We recently received some exciting news: Astral House has been selected for the Architectural Digest AD PRO Directory, a curated network of design professionals across the country.

It’s an incredible honor to see our St. Petersburg interior design studio included alongside designers and architects whose work we have admired for years.

Explore Astral House on the Architectural Digest AD PRO Directory https://www.architecturaldigest.com/adpro/directory/profile/astral-house

The recognition also comes at a time when I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes a home truly successful, and how much our expectations of home have changed.

The Best Design Starts Early

At Astral House, we believe the best projects are the ones where the interior designer is involved early.

In a renovation or new construction project, some of the decisions that ultimately make a home feel special happen long before furniture enters the conversation.

Ceiling details. Millwork. Lighting placement. Doorways and sightlines. Material transitions. Cabinetry. How rooms connect to one another and to the outdoors.

When the architect and interior designer work in tandem from the beginning, those decisions can become part of one cohesive vision rather than layers added independently along the way.

And most importantly, we’re both designing around the same person: the homeowner.

The more we understand about how our clients live, what they value and how they want to feel in their home, the more meaningful those details can become.

Timeless Isn’t a Particular Style

I’m often asked what style I’m most drawn to, and I never have a particularly tidy answer.

I’m much more interested in materials, proportion, craftsmanship and how a space feels than fitting a home into a particular design category.

I continually come back to natural materials and those that become more beautiful with age: marble and natural stone, unlacquered brass, solid wood, linen, wool, plaster, clay, handmade tile and woven natural fibers.

These materials develop patina. They soften and change over time.

To me, that’s part of what makes a home timeless. It’s not about designing something that never ages. It’s about choosing things that age beautifully.

Our Homes Have Bigger Jobs Now

Our relationship with home has changed.

Our homes have become our offices, gyms, gathering places, creative spaces and, increasingly, the places where we intentionally restore ourselves.

They have bigger shoes to fill.

That means I’m less interested in rooms that exist simply because a floor plan says they should. Every square foot should have a purpose.

Maybe a formal dining room becomes the place where friends gather every Friday night. Maybe an overlooked corner becomes a quiet morning coffee spot. Maybe a home office is designed so that at the end of the workday, you can close the door and actually feel like you’ve come home.

Good interior design isn’t simply about making a house beautiful.

It’s about making a house work beautifully for the people who live there.

Whether we’re designing a whole-home renovation in St. Petersburg, collaborating with an architect on a Tampa Bay new construction project, or furnishing an existing home, that’s where we begin.

Astral House is a full-service interior design studio based in St. Petersburg, Florida, serving clients throughout Tampa Bay. Astral House is a selected member of the Architectural Digest AD PRO Directory.