Designing a Life with Intention: Meet Interior Designer Kimberly Horton from House of Savoy

Picture this: You're standing in a hospital room on your child's first birthday, watching them fight for their life because of an allergic reaction to birthday cake. Your boss is calling, demanding you choose between your job and being there for your daughter. What would you do?

For Kimberly, the founder of House of Savoy Studio, that moment changed everything. She quietly packed up her desk that day and walked away from the corporate world forever—but not before it sparked something bigger. That crisis became the catalyst for building a nine-year interior design business rooted in one simple truth: never again would someone else dictate when and where she could show up for what mattered most.

As someone who's been running my own business for six years, I'm always drawn to entrepreneurs who've built something meaningful from the ashes of what didn't work. Kimberly's story isn't just about pretty rooms and color palettes—it's about designing a life that refuses to compromise on what matters. And after talking with her, I realized she's mastered something most of us are still figuring out: the art of saying no to everything that doesn't serve her, even when it's scary.

Tell me about that pivotal moment that changed everything.

My daughter went into anaphylactic shock on her first birthday from her cake. I was in a job that made me choose between being in the hospital with her or being at work. That was the crucial moment of "I'm done."  I'm done with people telling me when and where I can be and with whom I can be. It felt like a non-negotiable, so I quietly packed up my stuff that day. That was the beginning of the end, and also the beginning of a completely different chapter.

My business came from renovating my own house, mixed with the love and experience I had doing that, along with this need to be present and available for my kids. These two things sort of met, and I said, "You know what? This is where we take this and turn this into an interior design business."

Nine years later, I'm able to say no to clients when I want to say no. I'm here to get my kids off the bus. If I'm having a sick day, I just copy and paste my calendar to a different day and it's okay. I built a business that aligns very intentionally with the lifestyle I want.

So what does "living intentionally" actually mean to you?

In the most respectful way, it means being selfish. It means not sacrificing myself, my needs, my preferences for anybody. It means prioritizing me above all of that.

What that looks like is shifting my day when I need to, and saying no to clients who are red flags. Sometimes I'm with clients for up to 18 months - that's a long journey, and if you're not with the right people, it takes a toll on your mental health and well-being.

Being intentional with who I do business with helps me create a space where I can stand behind the quality, enjoy the process, and walk away knowing I've done my best without making sacrifices along the way.

Why is this especially important for entrepreneurs?

As an entrepreneur, it's not nine to five—it's midnight to 12am, right? You're eating, breathing and sleeping your business. When I've had stressful years, it cascades everywhere, because the center of my business and my life is me. What I experience in my business translates into my personal life.

Being an interior designer is very much a creative space, and if you don't have the space to be that creative person, it's constantly hard to tap into that and give your best to the client. I don't want my clients getting a cookie-cutter copy and paste design. That means taking a step back and taking space to be sure I'm giving my creative best to each individual client.

You mentioned saying no to clients. How does that actually work?

This sounds weird, but every time I say no to a client, I take that as a huge success. It's as exciting to me as the clients who are a yes. When I say yes, we get to move forward and I get to dream their dream and participate in their journey. But when I say no, I've honored and respected myself, and historically, that has been very hard for me.

My system is set up to filter through people who are right for me and people who are not. To be in a place where I have the courage to say "this is not my person" - that's probably the most profound aspect of the entire situation.

I still struggle sometimes because you make decisions with different parts of your brain, right? Sometimes you're financially focused and think "I need more clients." Sometimes it doesn't align with what you truly want, and it means saying yes to people you'd normally say no to. Sometimes I say no, and then a week later I'm like, "could that have been a yes?" But you know what? I said no and no it is.

What's your biggest challenge right now in living intentionally?

Work-life balance, for sure. I'm so ingrained in my business that taking myself out of work has been difficult. I've been focused on cultivating a morning routine that's just for me - things to fill my cup before I touch my laptop.

I would love to tell you I'm doing that fantastically, but I'm a work in progress. This morning, I picked up my computer to get to emails, but then I pulled myself out and said, "okay, kids are on the bus. Now I'm gonna take at least 30 minutes for myself."

I'm very goal-oriented internally. I can be laying in bed at night and have brilliant business ideas because my brain doesn't have an off switch. Some of my best ideas come then, and I've learned that's okay. I respect that process - write it down, put it in a note, save it for later. But I have the boundary of "write the note and go deal with it in the morning." We don't have to jump up at midnight just because we've got a great idea.

What advice would you give to someone who feels overwhelmed, whether they're trying to design their home or their business?

I have a couple of bits of advice. The first one is: assess your strengths and what you're good at, because just because we're business owners doesn't mean we're meant to do anything and everything. It's the same thing being a mom, right? We're not expected to have all of the answers. Life sort of puts that pressure on us to be all things and know all things - you've got to be the therapist and the teacher and the doctor and then the mother and the housekeeper and all of these things. But if you really sit down and take a moment to just understand what you're capable of, I think that sets the foundation for my next bit of advice.

Delegate what is not meant for you - pass it off to somebody who it is meant for. One thing I've learned is that there are a lot of people who have superpowers beyond what mine are, and if I lean into them, they can do that job tenfold better than I ever could have imagined.

It's the same thing with your house, right? If you're not a DIYer, and you don't have the time and you are busy and doing the design is not your superpower, pass that off to somebody else who it is. I make an entire living off of people who say, "this is not for me." And then there are other people who are perfectly okay with that. They have the time, they have the creative ability, they're capable of doing it, but they may not be able to pick up a hammer and swing it like a contractor, right?

Understanding your limitations and then adjusting - I think that's the foundation of dealing with overwhelm in any aspect.

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How can we stay connected with you?

You can connect with me through my website or social media. I like to stay engaged with people because it’s part of what fills my cup. I am a resource and a supporter in the community.

📍Instagram: @houseofsavoystudio 📍Website: House of Savoy