As we come down from the holiday high and prepare for a fresh new year, it felt like the perfect time for another inspiring interview with a boss babe who inspires us on the daily! Not only is Carly Waters SO insanely good at crafting spaces that combine form and function, but she is also proof that you can break away from a career path that doesn’t fulfill you to pursue your dreams. From how she starts her morning to which boss babe she’d go to lunch with (mine is the same!), get to know Carly Waters Style and the creative mind behind her successful business.

What do you love about being an interior designer and how did you get your start?

I love that I get to create tangible spaces that people enjoy for years. I started 4.5 years ago after leaving my job as an attorney. I started out as an organizer and realized that I could merge the two concepts (design and organization) into an interior design company.

How would you describe your design style?

Warm minimalism

What is your favorite part of the design process? The most challenging?

My favorite part is walking into a neglected space for the first time, and reimagining the space. Often people feel confined by the existing layout and walls – and I love to open their eyes to new possibilities including reworking the floor plan. The most challenging aspect of the design process is once construction begins – making sure the contractor executes your designs correctly.

Walk us through a typical day in the life of Carly Waters Style…

Every day is different- and that’s what makes this industry so fun. Sometimes we (I have a design assistant and project manager) are running around to different job sites to check on progress… and then other days we are sitting in front of the computer executing CAD drawings.

What is one thing you do to start your morning off on a productive foot?

My husband and I walk our kindergartener to school every morning – which is about 45 minutes roundtrip. This means that by 8:30am I’ve already gotten in some exercise (and family time).

What is your number one tip for crafting a beautiful home?

The best tip I have is to make sure that you align your design with the original architecture of the house.

What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned as a business owner?

10% is design and 90% is running a business.

Best advice you’ve ever received:

Follow your gut.

What is your proudest accomplishment to date?

Renovating my current home. We took a dilapidated house and created a work of art.

If you could go to lunch with any boss babe in the world, who would it be and why?

Jessica Alba. She figured out how to leverage her acting success and create a business empire (Honest Company).

If you had to use only ONE paint color throughout a home, what would it be?

Dunn Edwards, White Picket Fence

Instagram account you’re currently crushing on:

@discinteriors

Current favorite book and/or podcast:

Business of Design

3 apps you can’t live without:

TripDoc, Scannable, PicTapGo

Favorite beats usually playing in the studio:

Currently, we are blasting Christmas music on our Sonos!