Sourcing is one of the most visible parts of interior design, but it is not simply shopping. The goal is not to collect pretty things. The goal is to find the right things—for the room, the client, the budget, the architecture, and the way the space needs to function every day.
That distinction matters. A piece can be beautiful and still be completely wrong for the project.
The Hunt Has a Purpose
Every sourcing trip begins with a set of requirements, even when I leave room to be surprised. I may be looking for a sofa with the right proportions, a fabric that can stand up to real life, lighting that gives a room presence without overwhelming it, or one unusual piece that keeps the entire space from feeling predictable.
Scale matters. Material matters. Construction matters. Comfort matters. Lead time matters. Price matters. Maintenance matters. And when several pieces need to live together, each decision has to support the larger composition instead of competing for attention.
You Have to Touch Some Things
There is a reason designers spend time in showrooms and material libraries. A photograph cannot tell you everything. Fabric has weight and texture. Wood has undertones. Metal finishes change in different light. A chair can look perfect online and feel terrible when you sit in it.
Seeing materials together also reveals relationships that are easy to miss on a screen. Does that warm brass fight with the stone? Does the upholstery flatten the rug? Does the finish feel rich in person or inexpensive? Those are small questions with a big effect on the finished room.
The Best Find Is Not Always the Obvious One
A showroom, antique market, fabric library, lighting gallery, local maker, or even an unexpected aisle can hold the piece that solves a design problem. I look, compare, touch, measure, photograph, make notes, walk away, circle back, and keep moving until the right option shows itself.
And sometimes the thing that earns a place in the room was not on the original list at all. Good sourcing requires a plan, but it also requires enough flexibility to recognize something special when you see it.
Good Rooms Are Collected With Intention
The strongest spaces rarely look as though everything arrived from the same catalog on the same afternoon. They have layers. New pieces can sit beside vintage ones. Custom work can live with a great retail find. Something polished can be balanced by something with age, texture, or a little imperfection.
That mix gives a room depth and personality. It also keeps the design from feeling copied. The point is not to fill every corner with something expensive; it is to choose pieces that belong together and feel like they belong to the people who live there.
What Makes the Cut
Not everything beautiful comes home. Some pieces are wrong for the scale. Some are not worth the price. Some will not survive the way the room is used. Some are lovely on their own but add nothing to the story we are already telling.
The real skill in sourcing is knowing the difference between I like it and it belongs here.
The Hunt is where I share the finds, the places, the materials, and the thinking behind what makes the cut.
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