The Art of Listening: How Your Story Shapes Your Space

Every home tells a story. Beyond bricks, beams, and blueprints, it's the lives and experiences of the people who live there that bring a space to life. At Liv Interiors, we believe that creating a personal home begins with understanding the people behind it.

Listening as an Art Form

Interior design often starts with discussions about colours, materials, and styles. But at Liv Interiors, it begins with listening and learning about what makes our clients who they are and how they want to function and feel in their space. Our founder, Amanda Fasciani, puts it this way:

“Design isn't just about what a space looks like; for me, it's about creating a home that tells a story and truly resonates with its owners. Of course, we love to design beautiful spaces, but our favourite part of what we do is ensuring the client feels that personal touch and care we put in to make them feel right at home.”

From the first onboarding questionnaire to the in-home design consultation (you can learn more about our design process here), we focus on understanding the heart of our clients’ preferences, lifestyle, and stories. While tools like our onboarding questionnaire and design homework provide structure, it’s often the candid, personal moments—sharing laughter, memories, keepsakes, a good meal or a cup of coffee—that reveal the most meaningful details.

Translating Stories Into Design

Great design goes beyond aesthetics—it captures the emotions and memories of those who live in the space, with personal anecdotes, cherished heirlooms, and family traditions serving as the building blocks for creativity.

For one family, moving on from their three-generation farm meant saying goodbye to a significant part of their story. To honour that legacy, we incorporated reclaimed wood and architectural artifacts from the original barn into their new home. As an additional tribute, we commissioned a portrait of the old farm that now hangs in the entryway, offering a daily connection to their roots. Even the powder room features a vintage pull-chain toilet we sourced from England, mimicking the old bathroom at the farm.

For another client, who are avid world travellers, they shared with us stunning photos and artwork from their trips around the world. After asking if we could use them, we surprised them with a beautiful gallery of their precious travel moments in their family room. We also incorporated artifacts from Greece, which inspired the colour palette for the space. The result was a home that beautifully reflects their journeys, celebrating their love for adventure and the treasures they collected along the way.

Striking a Balance Between Function and Storytelling

A beautiful space is one that works flawlessly for the people who live in it. At Liv Interiors, we balance functionality with storytelling, in fact, these two principles are intertwined. In every design, the story is told through the details that matter most to the client and how the space serves them.

In one case, a client asked for our opinion on adding stairs in their mudroom to connect to the basement. They had the opportunity to add more square footage during the permit process and thought this might add value to the home. However, the client had made it clear—both in their design homework and during our consultation—that the flow of the room was very important. We immediately recognized that adding stairs would disrupt that flow. After discussing how the space would be used, we advised leaving out the stairs and instead using the added space as a multifunctional wrapping room. She was very happy with the idea, as she had mentioned it before but quickly dismissed it during our consultation, initially thinking she didn't have the space.

In any renovation, there are many people involved, and a big part of our job is acting as the client’s advocate, making sure their vision is realized and their needs are prioritized.

On a project featured on The Property Brothers, we worked with a homeowner who wanted to incorporate a beloved antique hutch into her dining room. We learned about the significance of the piece through her family memories, and from there, we found a way to give it new life. Her father, known for his handy skills, repainted the hutch, and we arranged her fine china as art pieces on the wall. This approach turned the hutch into both a functional and emotional anchor for the space, beautifully blending family history with design.

In our approach, function and personal storytelling are not separate. Every detail—whether it’s the layout of a mudroom or the inclusion of family heirlooms—is thoughtfully considered, creating a home that feels uniquely personal.

A Home That Reflects You

Once we understand our client’s story, the next step is to bring it to life visually. Through mood boards, renderings, and Pinboards, we illustrate our vision and help clients clearly see how their personal elements will transform their space.

In one memorable project, a retired couple who had spent years on the water wanted their home to capture their love for sailing. Ocean-inspired artwork and custom-framed photos of their boat transformed their space into a tribute to their maritime adventures. Even after selling their sailboat, the design kept their connection to the sea alive, allowing the essence of their sailing life to live on.

The most rewarding moments for us are the heartfelt reactions—pure joy, happy tears, and a sense of belonging that our clients feel in their new spaces. At Liv Interiors, design is about connection—the privilege of bringing your story to life through thoughtful, bespoke spaces that feel like an extension of you. Through our process, we create homes that tell your story, not simply spaces designed for a magazine. The result? A home that’s both breathtaking and deeply personal—a space where every detail reflects your journey.