

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Martin.
Hi Christine, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I arrived at my interior design business essentially from making homes around the world. Formerly an international teacher, I moved around a lot! The environments were all so distinct; Colombia, Tunisia, South Korea, Laos, and Mexico. While landing in each place was a thrill, creating a space that held me in comfort and familiarity became what I looked forward to the most. Guest reactions and my own contentment at home pointed to a realization: I was good at this! What followed was an online interior design certification course, co-founding an online interior design company based in New York, and then launching my own company. My journey with interior design has led me to help clients globally and work on captivating projects like residential homes in the UNESCO town of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Currently, my design approach is more holistic. I use tools like color therapy, Feng Shui, biophilia, and energy work to align my clients with their spaces in a physical, mental and emotional way. Since our homes are our containers, they should be designed to support us and the lives we want to lead. I’m super excited to move forward with design in this way and contribute to the wellness of others.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has had its bumps for sure! Making a career transition was not easy. I went from doing work that came easily to me to stepping into a realm where I lacked experience. There’s a confidence dip that happens and often I felt the imposter syndrome that can really stagnate progress. But, the thing to remember is that this uneasiness dissipates with experience. Engaging with clients and taking on project after project gave me a new skill set I didn’t have with teaching. There are other struggles too with entrepreneurship. There’s an invitation to wear many hats: founder, content creator, marketer, bookkeeper, etc. This can be exhausting especially when some of these roles don’t really lean into your strengths. I’ve had times of wanting to throw in the towel and go back to being employed by someone else-to simplify my to do list. What I’ve learned, in this case, is to simplify and ask for help. I can’t do it all so revisiting my expectations and making them more bite-sized helps.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I create spaces that feel good. Since I was old enough to decorate my own room, people have had a positive reaction to the interior environments I’ve designed. It’s not formulaic. My work comes from intuition; the heart. This is what people experience. It’s hard to put a finger on it, but I use elements of color therapy, biophilia, Feng Shui, and energy work to bring spaces into balance with those using them. You will always see natural elements, the power of lighting, and pieces that speak uniquely to you in the residential and commercial spaces I design. Recently, my emphasis is using interior design as an instrument for wellness. We all need more rest, more inspiration, more peace, more ease. Our homes can provide this.-make us feel good on a physical, emotional, and mental level. Truly, there is a direct connection between our spaces and our lives. They reflect each other, mirroring energy. So, if you’re stressed and constricted or joyful and abundant, your home will look/feel that way too. In essence, spaces act as containers for what you want to bring into your life. It’s an energetic synergy that happens. Most of the time we aren’t aware of this. Therefore, being intentional about how we design our homes is a key materializing what we want. As an interior designer, I don’t just offer you an appealing space; I offer you one where you will thrive.
Any big plans?
Oh, gosh. I always have plans and ideas. One of my favorite things to do is makeup products or new business ideas and name them. Words have lots of power. I’m entertaining a pop-up decor shop in Baja, Mexico as well as narrowing my online business that is more aligned with energy and interior design. I plan to help my local community by introducing mindful design practices, I’m collaborating with a textile designer to create my own pillow line! I want to design a home for myself in Baja that will welcome family and friends.
Contact Info:
- Email: christine@thegoodabode.com
- Website: https://www.thegoodabode.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegoodabode/
Image Credits:
Patricia Chang