Today we’d like to introduce you to Lydia Underwood.
Hi Lydia, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
From the beginning I have always been a creative, conscientious person; so it isn’t surprising that I became a Registered Interior Designer specializing in ethical sourcing. But of course, it wasn’t as straightforward as that! I think the simplest way for me tell my story is by way of my “dreams.” From an early age I dreamed of becoming an Interior Designer, being a mother, and having my own business.
My first obstacle to become an Interior Designer was affording college, so I practiced the harp like a job throughout grade school; and my persistence was rewarded with a full scholarship to the University of Louisville, where I earned degrees in Interior Architecture and Harp Performance. After graduating magna cum laude during the recession, my next obstacle was finding a design job. Specifically, I wanted to become an indispensable part of a design firm.
I moved to Nashville and took the first job I could while continuing to look for an opening into my chosen field. Finally, my opportunity came when a friend (Michelle Merrick, IIDA, WELL AP) introduced me to her friend (Lynley Hammes, IIDA), the owner of a boutique interior design studio in East Nashville (LYNE, LLC), who was looking to make her first hire. Over the years that position blossomed into a vibrant career, and I realized my dream of becoming an Interior Designer and an indispensable part of a design firm.
During my time at LYNE, I had the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects and collaborate with major firms like Meyer Davis, Gresham Smith, and ESa. While I loved the design team, amazing opportunities, and beautiful work we did together, another dream kept growing in my heart; and I finally left in order to launch Aisthesis Studio in 2023 (more on that later).
And now, I am surprised to say that my childhood dream has almost become a reality! I am an Interior Designer, I have my own business, and after years of infertility my husband and I are expecting our first baby this September. I am still in the middle of the story, but retelling this helps me appreciate the power of a dream and the effect daily persistence has on making it reality.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It is true that the biggest obstacle we face is what we believe inside about ourselves, our capabilities, and our future. Other than that, the most difficult challenge I face is learning how to communicate what “Interior Design” is (there is confusion between designers and decorators) and then what “Ethical Interiors” or “Ethical Sourcing” is because most people have never heard or thought about it before.
In our impressively industrialized society, we have become increasingly removed from the people who make the products we use. As a society, we don’t find ourselves thinking about the 28 million children, women, and men trapped in forced-labor worldwide. And most of us don’t realize that goods at risk for supporting modern slavery are found in the major industries of food, clothing, and shelter (buildings). And if people do know about it, they may not be aware of alternative options.
Therefore, one of my current projects is learning and practicing how to raise awareness, present solutions, and inspire people in order to transform the building industry. I have a lot of ideas, plans, and dreams for the way I want Aisthesis Studio to grow in the future. And I am committed to continuing to work towards that future one day, one step at a time.
As you know, we’re big fans of Aisthesis Studio. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I founded Aisthesis Studio to provide an ethical alternative to conventional interiors where beauty extends beyond the surface to the source. “Aisthesis” (pronounced like eyes-they-sees) is a Greek word which means perception from the senses (feelings, seeing, hearing, etc.) as well as the intellect. The combination of which results in moral discernment on ethical matters.
Aisthesis Studio is a full-service Interior Design firm providing design intent, construction drawings, specifications, construction administration, and purchasing assistance for both commercial and residential projects. As we craft each bespoke environment, we consider the earth’s resources – both its people and resources – because while we believe that life is meant to be beautiful, we also believe that everyone should have the opportunity to earn a living wage, and we have a responsibility to preserve our planet for future generations.
We begin all of our projects by nurturing a positive, personal, and professional relationship with our clients. Then we develop a custom, innovative design for each project based on the client’s goals and feedback. Our designs consist of a unique blend of (10-60%) existing, salvaged, or repurposed architectural elements and refurbished furniture combined with (40-90%) new finishes, fixtures, and furnishings with priority given to sources with labor certifications and local artisans. The design process can be intimidating and convoluted, but we are here to guide the process, hold your hand through it, and oversee all of the details in order to bring the vision to life.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Beauty! Beauty matters the most to me. My whole life I have been a hunter and collector of Beauty in all of its forms, but an experience in my mid-twenties expanded my perception of it to also include the process behind how it came to exist in the first place. It may sound obvious to you, but to me it was profound to realize that something beautiful becomes ugly if the process to make it deprived another human being of their basic human rights.
In the summer of 2015, I was reading through the minor prophets of the Bible and came to the book of Amos; and I was dumbstruck by what I read – things like: “They perverted justice by selling honest people for silver and poor people for a pair of sandals,” “Their fortresses are filled with wealth taken by theft and violence,” and “I hate their beautiful homes.” As an Interior Designer and lover of beautiful things, I was cut to the core by the principle that something beautiful becomes repulsive if it was made in a way that harmed others. Similar to how one can be “right” in the wrong way, I realized that “beauty” was not only about the end result, but also included the means to get there.
I knew that human exploitation existed behind the products that I used, but sadly I never gave it much thought. That summer I decided to take my next right step and never looked back. A long-term dream started to form about founding a firm to provide an ethical alternative for interiors, but that summer I started with myself. I began by challenging myself to buy clothing from only Fair Trade Certified or secondhand sources. Later when my husband and I bought our first house, I expanded that practice into the purchases for our home. And finally in 2023 my long-term dream became a reality when I launched Aisthesis Studio to provide an ethical alternative to conventional interiors where the beauty extends beyond the surface to the source.
Pricing:
- 15min Discovery Calls are free!
- Our design services are completely customizable to fit your project needs and budget.
- My hourly consulting rate as a Registered Interior Designer (TN No. 1323) is $175/hr.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aisthesisstudio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aisthesis_studio_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aisthesisstudio
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydiaunderwood/
