Inside The Happy Home: A Conversation with Ariel Okin

I’ve been a longtime admirer of designer, Ariel Okin’s work.  Her interiors have always felt uniquely hers - beautiful and aspirational, but livable and personal at the same time. Over the years, we’ve been so lucky to work with Ariel in different ways, and it has been such a joy to see her thoughtful approach to design come to life again and again.

When I heard she was writing her first book, The Happy Home, I knew it would be something that our customers would love. It captures everything I admire about her work - warmth, intention, and homes that feel collected and reflective of the people who live in them. I was so thrilled to sit down with Ariel to talk about all things Happy Home and to share more about the creative process behind her beautiful first book, a must-have for every designer lovers' home!

Enjoy!

xx Meg

Photography by Donna Dotan, from The Happy Home by Ariel Okin.

CC: The Happy Home is such a warm, inviting title. When you first began working on this book, what did the idea of a “happy home” mean to you? Has that definition evolved through the process of writing it?

AO: Thank you! I really wanted reading the book to feel like walking into one of the homes we’ve designed. Each chapter focuses on one of ten homes that we’ve worked on over the last ten years. For me, and for our clients, I believe that a happy home is one that is layered and filled with personal items that really show who lives there, and is set up functionally for how those people want to live. When your home feels deeply personal and also works for the life that you want to lead, it inherently feels happy! The process of writing the book really crystalized the importance of both of those points for me. 

CC: Throughout the book, you return to the idea that the best interiors reflect the stories of the people who live there. Why was that philosophy so important for you to anchor this book around?

AO: In today’s world, we see so many anesthetized spaces–people chasing the look of an algorithm. So much of what we discuss on my podcast, Talk Shop, and what I write about in the book, is that the most beautiful, poignant, stay-with-you-forever spaces are personal, warm, idiosyncratic and built on the lived experiences of those who inhabit them. I hope, with this book, that people are inspired to stop second guessing and really lean into their intuition for their interiors. 

CC: You wrote the book yourself, which gives it a very personal, thoughtful voice. How did wearing both your designer and design-journalist hats shape the way you told these stories?

AO: It was incredibly fun and interesting to blend both sides of my work in the making of this book, and really forced me to examine the concrete why of what it is that we do at AOI.

CC: The homes you feature span so many places - from Southampton and New Canaan, Connecticut, to Palm Beach and Brooklyn. As readers move through the book, what do you hope they notice about how place influences a home, and what tends to stay consistent no matter the location?

AO: I think one of the biggest takeaways that I have learned from reading Gil Schafer’s books is his emphasis on the importance of a sense of place, which means that every home should also take into consideration the context of where it lies, both on its site and also within the town, local culture, natural scenery, etc. that it’s in. I hope readers can see how we try to incorporate those details into our projects just as much as we home in on the personal details of our client’s lives. 

CC: Your interiors always feel elegant but deeply livable. When you’re designing for real life (kids, guests, daily routines, etc.) how do you think about balancing beauty with comfort and practicality?

AO: That is so kind–thank you so much! That’s always our goal, and I think as a mom of two young children (6 and almost 4), I really understand the needs of young families and what that looks like. Whether it’s considering sharp corners on furniture, performance fabrics or fabrics that just wear well without being treated if clients are particularly chemical/eco-conscious, or thinking about the best intended use of space for floor plans–we’re always thinking about how someone will actually live in their space and not just about how it looks. You can have the prettiest room in the world but if it doesn’t function for how those people live in their home, it’s useless (and probably won’t be a room that’s frequented often!)

CC:  Including your own New York home adds a very intimate layer to the book. What did it feel like to step back and see your personal space alongside client projects, and did it reveal anything new about your design instincts?

AO: It was really special for me to look at the photos of our house and examine it as I would for a client, what’s our why and what do we need in our home to function well–it was a very illuminating experience, honestly! I realized how sentimental I am about our house as I was writing that chapter. 

CC: Many of the spaces feel collected rather than decorated. How do you encourage homeowners to build rooms over time - through art, books, and meaningful objects- rather than trying to finish everything at once?

AO: That is truly always my goal–I don’t want rooms to look or feel perfect, I want them to feel nuanced and warm, and a lot of that comes with the additions of layers over time. We build layering into our design process with books, art, accessories, etc., and that last layer really makes a huge difference. We usually do that last layer months after the main install, which gives them time to live in the house and they start to add things of their own so it feels just a little bit undone in a good way.

CC: Beyond your interior design practice, you’ve built a strong editorial voice through Fenimore Lane and your podcast, Talk Shop (which we absolutely love listening to!). Did working in those mediums influence how you approached this book or the way you communicate design ideas?

AO: That makes me so happy to hear! I have learned so much from the guests that we’ve had on the podcast and on the digital editorial features, and so many of the pearls of wisdom have become incorporated into my practice, whether intentional or not. The interviews we get to do via Fenimore Lane and the podcast have absolutely influenced the way I design and the way I wrote the book–it’s made a tremendous impact on me as a journalist and is something I feel so lucky that I get to do! 

CC: Now that The Happy Home is out in the world, what do you hope readers feel when they close the book and how do you see this moment shaping what’s next for you?

AO: I really, really hope that the book inspires people to allow their homes to really reflect who they are: their interests, travels, favorite palettes–and not what they think their homes should look like. I hope it gives people the confidence to try something new, or bold, or something that feels cozy to them. And mostly I hope they enjoy reading it and that it feels just as accessible as it does beautiful. I wanted it to be a teaching book just as much as I obsessed over the details of the design of the book. I hope this is the first in a series of design books that get to share our work with a broader audience, and I really look forward to continuing to work on these incredible projects from all over the country with amazing clients who we forge such strong connections with. It’s a privilege to get to do what I do and I never take it for granted!