The Aspiring Home

The Aspiring Home We create refined, calming interiors that honor your story.

The Aspiring Home Interiors is a boutique design firm founded by award-winning designer Joy Maier, with a commitment to gracious living and the belief that homes are meant to be lived in.

10/23/2026

Company’s coming… and I have a little assignment for your weekend: spend a night in your own guest room. If you dare. 👻

The commute is excellent, and you may discover a few things your very polite guests have never mentioned.

Can you reach the lamp without performing a small act of gymnastics? Is there somewhere to plug in your phone? And where, exactly, are all those decorative pillows supposed to sleep?

I do love a pretty guest room. But I also want someone to settle in, put their things down, and feel like I thought about them before they arrived. A comfortable pillow, a place for their suitcase, a quiet spot for morning coffee—those little things matter.
With the holidays on their way, this is a lovely time to give your guest room a trial run. You may find that a few thoughtful adjustments are all it needs.

On the blog, I’m sharing my weekend guest room assignment, along with the little things to check—from bedside lighting and suitcase space to the very important matter of morning coffee.

There’s a checklist to help you get ready before the doorbell rings, too.

Read “Spend a Night in Your Own Guest Room… If You Dare” at the link in my bio.

Have you ever slept in your own guest room? I’d love to know what you discovered.

I do look up when I travel. These photos may suggest otherwise.From Florence and Siena to London and Nice, I photographe...
10/22/2026

I do look up when I travel. These photos may suggest otherwise.

From Florence and Siena to London and Nice, I photographed floors in churches, public courtyards, restaurants, and museums. Travel with a designer and you’ll understand why a short walk takes so long.

We can’t help ourselves. We’re curious creatures; anything can spark an idea for a future client. Seeing what we’ve studied in books confirms some things and opens our eyes to others. The scale, materials, craftsmanship—then the ideas start flowing.

Mosaics have roots in ancient Mesopotamia. Early patterned floors used pebbles; Greek artisans refined the designs, and Romans spread mosaic floors throughout their empire. Small cut pieces called tesserae made intricate scenes possible.

Imagine creating a picture one tiny stone at a time. I occasionally lose patience peeling a sample label.

These photos include mosaics, patterned tile, and stone inlay, alongside extraordinary wood-and-metal inlay from I Vassalletti, a Tuscan company we toured. Different techniques, all showing how much possibility a floor holds.

At home, that might mean a tile border, a change in wood direction, or a pattern that gives you somewhere to begin with color.
A floor with character can help bring new choices together with the things we want—or need—to keep. Family pieces. Reminders of people we love. The familiar things that help fill us back up when we come home depleted.

That’s how a home develops its own signature. Yours.

We spend so much time deciding what goes into a room. There’s a wonderful opportunity to make it personal, starting with the foundation.

A little chair with a lot of thought behind it.We worked through the height to get it just right for the custom-built va...
10/19/2026

A little chair with a lot of thought behind it.

We worked through the height to get it just right for the custom-built vanity, then found a fabric with the right pattern and color combination to give this chair personality without stealing the whole show in this gorgeous, newly updated primary bathroom. And the stain on that wood band? A perfect match to the vanity.

A big thank-you to Norwalk Furniture and MC Studio Dallas by jen & rylee ,and especially Joel Akins for his patience as we worked through the details. Getting it right takes a good team, and I’m grateful for this one.

And my clients? Such a fun collaboration. Working with friends who know what they like but are open to new possibilities makes the whole process a pleasure. We could share ideas, consider something unexpected, and work together to find what felt right for them.

To me, this is where working with a designer makes a difference. The height, the shape, the fabric, the finish—each decision connects to the next. All those details give this vanity chair a purpose in the room and a place in the larger design story.

“My husband and I were fortunate to have our contractor recommend Joy to assist with our master bathroom remodel. It was...
10/15/2026

“My husband and I were fortunate to have our contractor recommend Joy to assist with our master bathroom remodel. It was a pleasure to work with her.
She took time to understand what both of us were looking for in terms of functionality as well as aesthetics.
She saved us time by narrowing down potential paint, flooring and fixture choices and was able to help us stay within our budget. She has a great eye for choosing tiles, paint and fixtures that complement each other.
She has experience with what works and doesn’t work in a bathroom setting which was invaluable to us when making our selections. She is easy to work with and was always a quick text or phone call away to address any concerns we had.
We would highly recommend her to our family and friends who might be considering a re-modeling project.” ~ Jacinda C.

This project didn’t begin with, “I woke up and decided to redesign my bathroom.”

Nope. It began with an unexpected sink overflow that went a bit off the rails. 😬

But that mess gave us an incredible opportunity to rethink the entire bathroom. We talked through what my clients needed, what they wanted, and what we could do differently. Thinking outside the box led us to completely shift the layout—and it was absolutely the right call.

It was such a pleasure to bring this one to life. And then to receive these thoughtful words from Jacinda? Well, that made it even sweeter.

Thank you, Jacinda, for trusting me to help turn an unexpected situation into a bathroom you and your husband love. 🤍

This project is about so much more than giving a house a new look.This living room is just one piece of a much larger wh...
10/06/2026

This project is about so much more than giving a house a new look.

This living room is just one piece of a much larger whole-home renovation—along with a completely renovated kitchen, an updated dining room and formal living room, new flooring, finishes, lighting and details from floor to ceiling.
But the part I love most is why we’re doing it.

This home already holds years of family memories. It has seen holidays, everyday dinners, growing children, celebrations and all of the wonderfully ordinary moments that eventually become the ones we treasure most.
Now, as the empty-nest years get closer and new family members are welcomed around the table, the house gets to change right along with them.

Not erased. Not turned into something that no longer feels familiar. Just refreshed and reimagined for the way this family will live here next.

More places to gather. Rooms that work better. A home that feels fresh without forgetting where it has been.
There is something incredibly beautiful about watching a house continue to become home, again and again, through every season of a family’s life.

And honestly, this is my favorite kind of design and another reason I love saying, This is where house becomes home.®

How is it already October 1st? In Dallas, fall doesn’t arrive with a show of changing leaves. It arrives on the calendar...
10/01/2026

How is it already October 1st?

In Dallas, fall doesn’t arrive with a show of changing leaves. It arrives on the calendar with football Saturdays and tailgates, school events, dinners with friends, and before we know it, Thanksgiving is here and the table is full. ❤️

When the season gets this busy, our homes should feel ready to welcome people in without adding more to our to-do lists. One beautiful seasonal moment in the right spot can do that.

Here, it’s the staircase, one of the first things guests see when they walk through the door. Warm golds, rust, and deep red bring in the color our trees don’t give us, and a touch of slate blue keeps it a little unexpected.

That’s the beauty of small changes. They don’t take long, but they shift the way a home feels, and they have a way of lifting our spirits too, whether it’s fall or any other time of year.

We are officially in the season of gather and I’m so ready for it…how about you?

A little sunshine for your Monday. ☀️I love what these ochre chairs do for this guest room. There are two, creating a si...
09/21/2026

A little sunshine for your Monday. ☀️

I love what these ochre chairs do for this guest room. There are two, creating a sitting area that encourages one to settle in and let the morning take its time.

Yellow’s cheerful reputation has some science behind it. A study spanning 55 countries found that many people associate yellow with joy. Researchers suggest our connection to sunshine and warmth may help explain why. I think that’s part of the appeal of a little yellow at home. It reminds us of something that feels good.

And a little can do quite a lot.

Here, the cool teal makes the golden ochre look especially warm. Our perception of a color changes depending on the colors surrounding it, so that wall color is very much part of what makes these chairs look so sunny. The softer blues and greens in the pillow connect back to the teal, while the touches of yellow repeat the upholstery.

To my eye, it feels happy and restful all at once. Exactly what I want in a guest room.

And that sunny color has earthy beginnings. Traditional yellow ochre pigment came from naturally colored earth, washed to separate out sand, then dried and ground into a fine powder for use in paint. An iron mineral called goethite gives it that yellow color.

A color that reminds us of sunshine, pulled straight from the ground. I love that.

Roman wall painters used yellow ochre alongside reds, blues, and greens. Homes had plenty of color long before we had paint decks and thirty-seven samples taped to a wall.

Find the good in today. Find the sunshine… Even if that sunshine happens to be upholstered. 💛

Monday Blues…the best huesI know, I know - so corny BUT look at that fabric and stain combination that will be adorning ...
07/13/2026

Monday Blues…the best hues

I know, I know - so corny BUT look at that fabric and stain combination that will be adorning two “soon to be gorgeous” sleigh chairs.

Traditional meets modern in the most ridiculously good way. I got so excited with the combo I didn’t take the time to steam out the wrinkles before snapping a pic. 😂

May your Monday be spectacular.

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