Hello creative friends,
If you listened to Tuesday’s podcast, you already know how special my friendship with Amy Tabor is. We have known each other since kindergarten in Las Vegas, lived together as young adults in Los Angeles, and somehow managed to stay connected through all the different seasons of life.
One thing we’ve always shared is a love of creativity, design, and seeing possibilities where other people see ordinary objects.
Recently I had the pleasure of visiting Amy’s home, and I couldn’t wait to share some photographs with you.
Amy doesn’t just decorate a house. She curates a life.
Every room tells a story of collecting, preserving, repurposing, and celebrating beauty. Nothing feels accidental. Every object seems to have earned its place and meshes with it’s neighbors.
She has an incredible ability to look at something thrifted or forgotten and imagine what it could become. She is wildly talented and unexpected.
Be sure to listen to the companion podcast episode linked below for additional insights.
One of my favorite philosophies that Amy embodies is this:
Buy what you love. The purpose will reveal itself.
She collects textiles, fabrics, and interesting pieces even when she doesn’t know exactly how she’ll use them. Instead of decorating from a traditional checklist, she decorates from curiosity.
That curiosity eventually finds a home for every treasure.
Amy has what she calls her “fabric closet,” and I could have happily spent the entire afternoon inside it. Shelves filled with yardage, scraps, tablecloths, vintage panels, and remnants from years of treasure hunting. All waiting to find their purpose. That is truest form of buy what you love. If you stick to colors, patterns and themes that speak to you, they don’t have to “match” anything.
For you, it may not be fabric.
Maybe it’s pottery. Vintage platters. Old books. Quilts. Glassware. Seasonal décor.
The point isn’t what you collect. It’s giving yourself permission to create a space that reflects what you love. A place where your inspirations are visible instead of hidden away. Give them importance in your life.
Another thing I admire is how she constantly rotates her home.
A lamp moves to another room. A plant finds an unexpected container. Trim from one object gets added to another. There are seasonal collections.
Nothing is fixed forever.
It’s a reminder that creativity doesn’t always require buying something new. Sometimes it simply asks us to see what we already own with fresh eyes, in a new light.
Amy also makes everyday moments feel like occasions.
Breakfast with linen napkins. Music playing in the background. Beautiful dishes used on an ordinary weekday.
It’s not about perfection or extravagance. It’s about choosing to make daily life feel intentional and special…because it is. And that may be one of the most creative acts of all.
One last thought.
When you travel, consider bringing home something you’ll actually use.
A dress. A pillow. A piece of pottery. A basket. A fabric tote.
Every time you reach for it, you’ll revisit the place and the memory where you found it. Some of my favorite souvenirs are the simplest ones because they wrap you in the memories long after the trip is over.
If you haven’t listened to this week’s podcast yet, I share more about Amy, our lifelong friendship, her incredible front-yard dining table, and her philosophy on thrifting.
You can listen here:
CLICK HERE to listen to A Curated Life In The Best Possible Way on Building A Creative Life Podcast
Amy is the daughter of Las Vegas politician and Neurosurgeon Lonnie Hammargren, who took collecting to a stratospheric level.
While Amy’s aesthetic and taste for acquiring finds is different from her father’s, you can see that the love of unique accessories, interesting stories and an eye for following your own passions was acquired early on. Learn more about his eclectic and creative life in this past interview.
Sometimes the most inspiring homes aren’t the most expensive.
They’re the ones that have been collected slowly, thoughtfully, and with a great deal of heart.
I have said it before and I’ll say it again, find yourself a friend who shares a love of beauty and experimentation.
We were brought together before we even knew what a friend was.
But it’s never too late to find yourself your own “Amy.”
Until next time,
Pam
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