The Styled Domicile-Interior Design

Home
United States
Sterling, VA
The Styled Domicile-Interior Design

Out-of-the-ordinary interiors for those who dare to stand out.

The Styled Domicile offers highly personalized interior design in Northern Virginia & beyond for unapologetic women. Jess Harrell, founder and lead designer, creates more meaning in your home by celebrating who you are.

02/24/2026

Hey-o! Finally cracking open this book I got for Christmas, and having way too much fun playing around with it. So, I thought I’d turn it into a series of sorts.

But first, a little backstory on the book.

If you don’t know, A Dictionary of Color Combinations is a collection of 348 beautifully considered palettes that somehow feel both vintage and completely new. Flipping through every page, I’m basically Bridesmaids-era Kristen Wiig with her pink lemonade: “Goddamnit, that’s good.” “Sh*t, that is FRESH.” It’s heaven.

And this book has been around. It’s derived from the original 1933 six-volume work by Sanzo Wada (a Japanese painter and costume designer who truly made studying color his thing). He created this collection during a time when Japan was navigating rapid modernization and growing Western influence, figuring out what stayed, what shifted, and what something new could look like.

From 1933 to today, the combinations absolutely still hold up.

So, here’s round one of me rambling about a few of the palettes and turning them into rooms. Stay tuned for more 🤓

02/17/2026

When the perfect chair doesn’t exist, I make it.

(Ok, ok so I’m not exactly the one in the workshop covered in sawdust…but I do know who to call.)

But custom doesn’t go from “add to cart” to your front door in 48 hours. It takes coordination, craftsmanship, and patience. And in this case, a few different timezones 🤪

From order to delivery, these custom chairs took a little over three months.

And that’s after the client said, “Yes, order them!” The fabric hunting, silhouette obsessing, and detail tweaking? That all happened beforehand. This is just the ex*****on chapter.

And as my client so beautifully put it: “The good stuff is always worth the wait.”

Swipe for the journey.

01/29/2026

So no, you won’t be coming across the perfect sofa later. Because I’m finding it now. 😉
Otherwise I failed at my job. And honestly, what would be the point of working together if we didn’t land on something that makes you feel alive inside? 🤯🙈

📷

01/08/2026

Work with me (if you’re done watering yourself down at home).

Your home should be the safest place to let your freak flag fly, full of opinions, quirks, and choices that actually delight you.

Here’s how we make that happen:

🐆Full Service Interior Design
Share your vision, nod at the ideas you love, and let me handle the rest — contractors, timelines, deliveries. You get to be excited about your home without managing every moving part. That’s full-service.

🐆Virtual Interior Design
DIY with a major assist from me. I’ll whip up your custom plan, give you a click-and-add-to-cart shopping list, and cheer you on for 6 weeks while you bring it to life. You’re in charge of implementation — I’m in your corner the whole time.

🐆Design Consultations
Get quick answers to the design dilemmas keeping you up at night with 1 hour virtual sessions or 90 minutes in your home.

Ready to blow this popsicle stand? And by that I mean, inquire, tell me about your hopes and dreams, and watch your house become a space you never, ever, ever want to leave? Book a discovery call at my bio link.

01/05/2026

Oh hi! New year, same me! 👋

Maybe you noticed I went from being pretty active on here…to basically disappearing. (And maybe you didn’t notice at all, which is also fine 😂)

I pulled back big time because I burnt out trying to manage actual design work and a social media presence. And when I pulled back, the clients still kept coming, so what was the point of running myself ragged on here? So, I made a deal with myself to only post when I felt genuinely inspired, which has been…infrequent 🥴 Not because I’m not inspired in my life, but because I’m rejecting the idea that in order to have a successful business I have to document everything for content and share every thought I have. It’s too much.

And honestly? If that’s what’s required to make a business work in this day and age…dare I say, I don’t want it. NO THANK YOU.

Sometimes I do want to share. And sometimes I just want to do my job (which I freaking love) and go home (by which I mean: walk downstairs). Basically, I think I was meant to be a business owner in the 80s—with a landline and zero pressure to make a Reel.

But anyway. I’m still here. Still designing. Still begging you to let that freak flag fly at home!

And now, the real point of this post (plot twist: I was genuinely inspired to share!) Over the last two weeks—between snuggling kittens, watching Heated Rivalry on repeat, and endless rounds of Monopoly Deal—I did a lot of reflecting on the last year and what I want 2026 to look like.

What kept coming up was wanting less…while at the same time also wanting so much more. Less distraction, obligation, and outsourcing my life. More presence, self-trust, and actually living it.

So swipe to see what I want less of (so I can have more). An in & out list, if you will, but make it personal. 😉

12/04/2025

Always love getting to chime in on these articles! But first, let me preface this one by saying that trend talk gets me riled up, because what matters most is that you love your design choices, and if you truly love them, who gives a damn if they’ve been declared in or out. Like I said in the article, I’m not here to yuck anyone’s yum.

When we call something tacky, by definition we’re saying it’s bad taste, and taste is so subjective, who am I to say something that you love is bad, ya know? For me, tacky isn’t about good vs. bad. It is about authenticity vs. fakery. Think faux plants, faux marble, faux wood, or metal spray-painted gold to mimic brass. Anything trying to be something it’s not can bring down a space. It is basically the design equivalent of catfishing. Just like you can feel when a person is faking it, you can feel when a material is pretending, no matter how realistic it looks.

If you love faux, keep on fauxing your little heart out. But if, like me, you get the sense that certain fake materials are stealing a bit of the magic, keep reading for what to do instead...

Choose real in smaller doses over fake any day. Yes, I know you want the full marble-wrapped bathroom of your dreams, but if your budget can’t support that right now, a marble tray on the vanity paired with a ceramic-tiled shower will feel so much better than seeing the same digitally printed “marble” vein repeated over and over again.

Hunt for real wood pieces at vintage or thrift stores before grabbing a dining table made from MDF with a thin veneer slapped on top. The real version might mean taking a slower approach, saving up for it, or waiting for the right piece to find you. Good design is supposed to take time!

And for plants, if you’re terrified of killing them or just don’t get a lot of natural light, there are plenty of real options that practically thrive on neglect or low light. Snake plants and ZZ plants are just a few.

Head to my stories or bio for the full article link!
And thank you to for inviting me to weigh in. Always so fun chatting all things design with you 😉

11/20/2025

A joy dump in no particular order AKA things that have made me ridiculously happy lately:

1-Hotel lobbies that understand the assignment
2-Successfully french-braiding my kid’s hair after telling myself for years that I couldn’t french braid
3-Clients with badass shoes
4-Giant slabs of natural stone
5-My “baby’s” birthday
6-My kid’s watching rock stars
7-My kid being a rock star
8-A long-awaited gallery wall finally coming to life
9-The prettiest bathroom before it comes to life
10-A thrift store dress with killer colors and pattern
11-A sculpture I regret not buying but also it had no price tag and also it was heavy and also I didn’t really wanna deal with flying it across the country
12-Caramel apple cheesecake bite
13-Over the top ice-cream sundae with meat on it. Yes, MEAT.
14-Vibey bathroom selfies
15-Making plans to visit my brother
16-Accidentally taking a video instead of a photo with that brother
17-Dr. Seuss looking trees
18-Feeling cozy and welcome in my brother’s house
19-Gorgeous airport views
20-Gorgeous plane views

09/15/2025

The way I had a holy 💩 moment writing 14 slides about my mom’s house vs my dad’s house. 😅

I always thought it was just sad that my dad’s house was so bare bones, no personality, nothing special. Just a roof with four walls.

But then it hit me: It actually embodied him perfectly. Practical, functional, there in the physical sense… but stripped of warmth, connection, and emotion.

Meanwhile, my mom’s house was messy and chaotic and bursting with life, because she was messy and chaotic and bursting with life.

That’s the thing about homes: they’re not neutral. They tell on us. They show who we are, how we show up, and whether the people inside feel like they belong.

Guess I’m still unpacking this one all these years later! But yeah, swipe through to read all about what learned from growing up in two very different homes🫠

08/07/2025

Don’t ask me for advice.

You’ll end up buying the weird art you love, the kind nobody else gets, and accidentally healing your inner child.

But hey, isn’t that the point? 😜

📷

08/05/2025

Oh, just some low-key questions keeping me awake at night. 🫠

Feel like answering one? Wellll, that’s what the comment section is for, so YAP AWAY ↓

And if even one of those questions stirred something in you…good.
 It means something inside you is waking up.

Maybe you’ve outgrown people-pleasing everywhere else, but it’s still showing up in your sofa.
 Maybe “when in doubt, just choose timeless” didn’t lead to fulfillment.
 Maybe you’ve been quietly craving a home filled with the weird little things that no one else gets.

Whenever you’re ready to choose joy over judgment, and resonance over rules, you know where to find me. 😉

1st slide 📸
palette cleanser 📸

07/17/2025

Giving the algorithm monster what it wants with a pretty little pic on the feed, but don’t worry, I’ve still got things to say🗣️

Coming at ya with three questions to ask yourself the next time you think, “Oh, this throw pillow will fix it!” because SURFACE LEVEL TWEAKS WON’T FIX A SOUL-LEVEL DISCONNECT.

Sorry for yelling, but wouldn’t it be nice to end the constant cycle of buying things and not being fulfilled?

Because if you truly loved what you were buying, you wouldn’t have to keep buying new stuff.

And side note, Target (or whatever store) doesn’t give a crap if you LOVE that pillow you buy from them, they’re happy to capitalize on your overwhelm. Your continual spending, second-guessing, and never feeling quite satisfied benefits them.

So before you buy it, ask yourself:

1. Does this excite me? Or is it like 50% there and a great price?
2. Is this adding meaning? Or is it just adding more things that I don’t need?
3. Does this feel like something I’m supposed to want, or something I actually truly want?

K, thanks, bye! (Oh, and if you’re like Jess, just work your magic on my home already, get the ball rolling by signing up for a quick inquiry call. You know where to find the link 😜)

📷

07/03/2025

Just trust your gut! Do what makes you happy!

Yeah, that’s great in theory. I’m all about it.

But what if you’ve spent years and years designing your whole life around what makes other people happy and you’re so numb and burnt out that you don’t even know what you like?

What if you’ve beat that gut instinct into submission so many times that it’s not saying a damn thing?

That advice is actually pretty freaking unhelpful.

Because before you can trust your gut and do what makes you happy, you gotta find your way back to the weird little things that light you up.

And I created a (free) 5 day email challenge to kick-start doing just that. So sign-up and reconnect with what you love already so you can fly that freak flag at home! (LIB)

Address

Sterling, VA

Website

http://www.thestyleddomicile.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Styled Domicile-Interior Design posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to The Styled Domicile-Interior Design:

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Interior Service in Sterling?