Hidden Gems: Meet Natalie Lauren of Earth & Tones Interiors

Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Lauren.

Hi Natalie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hiiii. I’m Natalie. And I’ve always been fascinated with design and creation. As a little girl, I would watch all of the home makeover shows on television and imagine myself in those rooms telling everyone what to do. I used to change my room around on a weekly basis, organizing and reorganizing making sure my room felt the way I wanted it to feel energetically. I loved exploring my creative side. So it felt only natural to create a business that represents my unchanged exploration, creativity and fascination.

It really began when I was practically homeless and ended up in temporary accommodation at the age of 20 years old. It was a studio-like apt… The room walls were a light blue colour, the carpet was navy blue… Depressing. And suffering from depression at the time, it wasn’t an option to keep the look. I went in and changed the walls to a cream cooler, changed the blinds to a Roman blind and stone colour and bought a large area rug in cream to hide that sad navy blue carpet. I felt instantly better and the room felt so airy, light and happy. It was in that moment that I found my passion and something I loved to do and what came naturally to me. Wherever I went, whatever the situation, I knew from that point on I could transform a room to make it look so much better, feel so much better and do that on an inexpensive budget but make it look expensive.

“It’s not the price of the product that makes a room look beautiful, it’s how you style it.”

When people came over to my space they were blown away. It’s amazing how a change of paint colour and a few decor pieces can really transform a room. Needless to say, I had a few friends and friends of friends come to me asking for help/advice on how to decorate their homes. They wanted their spaces to feel good and just like mine felt.

I wanted to go to interior design school but they were too expensive and I wasn’t working at the time. I took on a job and worked for the Deputy Prime Minister for about four years. Then I went into drama school. And later opened up my own drama workshop teaching kids self-esteem, confidence and how to believe in themselves all through the scope of drama. I got caught up in work-life and “working to pay the bills” and going on holidays so much that I then couldn’t leave that paying job, guaranteed income every month, to fully commit to freelance interior design and decorating. I got too comfortable in it to start my own business. I did go on to do courses in business and learnt a lot, but I guess the fear of closing that door to consistent income scared me.

My friend and I went to the Dominican Republic for a holiday and made a friend who lived in California. I’d always had this obsession with LA but never visited and didn’t know why I wanted to be there. I would always say when I was young “I’m going to live there…” A year later, we visited and stayed with our new friend who I now call my mum of LA. She took us everywhere and all over. That holiday was when I fell in love with LA. I didn’t want to leave. I mean, I felt the happiest I had ever felt. I grew confidence in myself and everyone was so friendly and the weather, well you can’t beat that. Interestingly enough, when I went back to London, the depression kicked in and I felt unhappy again. I was a lost soul trying to find that self I had discovered here in LA. I knew London wasn’t where I wanted to be… Stuck in jobs that didn’t support the life I wanted or my passion and struggling. So, I booked a flight to LA. And this time stayed a month, then a year later two months… The length of stay grew longer every year ’til I got a visa and started to stay every 6 months. Fast forward 12 years and here I am living in LA. I’ve never looked back.

I’ve been actively living in LA for five years now. To earn a living, I fell into the role of celebrity nanny. Again, it wasn’t something I really wanted to do. I definitely learnt a lot and appreciated the experience and had fun. I even ended up becoming the nanny that was in demand for so many families. But I still wanted out. I didn’t want to get stuck in something that I wasn’t passionate about again. I would also babysit for families too. There’s this one family I would babysit for and I would play Barbies with these two little girls. They had Barbie everything and we would set up homes for our Barbie families. I would get so creative and decorate our homes. It really ignited and excited me… “Forget about playing Barbies, I’m here for the decorating part!” Every week they would ask me to help them decorate their Barbie homes. I love this story because that was when I thought “this is it, this is what I need to do. I’m being brought back to creating spaces again.” The family had a back stock-pantry in the garage and I was like “Please can I organize your pantry? It’s giving me anxiety. I want to make it neat and functional…” That was the moment it became clear for me. I immediately quit nannying and ventured into my world of creating and designing and organizing. I’ve felt the fear of closing one door and opening another. This time I’m taking a chance and believing in myself and my decision to go in the direction of my dreams.

“When one door closes, another one opens…”

Since I closed the door to nannying, I haven’t stopped decorating and organizing people’s homes. I’m in demand. I’m happy.

I wish I would’ve started years ago. But in the same breath, I wouldn’t change the experiences I’ve had along the way. I’m just grateful my passion was brought to me again. This time I’m not leaving it.

“London is where I learnt life, California is where I grow and live my life.”

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not a smooth road. One of my biggest challenges overall has been leaving my comfort zone. More presently, I’d say starting my business in interior design and organization… Earth & Tones Interiors. Not knowing if I’ll make money let alone get clients has been a challenging space to live in.

I grew up in the 90’s. There were no camera phones… Just poor quality cameras and throwaways. When I created friend’s spaces it was something I loved to do. It excited me. I wasn’t thinking “wait, I need to take a before and after pic.” I just wanted to get in and create and see people’s smiles/reactions when they saw the transformation. So I didn’t have a portfolio I could present to companies or any clue about setting up my own business. The struggle was real when companies wanted the experience and resume and education. But how do you get that experience when no-one gives you a chance. In my life, every job I ever had was my first time doing it. I never had to go to school for them or sign up to a course. I adapt and learn things quickly but with a creativity that comes naturally and can’t be taught in a classroom. I think one either has an eye for detail or not. And if not, that’s okay too. But I do. And getting in the rooms have been challenging.

Honestly, I used to be seriously shy. The drama school life really helped me come out of my shell. Then with having my own school and helping kids, it made me realize myself that I too CAN DO ANYTHING! With that confidence I’ve carried all these years, even through the challenges, helps me know and feel that I can be an Interior Designer.

The 90s baby is still present sometimes. I need to really work on uploading my work to Instagram. I still get too caught up in the moments that I sometimes forget to take before and after pics of my work, even though I have a camera phone.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Earth & Tones Interiors is my company. I do interior decorating, home staging and organizing. I work with the Feng Shui philosophy, creating spaces that bring about balance, flow and impeccable energy. And I work with all budgets as they always ignite my creativity, pushing me to be a better interior designer. I help people create beautiful spaces. It’s who I am.

I love working in a more eco, sustainable approach and try to limit the plastic use when I’m organizing a home. I like a space to look aesthetically pleasing. When I’m organizing I like to work with bamboo, rattan, straw, wood and glass products instead of plastic bins. I have a real love/hate relationship with bins. I hate seeing other organizers use stacks and stacks of plastic bins, throwing in the contents, sticking a label on them and placing those bins into a cupboard or shelf and calling it organization. It doesn’t look pleasing to the eye and not everything needs to be in a bin. I like to organize functionally and without a bin, especially if the space doesn’t need one.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I always land on my feet no matter what gets thrown at me. At least that’s what everyone that knows me says. I’ve truly been blessed and always have a positive, optimistic attitude. I never give up, no matter what. I keep pursuing and pushing even at times I feel like I can’t go on. Lady luck is beautiful and has always been on my side, steering me into all types of directions and protecting me. I thank her for looking after me over the years. And I thank her for looking after and giving me Earth & Tones Interiors.

Contact Info:

• Email: earthandtonesinteriors@gmail.com
• Website: www.earthandtonesinteriors.com
• Instagram: @earthandtonesinteriors

Image Credits:
I took the images on all the pics except the photo of me. The photo of me was shot by Al from Studio605photography.