Make Life Beautiful with Laura Hodges

Laura Hodges creates spaces that encourage living beautifully.

After discovering her love for design early in her career, Laura went back to school and dove into the world of interiors, developing her signature tailored and eclectic aesthetic along the way. Known for creating spaces as beautiful as they are functional, Laura brings a fresh perspective to each design, focusing on incorporating sustainable and natural elements into her work. 

We’ve been long inspired by Laura’s design studio, and we couldn’t wait to learn more about how she got to where she is today. Read on for our Q&A below, and make sure to check out our Instagram highlight for more 

What was your very first job — ever?  

My first job was as a prep cook at a local restaurant when I was 15! I loved cooking, music, and art as a child, so this job was a lot of fun for me.   

A beautiful project via Laura’s portfolio

Tell us about your journey into the creative industry; when did you realize that you could turn your passion into a career?  

I was a little late to design; I explored a career in culinary arts first, then music, and luckily found my way into design when working at a marketing company. I’d always had a love for art, design, and architecture, but I didn’t really know the interior design industry that well. Once I looked into design schools, I fell in love and never looked back. I went back to college, earned my degree from the New York School of Interior Design, and interned with Jamie Drake, which was a wonderful opportunity to see it all come to life.   

If you could go back in time and give your young creator self one piece of advice, what would it be?  

I’m not sure that my path would have gone any differently with my future-self advice! I think I needed to find my way to this life, it developed in a very organic way, but I would have at least told myself to consider design while still in high school.  

Via Laura’s portfolio

Where do you find the most inspiration for your work?    

I find a lot of inspiration from traveling and experiencing different cultures and ways of living. I love to research historical design styles, but I also learn a lot about new materials and design ideas from our clients’ travels, Instagram and design magazines.   

What does your creative process look like?   

I start the design process with space planning first. Understanding how the space will be used, maximizing natural light, and ensuring we’re addressing the client’s needs for function are the most important first steps. From there, we consider materials and the overall aesthetic, creating a feeling and mood for the project. Once we know where we’re going, it’s much easier to find the right furnishings to fit the space.   

One of our favorite moments via Laura’s portfolio

What was the most significant business or creative challenge that you have encountered and grown from?    

Transitioning from working on my own to working with my husband, Tim, and a small design team was a huge step, but it’s been the most rewarding, and it has definitely resulted in the most growth.   

What has been your biggest achievement? When was the last time you thought “wow, I can’t believe I just accomplished that!”   

We were lucky enough to have a project grace the cover of House Beautiful this past year for a home office/gym flex space we created for the Whole Home Show House in Texas. We poured a lot of love and creativity into that project, so to have it be so well received was a tremendous honor and a wonderful achievement.   

Laura’s home office design featured on a recent cover of House Beautiful. Photo by Stephen Karlisch

Which upcoming project or endeavor are you most excited for?  

We’re working on an amazing property on the Eastern Shore with multiple small homes and communal buildings like a gym, entertainment space, and art studio. We were able to reuse materials from the property and incorporate many other sustainable design ideas, showing that good design can also be sustainable.   

Photo via @laurahodgesstudio and photographed by @jenniferhughesphoto

Be sure to keep up with Laura Hodges Studio on Instagram, and check out her website here!