Livable Sophistication

BY CHRISTY NIELSON

or nearly 25 years, Houston-based interior designer Linda Eyles has been creating sophisticated, beautiful and timeless spaces for affluent clientele. Guided by the core belief that each home should be a unique reflection of her clients’ tastes and sensibilities, Eyles tailors her designs— ranging from classic to contemporary— to each project.

“Overall, I would say our look is minimal. It’s graceful. It is respectful of the emotion a client wants to bring to the home. But we’re also doing it in a very elegant way,” Eyles describes. “We like for every project to be different. I don’t want anyone to walk into a space and say, this is a Linda Eyles Design space. My goal is to have them walk in and say this is beautiful. This makes me feel a certain way. That’s the goal.”

The five-person firm that bears Eyles’s name has a collaborative approach to its process. “Our whole schtick is to really work with the client,” she explains. “I’m very much inspired by my clients and what they bring to the table, but I also realize that our clients come to us for something that we bring to the process.”

Over the years the firm’s collaboration with clients has gotten better and better. “You definitely want to push people to grow their ideas about what they thought they wanted. It’s about that client relationship and also the openness of the client to new ideas and to trying things. That’s what’s most exciting.”

Having developed a reputation for marrying the elegant with the practical to create opulent spaces that are highly livable, Eyles has doubled down on her business in the last 12 years, taking it to the next level. “It’s been this really amazing journey for me as I’m taking the reins of my life in a whole new way. I’m meeting interesting people and doing much more creative work that feels so inspiring. I’ve learned so much about myself, and it’s just been super exciting!”

Reimagining her profession at this stage has been a pleasant surprise that has helped boost Eyles’s

Linda Eyles is an avid traveler and draws inspiration from the places she visits, infusing a global sensibility into her work. “Every time you travel, you see something new and you experience something new. You feel a textile, you see a color, and it’s maybe a combination you’ve never seen before. It’s wonderful to bring that inspiration back to our clients.”

IMAGES COURTESY OF LINDA EYLES / LINDAEYLESDESIGN.COM confidence as a woman and a designer. “I think there was kind of an epiphany that my work is not about looking at pretty things, it’s really about creating an atmosphere. It’s pretty powerful working with clients to create that atmosphere—to really get something right for them. It’s not just a job; it feels larger. Realizing that it is about how people feel when they’re living in their house and how important that is—that’s what I realized I needed to focus on.”

When Eyles truly embraced the business side of her career, creativity flourished. “It was almost as if once I realized that had to be a focus, then I didn’t have to worry as much about the creativity. I was able to be freer.” Eyles’s experience is one to which many women can relate. “For me, it was about learning to appreciate myself and saying that my job is as important as any other thing that’s going on in my life. That was hard for me to do, and I think it’s hard for a lot of women to do. We’re givers, and maybe we don’t always give back to ourselves.”

Eyles is an avid traveler and draws inspiration from the places she visits, infusing a global sensibility into her work. “Every time you travel, you see something new and you experience something new. You feel a textile, you see a color, and it’s maybe a combination you’ve never seen before. It’s wonderful to bring that inspiration back to our clients. It’s great to have that new kick that gets you a foothold for a new project.”

Recently, Eyles traveled to Rome where she was captivated by the rich colors and patterns of the floors in particular. “Generally, I like a cleaner look overall, but to see all of the beautiful mosaic floors—the colors and the richness and the depth—that was incredibly inspiring. I love bringing those layers back into my work.” She is hoping to go to Japan next year for the “trip of a lifetime.”