HABITAT: Designing Mind

Beautiful Business

Beautiful Business

It’s been four years since Amanda “Mandy” Swope left a 20-year career in corporate America to pursue her passion for interior design—and she hasn’t looked back. “I love bouncing ideas back and forth with clients,” says the Malvern resident. “The creative spark flows so much better when there’s collaboration.”

My personal decorating style is … One phrase you hear repeatedly in design is that form follows function. What that means is that your design has to work first and be beautiful second. My first question to the client is: “How do you envision this space?” The design then follows.

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My favorite room in my house is … I love my sunroom because I feel that it’s important to link the exterior landscape of a home with its interior. That room is the epitome of interior/exterior symbiosis.

The most prized possession in my home is … I recently inherited my grandmother’s antique Victorian breakfront desk. It is very special to me.

A designer who inspires me is … I recently had the opportunity to visit the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia. It was there that Dorothy Draper had her heyday. Her bold, vivid floral prints are represented throughout the old hotel. I admire her for her business acumen and confidence.

Design advice I love to give is … that “this is your house.” Everyone has their own comfort level and a particular style that makes him or her comfortable. It’s ridiculous to follow fads, as they’re the ideas of other people and will fade in popularity.

The biggest decorating faux pas I’ve seen is … One disastrous mistake in design is to ignore the whole picture. Rooms in a home flow into one another and should be designed as such. Materials should be selected so that they enhance time spent in one room.

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The three words that sum up my design are … beautiful, functional, individual.

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