Meet Amy Leferink, our fearless leader of Interior Impressions. She started with small projects for friends, family, and acquaintances 25 years ago. Now, she is the owner and principal designer of Interior Impressions, which has been officially up and running for over 8 years!
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START IN INTERIOR DESIGN?
I truly think I was born to work in interior design! I’ve loved decorating and home design since I was a child. I’d re-arrange the furniture in my bedroom when I was just a little girl. By high school, I was taking drafting classes and designing homes. I thought I’d be an architect but ended up taking a different path because I thought it was more practical. I went to the University of St. Thomas and double majored in finance and marketing. I got a minor concentration in French. For a while, I thought I’d be an international business woman and become CEO of a company someday, ha ha! I kept my toes dipped in design though, and took classes for interior design. I helped many friends, family and referrals with their decorating projects while working in the business world. After working in the banking and pharmaceutical sales industries for several years, I finally decided to pursue my true passion and go “ALL IN” on starting a design business. It was the best decision I’ve ever made. I’m so happy that I had experiences in finance and sales because it has been extremely helpful in running my own company. So, I guess I was able to follow my true passion and also become a CEO of a company after all!
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF INTERIOR DESIGN?
I absolutely cherish my clients and being able to do something creative every day. I love that I have so much variety in my job and I have been able to work with and become friends with so many wonderful people. In our office, we are constantly saying how fortunate we are to have such fantastic clients! It is really a joy to spend each day helping our clients make their homes more beautiful, functional and comfortable. It makes us happy to make others happy. I will spend hours and hours thoughtfully putting together the best design plan, materials and furnishings, and truly think about every detail to make sure everything is perfect. It is the best feeling when it all comes together and our clients are thrilled! That feeling will endlessly fuel my passion for what I do! I can’t imagine my life without designing. I feel truly blessed that I am able to make a living doing what I love to do.
WHAT HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE FOR YOU?
Owning and running a business is a lot of work. I sometimes have a hard time finding balance and taking time for myself and self care. I love what I do so much that it is really hard for me to turn it off! I don’t feel like I am working because it is what I am drawn to do, even in my “free time”. Even if I’m not working, I’m still probably thinking and dreaming about my current client projects, scoping Instagram and other websites for ideas and keeping up on the latest in the design world.
WHERE DO YOU GET INSPIRATION FROM?
Everywhere! I love traveling and I look for inspiration wherever I go. I am the weirdo sneaking around restaurants and hotels taking pictures of all the cool design details I find! I attend the design market in High Point, NC at least once a year to see all the new products and trends as well.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL DESIGN AESTHETIC?
I love so many different styles. It’s hard for me to commit to just one. I would love to own four houses and decorate them all differently. I’d have a beach house on the ocean, a mountain lodge, a New York city modern loft condo, and my current home which has what I call a Fresh-Traditional look. I tend to start with classic and timeless finishes but then mix in the more personal and trendy touches to make each project unique and personalized to each client. I enjoy touches of modern, California boho, a little mid-century modern, and I love adding a few vintage or antique pieces, too. I don’t like cluttered rooms or too formal of a look. I would say that our signature look does have one consistent trait – fresh, bright, light, welcoming, and comfortable.
ARE THERE ANY HARD AND FAST RULES IN INTERIOR DESIGN?
Nope! I don’t believe in rules in interior design. I think that you should do what feels right to you and the end result should be something you absolutely love. Every client is different, every home is different. Design should tell their personal story. Bottom line…follow your heart!
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR DOWNTIME?
Can work be considered downtime too? (LOL!) I love spending weekends on our boat on the St. Croix river. It’s only a 10 minute drive from home, but it feels like a vacation every time. I love water – being on it, in it, or just looking at it! I love to travel and explore new places. I enjoy reading and in the cold winter months I am (admittedly) an avid tv watcher. I used to play tennis and I keep intending to start playing again but haven’t made that happen yet. I love to entertain and cook, also. My heart is especially full when my husband and I have all of our kids and family together.
WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO TRAVEL?
Tough question! I am always thrilled with a beach vacation. I have a saying in my house that says “Take me anywhere that doesn’t require shoes”. Who doesn’t love to have the sun shining on their face, toes in the sand and a drink in their hand, right? My favorite beach destinations are St. John, Maui, Costa Rica, and Cabo San Lucas.
I also love to travel to see interesting cities and architecture. I am head over heels in love with Italy and France. I have also really enjoyed my trips to Prague, New York, and several areas of California. It’s fun to see different parts of the world and I like explore new places rather than go to the same place all the time. My dream vacation that I hope to take someday is to see the southern coast of Italy and the Greek Islands by boat.
WHAT ARE SOME GOALS YOU HAVE FOR INTERIOR IMPRESSIONS?
I am so thankful to have such an incredible team of women to work with. They inspire me every day. I look around and sometimes I can’t believe that my little dream of doing interior design has led to the company that we have now! I never imagined it would be as big as it is today, but I’d love to keep growing. We hope to continue to add designers to our team and would love to add more new construction projects to our portfolio. We’ve also discovered that we really love doing boutique commercial projects and we’d really like to do more of those. I think we’d all feel like we won the lottery if we got to design a boutique hotel and restaurant! Maybe someday….
One of the exciting NEW things that we are working on right now is to start a non-profit organization. Giving back is so important to all of us at Interior Impressions and I have been involved with charities for several years. I have a special affection for the Angel Foundation and Ireland’s Hope. Both are local charities in the Twin Cities. I want to take our giving and volunteerism to the next level and we are starting an organization that helps families that are affected by cancer or heart failure by giving them a room makeover. We will be working with other tradespeople and getting donations to give a child a new bedroom or a family a new living room. We will focus on making it as healthy, toxin-free and anti-bacterial as possible, but also beautiful and comfortable. We are really excited to be able to combine our love of design with making an impact on families that are going through difficult times. Stay tuned as we work to get this up and running!
Thanks for reading. Have a fantastic, sunny weekend!
XO,
Amy Leferink & Interior Impressions Team
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