual room, repaint a cabinet, set up a tablescape, and “just quickly” move an entire living room around.
Hi. It’s me…My brain is basically a mood board.
I’ve been obsessed with design my entire life. Not just interior design, all of it. Homes. Events. Weddings. DIY projects. Styling shelves. Styling tables. Styling things that probably don’t even need styling.
I Don’t Have Hobbies. I Have Projects.
If there’s a ribbon, a lamp, a paint sample, or a flea market nearby, I’m interested.
Some people inherited jewelry from their grandmothers.
I inherited the uncontrollable urge to style absolutely everything!
Honestly, I think creative people know early.
Normal children played house.
I reorganized the house.
I wasn’t interested in dolls as much as I was interested in creating an entire tiny lifestyle for them. Tiny furniture. Tiny accessories. Tiny fake kitchens. Tiny throw pillows.
Which probably explains why, as an adult, I’m deeply committed to “organization” and what a space, table, or event vision feels like as a lifestyle.
But design isn’t just about things looking pretty.
It’s about how spaces feel.
It’s why I notice lighting in restaurants before I notice the menu. Why I can walk into a wedding venue and immediately know where the bar should go. Why I physically cannot leave a store without touching every fabric sample like I’m conducting a quality inspection for the royal family.
And don’t even get me started on tabletops. They are the perfect vignette of design.
For me, a beautifully styled table says more than words ever could.
You say, “casual dinner party.”
I hear:
- layered linens
- vintage brass candlesticks
- textured chargers
- three different types of glassware
- a slightly unnecessary floral arrangement
- and at least one guest saying, “Wait… where did you get these napkins?”
This is what happens when you’ve spent your whole life loving design.
Your brain stops seeing “objects” and starts seeing possibilities.
Which is why I think in Paint Colors and Table Settings
An old cabinet?
Potential.
A vintage thrift store piece?
A must.
A wedding with no personality?
Emergency.
And yes, being creative is wonderful… but it’s also exhausting.
Because creative people don’t really “turn it off.”
We walk into a room and mentally redesign it before we sit down.
We see a blank wall and immediately think:
“Picture frame grid? Limewash? Vintage mirror? Oversized art? Moody sconces? All of the above?”
We tell ourselves we’re going to bed early and somehow end up online at midnight searching:
“elevated antique wooden dough bowls.”
But honestly? I wouldn’t trade it.
Design has always been more than a career or hobby for me. It’s how I experience the world. It’s storytelling. It’s emotion. It’s creating moments people remember.
A cozy home.
A beautiful dinner table.
A wedding that feels magical.
A room that finally feels like you.
That’s the stuff I love.
Not because life must be perfect.
And somewhere along the way, all of that design + heart, became The Striped Barn.
If styling ideas follow you everywhere you go, you love rearranging, have a strong opinion about paint colors, and a vision means accessorizing.
Welcome. You’re my people.
— Carrie
Founder of The Striped Barn
