At this point, I’d say I have a very specific Valentine’s Day philosophy. I love a romantic moment, but I’m not here for gifts that feel like a one-day event. If it can’t be worn, used, styled, or loved again come March... I’m probably skipping it.
So I pulled together a Valentine’s gift list that feels thoughtful, cozy, and actually livable. Things I’d happily give, receive, and keep reaching for long after February 14th.
Comment ‘LOVE’ and I’ll send you the full list🤍
The full blog post is live if you want the deeper reasoning behind each pick (I always go a little more detailed over there 😉).
And if you want the easiest way to shop it all, our LTK has every link (even the ones that don’t always make it to Instagram)!💌
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what that really means as a designer.
Design is always meant to be collaborative — your home, your life, your vision. But somewhere along the way, collaboration can start to blur into control. When every idea is questioned, redirected, or overridden, the process stops working the way it’s meant to.
You don’t hire a designer because you don’t have taste. You hire a designer because you see something in their work. Their eye, their intuition, their ability to pull the whole picture together and get it right the first time. Honestly, you hire me because you like my interpretation of good design - the lens each designer looks through is different.
You’re not paying me to follow instructions or copy. You’re paying me to think, to edit, to push when needed, and to guide you through decisions you don’t want to second-guess a year from now. Some of my best work has stemmed from this premise.
This quote feels like a reminder (to myself and to future clients) that our purpose as designers is not to be watered down. You hired me because you trust my process, my experience, and my perspective. When that trust is there, the result is always stronger, more thoughtful, and something you’ll love for years instead of regretting. Remember good things always come when you accept that pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is when the magic happens. Recently, one of my clients said- “This is so me, but way better than I ever could have imagined.” This made my heart sing.
If you’re someone who wants to feel supported, heard, and guided (not overwhelmed) that’s exactly where the magic happens❤️
When we created our Design Guides, it wasn’t about offering a “budget workaround” or a one-size-fits-all look. We built them using the same exact process we use for our clients and our own homes.
Because the goal has never been to make your home look like ours. Or anyone else’s.
Your lifestyle is unique. Your space is unique. And your home should feel that way too.
What we are noticing lately is this:
Most people know the vibe they’re drawn to... but get stuck when it comes to decision-making.
What to actually buy. How big it should be. How to mix styles without it feeling chaotic. How to commit and not second-guess every choice.
So we’re toying with the idea of taking the guides a step further. Diving deeper into how to implement the styles, how to mix and match them, and sharing more of the behind-the-scenes designer thinking that usually stays in client work.
Would that be helpful? Would you want more guidance beyond just the shop links?
If you’re curious about our Design Guides (or want us to explain them further), comment ‘GUIDE’ and I’ll send you the link.
If you’re new here, this feels like a good place to properly say hi!
I’m Allison, the principal designer behind Clouz Houz! And Derrick (my husband) is love of my life/business partner, project manager, general contractor, problem-solver, and the one reminding me (daily) that everything takes longer than I want it to.
We started Clouz Houz just over two years ago in the PNW, building a business we’re incredibly proud of. We specialize in new builds, home remodels, and furnishings — spaces meant to be lived in, loved hard, and layered slowly.
And now... we’re doing it all again in a completely new part of the country.
Owning a business is hard.
Moving across the country is hard.
Living inside your own renovation while juggling real life + client work? Also hard.
Some days I feel excited and inspired by the vision. Other days I feel bummed by the dust, the debris, and the half-finished rooms. We’re living through the mess (literally) and it’s not always cute or Instagram-ready.
Can anyone else relate to loving the idea of a remodel... but struggling through the middle of it?
This chapter has been stretching, humbling, and exhausting... but also full of growth! We’re excited for this new season, for experiencing life in a new way, and for slowly turning this house into a home (emphasis on slowly)!
If you’ve been here for a while, thank you for sticking with us If you’re new, welcome - we’re really glad you’re here🤍
A little life + work lately, in no particular order🗒️
1. A lot of coffee as of late! This is my new version of going to HH.
2. Sun Valley Saddle House movie + game room update: that green painted trim is doing so much for this space. The pool table is going here and it’s about to be such a cozy, rustic cabin moment.
3. The floral sofa is honestly everything in this den in our virtual project in Pennsylvania. It’s giving old-world, collected, and perfectly not-too-serious
4. Taken at the Leiper’s Fork Distillery! When you live in Tennessee you kind of just become a whiskey person... it’s a rule apparently.
5. Same weekend, same distillery but make it family time. One of those slow, happy in-between moments I love.
6. The Westman Hotel just opened in downtown Bend! Obsessed with how this new hotel honors the old post office building. So thoughtful and so cool. Have you been?
7. Work OOTD: casual and layered
8. Site visit lunches aren’t glamorous. Just me + design plans + whatever | can eat between meetings and emails.
9. Still not over this @bedrosianstile install in the guest bath at our home. The marble curb in the shower makes it feel so elevated and fresh.
10. @hankscoffeestation is my current morning saving grace. Truly keeping me functioning
A little bit of design, a little bit of real life, and a lot of things I’m grateful to be working on right now.🤍
Designing your own home while running a business is a very specific kind of chaos. Timelines stretch, things get put on the back burner, and progress happens in tiny waves. There’s no rule book for this (as a personal project) and I’m constantly reminding myself that nothing is wrong just because it’s slow.
These videos are my way of zooming out. Because the truth is... we’ve come so far. Even when it doesn’t feel finished yet, even when rooms are still a few months away from being fully usable, there’s so much happening under the surface. This is creativity doing its work. And I’m trying to leave stress behind and actually enjoy watching it unfold.
Designing for our homes is one of my favorite things to do, but also the hardest. When it’s your space, you have a million ideas, a million things you want to try, and no one else to blame if you change your mind. But that freedom is the magic. I love client work, truly, but there’s something so special about not having to defend every decision or worry about someone second-guessing the vision.
This is how design is supposed to feel: trusting a direction, letting it evolve, not taking it so seriously that you squeeze the life out of it. When you collaborate instead of control, when you give the process room to breathe, that’s when the real Clouz Houz look shows up.
