Design Changemakers 2022: Interior Designer Laura Hodges is Putting Wellness At The Center of Her Practice

Who: Laura Hodges, interior designer and principle of Laura Hodges Studio
Where to follow her: Instagram at @laurahodgesstudio

Baltimore interior designer Laura Hodges’ modern, eclectic designs are rooted in her commitment to designing for function and wellness. “The spaces we design need to make sense,” she says. “They aren’t just pretty, they are really functional, too.” Hodges achieves that balance between beauty and function by incorporating biophilic elements, handcrafted furniture, and original artwork into each of her spaces and by customizing pieces to meet the needs and lifestyles of clients — think a plant-filled home office that doubles as a gym and looks like a spa, thanks to clever custom furniture. 

Hodges also brings this holistic approach to her business practices. When sourcing for Laura Hodges Studio projects and her Catonsville, Maryland, store Domain, Hodges focuses on locally-made, fair-trade, and woman-owned furniture and decor. “We make sure everything we sell has a story and that we can stand behind all the pieces that we carry,” says Hodges. In 2018, her husband Tim joined the company to manage and scale the business, freeing Hodges up to focus on design. “We’re all in-house together so it’s really cool to be able to pull pieces from the shop for a project, whether it’s a piece of local art or a gift to take to a client’s house.” 

After being named a Next Wave Designer by House Beautiful in 2021, Hodges got an opportunity to showcase her ideas about designing for wellness by creating a room for the magazine’s annual showhouse. Her organic-minded home office landed on the cover of the magazine! Despite national attention, Hodges remains focused on supporting local artisans and taking on projects in the greater Maryland area. Hodges hopes to leave a legacy that shows that design can look great, be practical, and be easy on the earth, too. “Good design should be good for you and have as little impact on the environment as possible,” says Hodges. “But also, good design is really important for everyone. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive or amazing thing in the world, but it does need to be functional.”

Apartment Therapy: How did you get started in interior design? 

Laura Hodges: I was working for a marketing company for about five years in New York City and kind of just felt like I needed to do something more creative. I decided to go back to school. While I attended the New York school of Interior Design, I got a fantastic internship with Jamie Drake. After I got my degree, I worked with Thomas Jayne for about a year before I moved back home to Maryland to be near family when my husband and I had our first son. I stayed home for a couple of years after I had my two boys, then decided to venture out on my own.

AT: What designers do you look up to? 

LH: I love Jamie Drake and Thomas Jayne, and, from an aspirational point of view, Kelly Wearstler. If we’re going far back, Billy Baldwin and Dorothy Draper. More recently I would say I love Athena Calderone. All of their designs are very intentional. It feels like they’re really respecting the architecture, delving deep into really good design, proportion, and scale and just being really thoughtful about how the space is coming together. They’re not just going along with what everyone else is doing. 

AT: What do you remember as being design inspirations growing up? 

LH: I grew up in a suburban area in Maryland, but I was born in England. We had a lot of family still in England so we’d go back in the summers and travel to castles and churches all around the country. I grew up seeing a lot of classic, gorgeous architecture and being surrounded by influential and inspirational views that inspired me. Travel is still a big inspiration for me: l love learning about different cultures and seeing all the different architecture and building styles and design styles. 

AT: Where else do you find inspiration now? 

LH: I’m constantly inspired by the artists that we work with here in Baltimore and by our own clients’ lives. Most have interesting life stories, jobs that I’ve never heard of before, and travel all over the world. 

AT: What do you think you’re doing to change up the field you’re in? 

LH: I think it’s really important to consider the environment, to consider even just the air that we’re breathing inside our own home. Through my work, I am bringing an awareness not only to sustainability but also to the safety and longevity of the materials we use inside our homes. 

AT: Is there a specific piece or project that you think is indicative of who you are as a designer? 

LH: We did a showhouse for House Beautiful down in Texas earlier this year. The space was originally a home office that I turned into a home office/gym. I wanted to make the space biophilic and natural in addition to multifunctional and unique, so I designed a custom desk with hollow bases and a solid top that was handmade  from beautiful ash wood by Grothouse in Pennsylvania. It is perfectly functional as a desk but can be taken apart in a beautiful way for step aerobics or to create an obstacle course. That’s what we’re constantly doing for our clients: making sure that the spaces we design make sense for them and aren’t just pretty but are really functional, too.

AT: What sets you apart from your peers?

LH: We try to incorporate sustainability into everything we do. We’re reusing our clients existing furniture, if it’s still in good condition; we’re not here to just replace everything. And if we do have to replace things — whether it’s just not the right look and style or it doesn’t function for them anymore — then we make sure that as much as possible is donated and reused. There are a lot of building reuse places in Baltimore, so we have them come and pick up appliances, cabinetry, building materials, old furniture, and lighting. We always arrange that for our clients as part of our full-service projects.

AT: What three words would you use to describe where you see the interior design world going in 2022? 

LH: Home-centric, technology-driven, and wellness-focussed. I think people will continue to be very focused on their homes this year — making them function better, as well as pushing toward better mental and physical health and well-being.  

AT: What’s your favorite interior design project you worked on in 2021? 

LH: We worked on a large waterfront project down on Eastern Shore for which we created multiple homes. Our clients envisioned it as a space where people could go to stay. It’s a fully realized design, and it’s the one I loved the most because it’s very approachable. It’s not over-the-top; it has a comfortable vibe, and each house has a unique feel. 

AT: Any big plans for 2022 or beyond you can share with us? 

LH: We are expanding our studio space right now, so we’ve been busy working on that, but we’re hoping to design restaurants and boutique hotels in the future. I’m also exploring different ways to spread the word about design and the impact we have on the world. Since I discovered design much later, it’s really important to me to impart this on the younger generation.

AT: What makes you feel at home in your own space?

LH: Having original art and lots of plants! I want my space to feel like a reflection of me and not just what you see all over Instagram — and that’s what we try to do for our clients, too. 

Interview has been edited and condensed.