House Magic: A Philosophy for Living with Intention
Your home is more than four walls — it’s a living space that holds your values, your dreams, and your well-being. When we treat our homes as sacred, they become more than a backdrop to life; they become places of restoration, resistance, and renewal.
Why House Magic?
For years, I believed Interior Design was just about making a home functional and beautiful. But deep down, I knew there was something more — a deeper layer I couldn’t quite name, even as I often found myself doing “extra” for my own home. What I struggled with most was finding the language to bring that depth to my clients.
Then life reminded me how fragile — and powerful — home really is.
About eight years ago, I invested months of effort and a lot of money into redesigning my house. New paint. New furniture. New art. For the first time, my space felt like an authentic reflection of me — beautiful, safe, and deeply aligned.
But before I had even broken in my new sofa, I received a medical diagnosis that knocked me flat on my ass. Overnight, what had felt safe and beautiful was suddenly saturated with fear, sadness, and anger.
Once I had a treatment plan (as much as you can plan for something like that), I became desperate to shift my home into more than just a container for my pain. I wanted it to become an ally in my healing.
And it did. The way I rested on the couch, the glow of a single candle on the darkest nights, the rhythm of sweeping the floor when I felt powerless — all of these ordinary actions became extraordinary. They carried me, grounded me, and reminded me that my home could be a partner in my resilience.
That was the beginning of what I now call House Magic.
The Six Values of House Magic
My work is guided by six values. They aren’t rules — they’re invitations.
Stewardship: Caring for the earth and the life it sustains.
Community: Designing spaces that foster connection and solidarity.
Safety: Creating environments that feel protective, nourishing, and grounding.
Creativity: Making room for expression, beauty, and joy.
Retreat: Crafting spaces that offer rest and renewal in a fast, noisy world.
Magic: Infusing intention into the everyday so life feels meaningful, not mechanical.
When you align your home with these values, you’re not just designing — you’re shaping the energy of your life.
Justice & Stewardship
Our homes are never just personal havens — they are part of a larger story
House Magic is rooted in justice and stewardship.
We are not owners so much as temporary keepers — of both our homes and the land beneath them. Many of our houses have stood for decades, even centuries, before we arrived, and they will endure long after we move on. The land itself carries a history far deeper than our own, stories we often do not know. Stewardship means recognizing this relationship and honoring our role as caretakers.
Justice may seem like an unusual foundation for House Magic, but it is essential. Housing is a human right, not a privilege. Yet today, more than ever, we see wealth concentrated in the hands of the few — investors and corporations hoarding property, driving up costs, and making stable housing inaccessible to so many.
This is not new. Housing has long been a tool of oppression: from redlining that excluded Black families from entire neighborhoods to today’s cheaply built “luxury” condos that begin to crumble before the paint has dried. I see it clearly in my own city of Seattle, where artists, musicians, and working-class neighbors — the very people who gave this place its soul — have been pushed out by rising costs.
That is why justice is not optional in House Magic. It is a critical force.
To practice stewardship is to care for the land and resources that sustain us. To practice justice is to demand that housing be safe, accessible, and dignified for all. Together, they remind us that our homes are never just personal havens — they are part of a larger story. Every choice, from the wood in your floors to the food on your table, is a chance to honor that story and help write a more just and sustainable future.
Community & Belonging
Our homes are not islands. House Magic calls us to create spaces that foster connection and solidarity.
In a world of deep division, welcoming a neighbor, hosting a meal, or even chatting on the front steps can feel like a radical act.
Community begins at home, but it doesn’t stop there. The energy you cultivate in your living room spills into your street, your city, your world. By creating a table where everyone has a seat, you’re helping weave a fabric of belonging.
Safety & Security
Safety is not a given; it’s something we cultivate.
I know this deeply, after years of working with survivors of violence and experiencing the violation of break-ins myself. Too many people live in homes where safety has been denied. House Magic demands that we take safety seriously — not as paranoia, but as a form of care and protection.
When your home feels safe, it becomes a foundation for everything else: creativity, rest, joy. Safety isn’t just locks on doors; it’s emotional security, respect, and the sense that you are free to be fully yourself in your own space.
Creativity
Creativity is what turns a house into a living, breathing reflection of its people.
Too often, we’re told to copy a trend or keep things “neutral” for resale value. But House Magic reminds us: your home should tell your story.
Creativity doesn’t mean expensive renovations or gallery-worthy design. It means letting yourself play: buying that chair that makes you smile, hanging a mismatched collection of art, arranging flowers just because they look and smell amazing. This is how homes come alive — when they hold joy, expression, and delight.
Rest & Retreat
In a noisy, relentless world, our homes must be places of retreat.
Not escapism, but restoration. A home that allows you to exhale, to rest, to come back to yourself, is an act of resistance in a culture that demands constant productivity.
Retreat doesn’t have to mean a spa-like bathroom or a dedicated meditation room (though those are lovely if you have them). It can be as simple as a chair by the window, a blanket you love, a corner where your nervous system knows it can settle.
✨ Magic ✨
And then there is magic: the thread that weaves it all together.
Magic is not about grand rituals (though it can be); it’s about infusing intention into the everyday.
House Magic is not about perfection or excess. It’s not about buying more or doing more. It’s about living with intention — taking the everyday things you already do and turning them into acts of care, beauty, and purpose.
Sweeping the floor becomes grounding.
Sharing a meal becomes community.
Lighting a candle becomes a prayer for a better world.
This is how we make magic — not by escaping the world’s challenges, but by meeting them with creativity, resilience, and hope in the spaces we call home.
When we tend our homes with care, intention, and heart, they become more than shelter — they become living spaces that restore us, support others, and reflect the values we carry into the world.
