Making Room for Peace With Interior Design
Anna Beth Eskridge’s Interior Design Practice, Making Room for Peace, creates spaces for clients built around their values, and a whole lot of beauty.
Meet Anna Beth
Hey there! I’m Anna Beth Eskridge, the interior designer and professional organizer behind Making Room for Peace. It is our heart and goal to create spaces that are warm, livable, and reflect our clients and their core values. My love for design and organization has been ingrained inside of me for as long as I can remember. With a background in art and a degree in interior design, it has always been my heart to bring peace and order into spaces. I currently reside in Williamsburg, Virginia with my husband of 6+ years. Originally from Northern Virginia, we moved here several years ago when my husband started his Ph.D. program at The College of William and Mary.
Making Room for Peace Vision
Can you describe your business? Born out of a challenging season, Making Room for Peace was created with the hope and intention of bringing peace into people’s lives. We are passionate about coming alongside our clients, no matter what season they are in, helping them to shed what is no longer serving them. Our calming presence and trained eye allow us to create spaces that are both beautiful and functional, and that also reflect our client’s style.
Making Room for Peace is a design studio that serves clients all over the state of Virginia (and beyond!), offering services in both interior design and professional organizing. Within those categories, we provide a range of services i.e. consultations, virtual design, and full-service work.
Lessons From the Journey
Has anything surprised you about your journey? Something that I learned fairly quickly is that when it comes to a business you really can’t sit around and wait for people to come to you. You have to be a go-getter! As a natural introvert, this initially posed as a bit of a challenge as I’ve had to continually push myself outside of my comfort zone when it comes to networking, marketing, and sales. This push has been such a blessing though, as it’s led to an increase in confidence, connections, and opportunities.
De-Cluttering Makes a Difference
Can you tell us about a client who left a significant impact on you? A couple of years ago I was working with a sweet woman on the decluttering of her home. We were sitting on the floor of her dining room one day when she began to share how she had never learned how to be organized because her mother had never been very organized. So she never taught her how to be, either.
Though she had tried her best over the years, this had been an area of her life that she had always struggled with. She found that it had affected her relationships, finances, and overall well-being. At that moment I felt such grace and compassion, not only for her but also just for people in general. We are all trying our best. And we all need to have gracewith ourselves and grace with others.
What is your favorite decluttering tip? If you want to declutter, first get a handle on how much you have. Whether it’s food, clothing, household supplies, I often see clients wasting a large amount of energy, time, and money on things that they don’t need or have space for. When you have an idea of what’s in your pantry or closet, you’re much more likely to refrain from putting it in your cart.
The Struggle Is Real
What interior design “rule” do you see people breaking most? I would say scale is the main area that I see people struggling with. Whether it’s the size of their furniture (often its too large), an area rug (often too small), or the placement of their wall art, often times the scale is a bit “off.” Weight is another area that I feel we often come in and help with. When we refer to weight, we are talking about scale but also color. You want a balance and flow throughout a room… having the correct scale and weight help to achieve this!
Interior Style Insider
Describe your particular style: I would say that my interior style is a mixture of California casual combined with a little bit of my coastal, Southern roots.
What is your favorite interior design tip? Before you begin decluttering your home or placing items in your cart, stop and figure out how you want your home to feel. If you were to close your eyes right now and visually walk through your space… what would you see? Which colors come to mind? What is the lighting like? The mood? Are there people there with you or is it quiet? Close your eyes and consider these things.
After you have done this exercise, write down what you felt, what you saw. Pull images that relate to those visuals – and let this be your guidepost for the overall design of your home.
Making Room for Peace at Work
What do you love about your job? I honestly love the freedom and flexibility of my job. There are days where I’m super focused in the office, meeting with clients, making phone calls, etc. Other days, I have the freedom to escape to the river for the afternoon. This is such a gift and something that I am so grateful for
What does a good day look like? A good day for me looks like waking up to watch the sunrise as I sip my coffee; spending some time in the Word and setting my intention for the day. I like to get into the office early to take care of emails and other administration needs before I work on the design of a project. After lunch, I might go on a long nature walk along the river. Then I’ll head to the gym, and back home to share an early dinner with my husband.
Where do you hope to see Making Room for Peace in 5 years? Our main goal for the next five years is to continue to work with amazing men and women on the design of their businesses and homes. It is our heart and goal to create spaces that are warm, livable and that really reflects our client’s and their core values.
Making Room for Peace in Your Own Life
Anna’s Last Word: Considering that this past year, a lot more of us are working from home, I would encourage everyone to take advantage of this time. Take a look around your space and consider how you want it to feel. After you’ve come up with a list of meaningful words and the beginnings of a vision, meditate on it. Begin piecing together a vision board, and then take the steps to see that vision to life.
Get great design ideas and connect with Anna on FB and Pinterest @roomforpeace and Instagram @_makingroomforpeace_. Check out FamilyApp’s Home and Style section for more great design content!
