Interior designer Wendy Labrum is based in Chicago, but her portfolio has a clear European edge. It should come as no surprise that her passion for beautiful spaces was cultivated during a two-year stint in London, which allowed her to travel throughout Europe and study art, architecture, and fashion. She says that along the way, this is where she realized that “interior spaces are often the place where all of that creativity lives.”
Upon her return to the states in 2007, she launched her eponymous firm specializing in high-style spaces for comfortable living. As a mother of four, she’s not just creating beautiful homes…but highlighting that you can live practically and beautifully all at once.
Today, we take #5MinutesWith Wendy to learn more, while taking a closer look at her feature from our Fall 2022 issue. See more here.
MY LIGHT-BULB MOMENT:
Probably when I was nine and persuasively convincing my mother to let me redecorate my bedroom. My parents knew I had a future in design or litigation!
I CAN’T START MY DAY UNTIL:
I’ve had a very large cup of coffee.
SUCCESS IS:
Balance. We all strive for it and often feel like we can’t achieve it. We want to succeed in all areas of our lives but that comes with constant guilt for not doing enough. I’ve started to embrace my limitations and the liberating peace that comes with that.
YOU’LL NEVER SEE ME WITHOUT:
A Diet Coke!
MY DREAM COLLABORATION:
One of my favorite French architects: Joseph Dirand, Pierre Yovanovitch, or Jacques Grange.
THE ONLY PLACE BETTER THAN CHICAGO:
The mountains. Chicago is a fantastic and very livable big city but I love to leave and go to my happy place in the mountains. I can breathe there, truly relax, and be a more zen version of myself.
WHEN I FEEL UNINSPIRED:
I get out of my routine. Take a trip to somewhere new, explore a new corner of your city, be in nature or just take a break to reset the mind.
ADVICE I WISH I HAD 5 YEARS AGO:
Slow down and enjoy the ride. We never feel like we’ve made it, so celebrate every personal and professional success and stop worrying about what’s next.
IN 5 YEARS, FIND ME:
Doing fewer projects and chasing my kids down mountains.
ABOVE ALL ELSE:
Enjoy the journey.
