In a world of mass-produced everything arriving at your door the next morning, how do you make your home unmistakably yours? I believe the answer is investing in the things that genuinely make your heart beat - that is a declaration of who you are, and one way you put love into the world.
I'm Chris Shields, a Colorado-based interior designer specializing in homes that grow love and graciously welcome people in to create lifelong memories.
This blog is a new addition to my outreach, so I wanted to use this first post to properly introduce myself. I'll share my design philosophy along with a story from my own home - designing and commissioning a bespoke buffet with a furniture maker I trust completely.
I was probably six or seven when I first sensed our home was more than a bunch of rooms under a roof. That's about the time I started calling my bedroom “my room” - and that sense of ownership giving me a little freedom.
I couldn't color on the walls, but my mother let me hang pictures on them. I remember picking a paint color, light blue, of course, and I had a headboard, a nightstand, a desk, and one of our extra dining chairs pulled in to sit at it.
One morning the sunlight through my east-facing window woke me up one too many times, so I moved my bed - which meant moving every other piece of furniture, like a sliding tile puzzle. I noticed some arrangements felt better than others. My floor space even seemed to change. Friends said they liked my room more after the move, it was easier to play Legos and "Star Wars people" on the floor.
My grandparents expanded my sense of what home could hold. My city grandmother kept a traditional home and floor plan along with an antique Art Deco furniture set in their bedroom. My country grandmother made the dining room the center of the house, literally, with seating for the whole extended family and furniture my grandfather crafted himself in his metal shop.
My family, their homes, those memories - they've stayed with me for decades. I still search for those feelings of togetherness, and I strive to grow them in my own home today. Eventually, I put all of it into my guiding philosophy I now bring to every client:
I design homes that grow love.
Breathing life into four walls and transforming them into a home is my passion. I aim to be a beacon for clients seeking design that transcends the ordinary.
At the core of my practice is a heart-and-soul-centered method that guides clients to explore their own inspirations and experiences. I bring a whole-brained approach that unites design, science, and engineering.
My style is naturally evocative - a dynamic feast for the senses. I return to an essential core of materials: hand-forged metals, woods with expressive grain, rich leathers, and fabrics with subtle texture and weave. I root projects in deep earth colors, highlight with jewel tones, and create definition with sculptural objects, artwork, and furnishings grounded in craft and comfort.
The interiors I create are visually stunning, deeply personal, and true to the people who live in them.
I believe design has the capacity to grow love, and I invite you to discover what makes your heart beat. That's the joy of this work: creating exactly that for you.
I love guiding clients toward the perfect furnishings for their homes. At the start of every new project, I lead a Heartbeat Tour - an introduction to my favorite art galleries, showrooms, and local makers. It's a deeply personal time to get to know my new clients exposing them to everything from tried-and-true traditional pieces to the cutting edge of design and construction. The goal is to slow down and take the time to connect with what moves your heart.
My husband and I found ourselves in the same position furnishing our own home this year. I've seen so many furniture lines over the years that it's easy to fall in love with all of them, which isn't a bad problem to have, but it can leave you stuck. When pieces start to blend, it's time to literally hit the drawing board and meet an incredible craftsperson to create something one-of-a-kind.
That's exactly where we landed when it came to choosing a buffet for our dining room.
I reached out to my friend and fine furniture maker, Michael Steinberg of Heirloom Custom Woodworks. Michael and I have partnered on client projects before, and I knew his commitment to craft would result in something beautiful, and be genuinely fun. I sketched a set of drawings, and we worked out every detail together - design, engineering, materials, and how it would be built.
Designing from scratch, a bespoke design means you can select every detail as well as use materials many larger-scale makers don't touch. For our buffet, I focused on the relationship between materials: the structure in black walnut, selected from heartwood for its depth and consistency, with lacewood for the door and drawer faces, top, and side panels. We loved lacewood for the rhythm and movement it brings.
With materials this strong, restraint becomes essential. For the finish, we let the wood speak - a natural oil from Odysseus Cornwall's Outstanding Oils and Waxes that binds to the wood, softens the surface, and lets the grain deepen with clarity was selected. We found that to be and honest approach.
The construction follows the same principle throughout: hand-forged, leather-wrapped hardware from Colonial Bronze; a mitered top with an inset lacewood panel; maple-pinned walnut drawer boxes; a fully finished interior built to withstand daily use; and joinery precise enough to last generations.
The guiding principle was simple: create a unique heirloom that could live and evolve with us as our story keeps unfolding in our home. Working with a custom woodworker like Michael is a gift we gave ourselves, and one I encourage every client to consider. The sense of personal expression it creates is powerful. This is one way I design homes that grow love.
A home isn't finished by furniture alone. It's finished with intention. The buffet Michael and I built together isn't just a piece of furniture; it's a marker in an ongoing story, the same way my childhood bedroom and my grandparents' homes became markers in mine.
Whatever stage your own home is in, the questions are the same ones I keep coming back to: What do you want this room to feel like? How do you envision yourself in this space? Who do you want to welcome into it? What do you already own that deserves a second look, rather than a replacement?
I believe good design starts by turning inward and connecting with your heart and finding the objects that express it, whether that's a single bespoke piece or an entire room built around it.
What's one piece in your home you'd love to see reimagined, or replaced with something made just for you?
Drop us an email and let us know.
Curious what a bespoke piece, or a full room, could look like in your own home?
Reach out today to schedule a Discovery Call. I'd love to help you grow a little more love into your home.
Bespoke furniture is a piece designed and built from scratch for a specific person and space, rather than customized from an existing template. Every material, dimension, and detail is chosen intentionally, which is what allows it to become a true heirloom rather than an off-the-shelf item.
A house is the structure. A home is what you build inside it over time - the memories, relationships, and pieces you choose because they genuinely move you. A home calls to you when you are away, feels right when you return, and it's a place where you feel fully yourself. It's the difference between four walls and somewhere love has room to grow.
Heirloom-crafted furniture is built to last generations, using solid materials and joinery designed to age well rather than wear out. Just as important, it's a direct expression of your own story, because every decision is selected just for you - something mass production, by definition, can't offer.
I design homes that grow love. That means a heart-and-soul-centered process grounded in each client's own inspirations and experiences, built on an essential core of honest materials that are naturally evocative, naturally you.
The best first step is a Discovery Call, where we talk through your space, your goals, and whether a full design partnership or a single custom piece is the right starting point.
For over 18 years, Chris Shields has approached his design projects holistically. He is analytical and inquisitive. Both qualities inform his understanding of his client’s needs, surroundings, and aesthetics, and both are called on when Chris creates interiors that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also profoundly personal.
