With her enthusiasm for sourcing exquisite finishes and propensity to literally bring home inspiration from her travels, Erin Condron thrives on making design dreams become a reality. Working with the existing landscape of a home, the unique desires of the homeowners, and a mix of East Coast and West Coast vibes, Erin Condron Interiors delivers a thoughtfully designed home every time. Keep scrolling to check out some of the highlights of her extensive portfolio.

Before we get personal, let’s talk about this gorgeous green mudroom for a moment. Tell us a bit about how this design came together.

This client had grown up in Texas and had wanted to incorporate a brick floor for the mudroom. From there we had worked together with the architect to come up with a comfortable but elegant mudroom entry. I did not want the look of floor-to-ceiling lockers. The floor itself was so beautiful and I did not want to miss that. So, we decided on a floating bank of deeper drawers for shoes, leaving the floor clean. We added the upper cubbies for hats, scarves, mittens and other things. The green was a color that I had always wanted to use in this space and the richness of this green was just right with the unlacquered brass mesh grilles on the cabinet fronts.

How did you discover that interior design was your calling?

It was not a straight line to an interior design calling. I had graduated college and moved to San Francisco to work in the social services field. While there, I applied to programs to receive my Master in Social Work and subsequently moved to Manhattan to begin my studies. After completing the program, I lived and worked with at-risk youth in New York City for 6 years. But, as much as I loved the experience, I was ready for a change and moved back to Boston to be closer to family. This is when I had my first opportunity to immerse myself in the design world. I joined an interior design business in Boston. I had always had an interest in design, colors and textures, but this is when I finally realized this was my true passion. I had also had always entertained the thought of starting an own business, and an interior design one was one of the ones I had considered. All of this came finally full-circle for me and so, I decided to start Erin Condron Interiors on my own. From there, it just took the right experiences and enough support from family and friends for me to take the plunge. And even though, the road to get there was not straight, I am grateful for the opportunity.

You have had the opportunity to live on both coasts. How have these locales inspired your style?

The California relaxed vibe mixing wood tones with tobacco leather tones with soft whites is incorporated in many of my projects. There is such a sense of calm and serenity when combining these elements. The New England coastal blues are also a strong cornerstone of my projects. I joke that when you look at my website or feed, it is easy to see that I gravitate towards blues- and I promise I use more than blue when I design. I really love the outdoors and one of my missions when designing is to bring the outside in. So, I really spend time to look around the grounds of the home. And see what colors are on the trees, rocks, ocean, grass and allow nature to dictate the colors that I use in the home. This gives a sense of continuity and balance in my designs.

This kitchen looks like it could exist in nearly any era. How do you design a kitchen that will stand the test of time (and hindsight)?

A well-designed kitchen, to me, is one that functions for the people who use it. So in planning a kitchen, you have to be thoughtful about every detail. Down to where you will put the oven mitts and the bottle of olive oil. So when planning, you have to listen closely to its inhabitants and plan accordingly. And I know I may get push back on this, but a white kitchen, in my opinion, is timeless.

You’ve shared that international travel has allowed you to hone your personal aesthetic. Can you share more about that?

I love to explore different cultures and travel to different countries. I appreciate the food, the textures, the colors, the smells…it really is a sensory overload for me. I try to spend time when traveling to explore their local markets and search textiles spending a lot of time studying the colors and textures. For example, on a recent trip to Guatemala I stumbled upon a beautiful textile shop where they specialize in linens and woven trims. I purchased a woven bookmark at the time thinking that it would make a lovely tape trim on a drapery. I recently contacted them as I now have the perfect project to use it in. I can easily identify the inspiration in every room in one of my projects be it the beautiful Aegean Sea blue, the vibrant bright pinks of India, or the rich greens of Argentina.

With travel greatly reduced in the past year, what has been inspiring you lately?

Hands-down- being home. Being home has allowed me to stop and be more still and focus my energy on what is important: family, friends, community. It has also allowed me to be more aware of how I am designing spaces for other people. Creating a sense of calm in their home has never been more important.

What part of the design process makes you jump out of bed in the morning?

The sourcing stage. Once I have a clear vision for how I see the space transforming then it is all about sourcing- materials, textiles, furnishings, wall color, etc. I love to put schemes together and then put them aside and come back to them a few days later. Is there something I didn’t see or like more? It is a process, but I really enjoy it. This combined with clients who trust the process and the vision is the perfect combination for a well-executed project.

What do you feel is the biggest strength you bring to the table for your clients?

Management and Organization. While the beginning stage of sourcing and scheming is the most fun, management and organization are by far the most important skills that I bring to clients’ projects. Within every project, there are so many moving pieces and so much data. Taking pride in making sure that information is organized properly allows for the projects to run smoothly and efficiently. In addition to organizing the information, I also work really hard to coordinate with all of my vendors to manage installations with the other contractors on site. Making the process run as seamless as possible is always a top priority in every project.

Since starting your business in 2014 you’ve grown your client base from solely Boston to the entirety of the East Coast. Do you have any advice for designers who are eager to expand their business and reach new clients?

Don’t say “no” to a project because you do not have vendors in the area where the project is. Don’t say no because you feel too intimidated. Say yes and commit to the process of figuring it out. Do not think: “How could I make this work?” instead think “How will I make this work?” When I started my first project in Florida, I did not know one vendor down there. I actually flew down my team from Boston to help measure windows for draperies and I worked back from there. I spent some time in Florida on my own researching millworkers, workrooms and paying them visits and making connections. And by the time I had my third project down there, I had all of my local vendors secured. It takes time, but take the chance and go for it.

This charming powder room has many fun features. What did you enjoy most about putting this cozy space together?

I think that powders rooms have to have a WOW factor. I want people to open the door and have their mouths fall to the floor and think “WOW- this is a very neat space.” And powder rooms, in my opinion, are the perfect place to do this. They are often small and can carry that big punch. I wanted this room to feel like a warm embrace with the dark and moody walls and the two-toned honed marble floor tile. Next, I sourced the lights. Once I had a vision for the room with the wall color and the tile, I wanted the lighting to have a big impact, but I knew we had restrictions in the room because it is so narrow. I had long loved this Kelly Wearstler for Visual Comfort lights and knew I had to use them. I worked to get a customized finish length on these and then ordered straight away because of the long lead time. The sink area was the statement piece of the room. I worked closely with the fabricator to come up with the design and refine it until we got it just right. I look at this room now and I know we accomplished that wow factor.

In the past year, we’ve all become much more intimate with our homes and how they serve us. What does a well-lived home mean to you?

I have always had a really good understanding of how a home works, how the client lives in their home. The really happy memories that occur there and often the sad ones. How the sofa in the family room is generally the place where everyone curls up to watch a movie on a Friday. And how important the kitchen workhorse is- the island. Kids do their homework there, dinners are prepared, lunches are left there to pack in backpacks. It is an honor that people ask me to help them in their homes. It is my job to enhance your space by listening to the history, honoring it, and helping create a new space that is reflective of the family. In my opinion, a well-lived home is a well-loved home.