Midnight Botanica: From Concept to Schematic Design

Every great interior design project starts with a story. When we began working on Midnight Botanica, our first few design meetings with the client were dedicated to discovery: exploring inspiration images, talking through mood and style preferences, and identifying the colors, textures, and overall feeling they wanted their home to evoke.

This early phase is about more than selecting a “look.” It’s about understanding the people who will live in the space. We dig into their daily routines, habits, and wish lists. Do they host lively dinner parties or prefer intimate evenings in? Is their morning coffee ritual best enjoyed at a sunlit kitchen island, or curled up in a reading nook? These lifestyle details often go unnoticed until someone asks the right questions—and they’re what allow us to create interiors that feel as personal as they are beautiful.

In those first conversations for Midnight Botanica, our client shared that their current home was designed in a neutral palette, accented only with small pops of color. If you know me, you know I’m naturally drawn to bold, layered interiors full of depth and personality. Still, I believe in starting where my clients are most comfortable before introducing them to new possibilities.

That’s when the magic started. I presented inspiration that reflected their familiar style, but also layered in richer, moodier, more dramatic options: think inky blues, deep greens, luxe velvets, and statement floral wallpaper. They surprised themselves by loving it. In fact, they embraced the shift completely, excited to step outside their comfort zone and explore a style they’d never have chosen on their own.

Pro Designer Tip:

Creating a mood board is one of the most powerful ways to discover your design style and bring your vision into focus. Don’t limit yourself to just interior images; pull inspiration from everywhere. Scroll Pinterest, tear pages from magazines, snap photos of shop windows, save artwork, or even collect fashion editorials that speak to you. Pay attention to the colors, textures, and moods you keep coming back to; you’ll start to notice patterns. Once you have your images, group them on a physical board or a digital platform like Canva. This will give you a clear visual direction, making it easier to choose furniture, materials, and finishes that feel cohesive and true to your style.

Once we defined this new direction, it was time to develop the concept: a visual and narrative blueprint for the project. A strong design concept acts like the thread in a beautifully woven fabric; it keeps each space connected, every decision intentional, and the entire home telling one cohesive story.

For Midnight Botanica, that story unfolded as a layered mix of moody colors, velvety greens, mauve accents, and botanical prints, anchored by organic materials like wood, stone, and metal. The mood? Lush, dramatic, and a touch mysterious—like stepping into a secret garden at midnight.

With our concept firmly in place, we entered the schematic design phase, where ideas meet practical details. We took detailed measurements of the entire space, noting its proportions, architectural features, and natural flow. From there, we created floor plans that determined the right furniture sizes, traffic patterns, and how each room would connect seamlessly to the next.

This stage is essential for any professional interior design project. It enables us to make informed sourcing decisions, avoid costly mistakes, and ensure that every piece we select not only fits the room physically but also complements the vision perfectly.

Pro Designer Tip: Before you start shopping for furniture or paint colors, take time to think about how you truly live in your space. Do you need a work-from-home area? Extra storage for hobbies? Room for pets to roam? These lifestyle needs are the foundation of a design that’s both beautiful and functional.

Our journey with Midnight Botanica is just getting started. Next, we’ll dive into the design development phase, where the concept begins to come to life through detailed plans, material selections, and sourcing unique pieces that embody this moody, botanical vision. We’ll also be highlighting some of our favorite finds, from statement furniture to the perfect finishing touches. Stay tuned, there’s so much more to share from this project, and you won’t want to miss what’s next.