Level up your home with intentional design guidance, seasonal inspiration, and expert styling insights from Lavish Interiors and More. Each month, you’ll receive curated ideas to help you create a home that feels calm, beautiful, and deeply personal—without the overwhelm.
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Before You Ask for More | The Lavish Letter No. 07
Published about 1 month ago • 6 min read
KEY DATES
September 7 | Labor Day
A moment to honor the work already done.
September 10 | New Moon
A quiet pause before looking ahead.
September 22 | Fall Equinox
A seasonal shift toward balance and change.
September 26 | Full Harvest Moon
A time to gather in what has grown.
A Note from Carrissa
There's a reason the Harvest Moon has meant something to people for centuries. It has long marked a season of gathering in what has grown, looking back at what the season gave us before turning toward what's next.
I feel that same pull every year in the first week of August, when I sit down with my Statement of Desire from the year before and read back through it before I write anything new. Napoleon Hill's idea was that most people never get specific about what they actually want. They wish and they hope, but they rarely name it in exact terms. This year, I asked myself a series of questions for every part of my life, then wrote out what I actually want for each one. Over ten pages, front and back, came out of that reflection.
What struck me most wasn't what I wanted this time. It was how much clearer I'd gotten since the last time I wrote it down. A year ago, my vision for the business was big and optimistic. I think part of me believed that once I named what I wanted clearly enough, it would simply show up. The past year of growing Lavish changed that. The list of things worth doing is endless, and I've had to get honest about what actually deserves my time right now versus what can wait.
That same clarity showed up outside my business too. My youngest, Karley, has her last year before kindergarten, and I'd originally signed her up for five days a week of preschool. Then it hit me that this is the last year she doesn't have to go five days, so why not take advantage of that? Kindergarten will ask for her time soon enough. Now she goes three days, and John gets a special day with her each week, and I get one too. It's already given us more togetherness, more time to just enjoy her as her adorable little self.
Reflecting that deeply did something I didn't expect. It got me thinking about our homes the same way: instead of immediately asking what they need more of, what if we first notice what's already there to appreciate?
A beautiful home doesn't feel abundant simply because it contains more. To me, true luxury is much more personal. It's about creating a home rich in style, peace, and functional perfection, and understanding which of those things makes the greatest difference in the way you experience your home.
Read: Luxury Interior Design: What Makes a Home Feel Abundant?
FROM PRIORITIES TO DECISIONS
Last month, we talked about identifying what matters most before making hundreds of individual decisions about your home. But knowing your priorities is only the beginning. The next step is learning to use them as a filter.
Instead of asking whether your home needs another room, a bigger kitchen, more storage, or the feature you just saved on Pinterest, the better question is: Does this support what we said matters to us?
I also curated pieces for each of those priorities, from gathering and entertaining to simplifying everyday routines and creating more restful spaces.
Gather Often. Simplify Everyday. Rest Well.
Designer curated pieces for gathering well, simplifying everyday routines, and creating more restful spaces.
Some of what I'm seeing right now feels like the harvest from seeds planted a while back, not anything new I'm starting this month.
A client I began working with at the end of last year recently circled back. Life had pulled their full renovation onto the back burner for a while, for good and personal reasons, and they knew the house needed their full attention to do it right. So it waited. This month, they reached out again, ready to pick the project back up.
Another client I've been working with reached out last week too, ready to take on their entire lower level.
I've also started seeing signs that other parts of the business are taking root. I earned my first meaningful LTK commission this month, and I'm starting to receive referrals from a few luxury custom home builders, architects, and vendors.
None of it happened overnight. It's just nice to see some of that growth finally show up.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2027
I'm currently reimagining the Lavish Signature Wall Calendar for 2027, with a more intentional connection between the way we plan our year and the way we want to live it.
I'm taking my time with this one rather than rushing it out simply because the calendar says it's time. I'll share more as it comes together.
In the meantime, the 2026 calendar is still available for anyone who wants a clear view of the months ahead.
One of the things I keep coming back to from all that reflection is how much of life is lived in the in-between.
There are so many things I'm still working toward. Dreams I have for Lavish. A home I can picture for our family. Things I want to finish, grow, change, and experience that aren't here yet.
And for a long time, I think I looked at some of those things as the point on the horizon I was trying to reach.
But this year has made me think differently about the space between here and there.
My kids are growing up in the in-between. We're having dinners around the table, spending ordinary mornings together, navigating busy weeks, and creating the family life I imagine taking with us into that future home someday. Karley is in her last year before kindergarten. Kendall will get her learner's permit this spring, one more step toward an independence that suddenly doesn't feel very far away. And Tommy will be off to college before I know it.
These aren't the years before our real life begins. This is our real life.
The same is true in my business. There is still so much I want to build, but I'm beginning to see some of the seeds I've planted take root. And I don't want to rush past that simply because I'm focused on where I want to go next.
Maybe abundance isn't arriving at a place where everything is finished and you finally have everything you wanted.
Maybe it's being able to hold both at once: gratitude for what is here and excitement for what is still becoming.
So as this season changes, that's what I'm trying to remember. Keep dreaming. Keep building. Keep looking forward. But don't miss the in-between.
Someday, some of the ordinary things happening right now may be the very things we wish we could come back to.
What in your life right now would you miss if you were already looking back on it?
Hit reply and tell me. I'd genuinely love to know.
With gratitude, Carrissa
ONE MORE THING
I genuinely enjoy writing The Lavish Letter and the articles I share each month. I love passing along what I'm learning and finding ways to make design feel a little more thoughtful and useful.
If there's something you'd like me to talk about, a design question you've been wondering about, or even a particular type of piece you'd like me to source for an upcoming collection, I'd love to hear it. Your questions and ideas help shape what I share here.
You're also always welcome to share The Lavish Letter with a friend or shop through one of the links I share when you find something you love. I only recommend pieces I'd happily specify for my own clients, and when you shop through those links, I may earn a small commission from the retailer at no additional cost to you.
Those small interactions help me understand what's useful to you and what you'd like to see more of.
Mostly, though, I'm just grateful you're here.
Lavish Interiors and More
Carrissa Hickey
Level up your home with intentional design guidance, seasonal inspiration, and expert styling insights from Lavish Interiors and More. Each month, you’ll receive curated ideas to help you create a home that feels calm, beautiful, and deeply personal—without the overwhelm.
KEY DATES October 10 | New Moon and my son turns 17 A new cycle begins. Set an intention for what you want. October 19 | My birthday A moment to reflect with gratitude and look ahead with intention. October 25 | Full Hunter's Moon Pause to reflect on what’s grown since you set your intention. October 31 | Halloween A little imagination, a little magic, and something sweet. November 01 | Daylight Saving Time Ends Set the clocks back and settle into the slower rhythm of fall. A Note from...
KEY DATES July 29 | Full Buck Moon Steady strength, one decision at a time. August 12 | New Moon & Solar Eclipse A quiet pause. A rare one, too, this year. August 28 | Full Sturgeon Moon + Lunar Eclipse The last full moon of summer. A rare eclipse alongside it. A Note from Carrissa Earlier this week, my daughter Kendall came with me to redecorate the bookcases of a client who's become a genuine friend after seven or eight years of working together. It's the kind of relationship where the...
KEY DATES June 29 | Full Strawberry Moon Gratitude, ripeness, celebrating what grew. July 4 | Independence Day Grateful for this country, and for the people we love most. July 14 | New Moon Quiet reset, intention, direction for what's ahead. July 29 | Full Buck Moon Steady strength, determination, building one decision at a time. A Note from Carrissa Less than two weeks ago, we adopted a kitten named Tiger. He has already claimed a favorite spot on the couch, right in the middle of where we...