Home building is a project of passion. The passion that a homebuilder feels is always matched step for step by luxury home designer Courtney Banner. Passion has been Courtney’s forte through her extensive design education, design achievements, and through establishing her own firm, GOAT Interiors. This passion has led Courtney to follow her dreams and has aided her in finding success at an irregularly young age within the industry. Get to know Courtney Banner and her work in today’s Designer Friday.
Andrew Joseph: Describe your design style as if you were explaining it to someone who cannot see.
Courtney Banner: I’ve always been a designer of modern, organic spaces. ‘Modern’ can often be described as having exclusively clean lines and flat textures. Where it often does take shape minimalistically, I gravitate to the boldness of it, with forward thinking shapes, lines, and textures. Pair that with soft colors, and natural textures and you’ve described my style to a ‘T’.
AJ: What’s your design pet peeve?
CB: Designing a home for other people to respect you for, rather than to bring you comfort and joy. A lot of the time this is showcased by following trends by the book, or in other words, being afraid to branch out from what other people have proven to like. I thoroughly believe that a home should be a place of respite, rejuvenation, and peace for the owner first and foremost.
AJ: What are you most proud of?
CB: Locking down my husband! He holds value in my eyes above anything that I will ever accomplish professionally. Plus, he is the accomplishment that has no ending or completion date, and what could possibly be better than that? In all seriousness, being able to look at him every day and recognize that he sees value in me as well is the greatest compliment I could receive.
AJ: What’s your biggest fear in life?
CB: Living too much for what other people think of me. I think it’s a natural human tendency to care about what people think of us, but I want to work every day to break free of that trend. I’ve found that life is much better enjoyed when I am the one determining my worth and value. I never want to live a life without growth and progression, but I am also very proud of who I am and what I’ve accomplished at such a young age.
AJ: What’s inspiring you in life (in the industry) right now?
CB: I am loving the Tuscan movement that’s becoming ever more present in the design industry today. It has such a luxe, timeless, and comfortable feel to it that, if done right, pulls the eye in and keeps it there. Plus, I’ve always been an advocate for organic interior design, so the soft feel that it pulls has me all on board!
AJ: What are three things you can’t live without?
CB: HIGH Fitness, sleep, and my husband. Not everyone knows this, but I teach HIGH fitness classes on the side and have been doing so for about 4 years. It is my own personal rejuvenation and relief on both the craziest and happiest of days. Where sleep is concerned, I have never been one to live without an 8 hour night. If forced otherwise, I am no good to anybody! Last but not least, my husband is not only my better half, but he is my joy beyond anything else (and that’s saying something, because I don’t know what I’d be without Interior Design and HIGH Fitness!).
AJ: How do you define beauty?
CB: I don’t think there’s any one style that can be used to define beauty. Rather, I think it’s all in the eye of the beholder. Some people would classify graffiti as beauty, and some would call it trash. Who are we to tell somebody that what they classify as beauty, isn’t? To me, beauty is something that you never want to look away from because it makes you happy.
“As an interior designer, it is my goal to create homes that will influence my clients’ lives for the better. I believe that our surroundings play a crucial role in our mental strength, so I never consider my job done until I see the light in my client’s eyes that only comes through having a complete love of their surroundings. Through 9+ years of experience, I have gained critical industry, design detail, and computer skills; all of which provide me with the ability to do my work the right way.”
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