We were lucky to catch up with Lizzie Pincoffs recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lizzie , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

Happiness is a choice, and I have learned to appreciate the freedom I have in life due to this path. I’m able to schedule work when it works for me. I can pick up my kids from school and rearrange things if they are sick. Owning a business gives me so much room and freedom. Freedom of expression in creativity because I don’t answer to a boss. The ability to pivot quickly when needed because I don’t have to send changes through a bunch of supervisors. Freedom to adjust the amount of clients I take on depending on outside pressure and other things happening in my life.

That being said, I daydream about scrapping the whole thing every month when I sit down to pay sales taxes, pay invoices – when I am doing basically anything relating to the numbers. I think to myself, gosh it would be nice to have an accounting person to file this all with. It would be nice to have insurance benefits and a steady paycheck I could depend on. It would be so nice to come home from work and leave work at work, with someone else worrying about the nuts and bolts of the business side of things. It would be nice to be a part of an office community with a regular schedule where I would be more consistent and more regimented and connected.

After all of that, I come to my senses and know – At the root of me, I am a creative person. I’m so thankful to be creative because I love diving in and figuring things out on my own. I love creating a business that works for me and my life as a mom. I love being able to pivot and adjust when needed. And, I love the freedom of not having to get dressed if I have time to draw and play with different color schemes and color theory. I love having a quiet uninterrupted space to explore without people interrupting me and knocking me out of my creative train of thought. I know how much I need to make to be able to afford this freedom and as long as I am able to support my lifestyle I am happy. To me, this freedom is priceless.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I grew up in Austin, Texas with a loving and creative family. My grandmother was an artist and I have the fondest memories of sitting with her in her studio. She would let me play with all of her art supplies and I got to see the life of an artist firsthand. I had a mental image of this from the very start. Her house was pure magic to me. She could have been a decorator for sure. I still dream of her sofa fabric and want to plaster it all over my house. She had excellent taste.

She is definitely the biggest influence in my work and my style. Traditionally rooted design, botanical prints, bold colors, detailed craftsmanship, and unexpected pairings. Artwork everywhere. Cool vases, sculptures, everything in her house was meaningful, unique, special. There wasn’t any excess. It was all a carefully curated collection that somehow worked. She had a bathroom painted the orange color of the inside of a cantaloupe. I still don’t love the color orange, but this orange worked. Looking around her house inspired me and made me think. It was smart, elegant and very inspired. I learned the importance of creating a meaningful space when I got to visit her.

I was more of an athlete honestly, but I think my parents knew this art bone in me was stronger and they encouraged me to go see a tiny liberal arts college in Ohio – Denison University. I was a real brat about it then, I remember saying “I am not going to school in Ohio, no way”. I begrudgingly hopped onto the flight to Ohio with my Dad. We arrived in Granville for our tour of Denison University. I got the chance to quickly eat my words, and have my mind opened to a totally unexpected path. Denison was this magical fairytale village on top of a hill. Fall colors and sweater weather. Kids from all over the world. A chance to be a part of a very small and intimate community. By the end of the trip I decided to apply early decision and got in.

I quickly settled on a Spanish major and Studio Art Minor. By the time I was a senior I was spending more time in the art buildings than anywhere else. I remember feeling like it was all a trick. How could practicing art – printmaking, painting, drawing, ceramics – how could this be considered school? I would give anything to go back and do it again. Being there exposed me to so many different creative paths I could take, and gave me courage to get my hands dirty and try new things. I was also exposed to people from all over – different style choices, regional tastes. And, being the more quiet observer that I am, it was an eye opening experience I wouldn’t trade for the world.

Fast forward ten years, I had my first child, I was living in Houston – staying home but needing to play with my hands. Needing to use the art muscle. I started doing these little sets of drawings for friends, and sold some of them in a cute shop in Houston. I learned how much I enjoy working too. I also got my first real heavy dose of interior design. Houston homes were all decorated and organized. One of my closest girlfriends was an incredibly talented Designer and I got that spark in me. The spark creatives get when they are going to do anything they can to learn this new craft. The spark where you are diving in and there is no stopping you. The inspiration so strong you have no choice but to follow it.

Thankfully she let me join her team. I was obsessed. I understood design. I learned to see the house as a canvas – the impact a space could have if it was organized and planned cohesively. The emotion and feeling good design could bring. The sense of comfort and inspiration different colors could evoke. I was willing to do anything and everything I needed to do to help her because I was so thankful to have found access to this exciting world. She gave me a lot of freedom, I worked for basically nothing, and it was the most valuable time I have ever spent. I was able to see the nuts and bolts of how the business is run. How to charge, how much fabric was needed for different things, how to work for all kinds of clients, how to pull a presentation together, the proper dimensions for space planning.

Life events happened and all of a sudden it looked like I was heading for divorce. I needed to make more money and my sweet friend said “go for it, you are ready” and I opened my own business. Looking back it was incredibly gutsy. But, being creative I was ready to figure it out. I have been really fortunate, and started with one client – two years later I had 8 different projects going and was pinching myself in disbelief. I am so thankful to the clients who have trusted me with their homes. Home is sacred. I take it seriously. I understand what works and what doesn’t work and really enjoy giving people a home they love.

I love walking into a room someone is frustrated with and finding a solution for them. I love being able to show them the transformation and the possibilities. I love knowing them and how they challenge me to think outside of the box. It is always interesting because every job is so different. I never try to push my style on them. I want to create what they want because it is their home. I want to show them what is possible with what they have. I love finding solutions, fixing things, bringing people joy.

Having a home you love is comforting. A home base that works. For your family.  Dogs, pets, everyone. I fix their problems specially and find solutions that work for their families. I give them a home. A place they can rest. A place that reflects who they are and brings them peace, joy, whatever they are looking for. I am proud to do this. I’m proud of the portfolio I have built.

And, I’m really excited right now because my dream has always been to incorporate more of my artwork into my days. I’m currently working on developing my first line of wallpapers – after years browsing showrooms for the perfect fabric or wallpaper I could not always find what I wanted. I secretly worked on this for years and couldn’t find the courage to vocalize it yet. I’m now at the place where I am ready to move forward and figure out how to get it done.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I have tons of these. When I get in a mood and want a change I always threaten I’m going to pivot and do something else. I’ve learned the world has a way of handling all of this. Five years ago, when my divorce was actually happening I was only doing artwork. Only developing the collection. I had decided I was done being a decorator. I had burned myself out and lost my spark for it. We had just moved back to Austin and my Dad was in the process of purchasing a building to historically renovate and turn into a small office space. The building was built in 1874, no foundation, my father as a client. I was like, nope – no way. This has trouble written all over it. He insisted I help. I begrudgingly agreed. I was a real brat about it. But, the divorce was happening and it wasn’t time to launch or invest in a textile line and doing this project brought me into the Austin community of design and new jobs naturally followed. I was so lucky. I have always been so lucky to have this creativity to fall back on. The universe has a way of unfolding the way it should. I have now been in business 10 years and learned so many lessons to avoid these burnouts. Mostly, I’ve learned to surrender to the plans the universe has for me, and be aware and balanced enough to hear and follow the nudges. I’ve learned to push my ego to the curb and just work. I am thankful to have the work. Thankful for the freedom of owning my own business and relieved to be able to pay the bills.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve had to unlearn the importance of social media content and release the pressure of always being cutting edge and photographed and ahead of the curve. I have let all that go. Being behind the scenes when we photograph a space well I can see what all goes into capturing these shots. It takes hours to properly photograph a living room. Props and people and steaming pillows and rearranging things to looks just right. These are worthy of being photographed and deserve the time it takes with a talented photographer. I have let go of creating daily content in cute outfits saying clever phrases and making my life appear any other than the way it really is. The reality is the outfits and design and beauty are only about 20% of the business. The things I spend 80% of my time on are running lighting to be repaired, paying bills, tracking orders, measuring, tweaking, editing, fixing things. It’s work. It’s not always glamorous and I’m typically in workout clothes unboxing deliveries, running all over town, looking at tile, on construction sites with clients. I’m over the way the world glamorizes the every day reality of what we do. I am so blessed to have clients I love, who trust me with their homes. I post when I have professional shots worthy of being shown. I choose quality over quantity and am somehow always okay. One client leads to another and then another. It is so wonderful this way. I’m not in any hurry. I have enough. Enough to be able to know what really matters.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lizziepincoffsinteriors.com
• Instagram: @lizziepincoffsinteriors

Image Credits

Michael Hunter and Paige Newton