into the wild

I don’t get to travel home very often but when I do, I am reminded why I love Alaska. Every time I turn around I find a photo-worthy scene. I am not sure I have always been so aware of the beauty of the north, but I appreciate it more and more. I anticipate being transported and feeling at home away from my normally more-urbanized life.

This summer, I am even more awe struck with the native elements: the glaciers’ turquoise, the deep green of mountain lakes and subtle flower pinks. I love to be able to incorporate native elements, turquoise, red, brown, even a totem-pole motif in designs.

Right now I have time to enjoy all the outdoor splendor. Especially when I camp, I celebrate nature. It reinforces what I believe when I design inside—namely that it can be enhanced with outdoor living spaces. I love creating a seamless transition between the indoors and outdoors, capturing what is inspiring and stunning where you live and helping make it a focal point.

I have spent hours on decks, feeling the solitude, being at peace and reveling in Alaska. My home state’s organic shapes, rustic textures and vibrant colors—not to mention the astounding wildlife—are part of me when I design. A home doesn’t have to be a mansion—I adore cozy, modest, special cabins with interiors that exude charm. Some days, I don’t even need the interior—I love to warm up beside a camp fire. I am captivated by the colors dancing underneath a dusk-blue summer Alaskan sky.

I hope I've inspired you to take a moment to see what is outside your door, whether it be as huge and imposing as a skyscraper or mountain or as discreet as a patch of clover or butterfly, and to take that natural beauty and create something because of it.

This month’s inspiration is brought to you by Tessa Hyatt, a native Alaskan who’s loved art and technology from a young age. Incorporating nature into her design, she’s strives to create something unexpected and unique.