catherine weiland
designer + principal, balance design studio
My first career was in tech. I completed my graduate program and was poised to continue my Boston commute and 60+ hour work week.
Then the tech bubble burst right as we started a family. Around this same time, my mother died from cancer. During my last visit with her, she said,
“Remember, a home is meant to be lived in.”
She was referring to my interior decorating obsession that was sure to collide with the chaos of raising kids.
All this felt like a wake up call. Maybe a simpler life would be a better way forward.
We sold our home in the Boston burbs and headed to Maine to renovate worn down properties.
To learn about renovation and design I got a job designing kitchens at a box store.
I ran into a former colleague while at work; I still remember the look on his face as he scanned me in my employee apron.
It was a mixture of bewilderment and pity. That was my introduction to hard work.
I didn’t mind the box store tasks. Cleaning up a spill on aisle seven wasn’t hard work.
Doing anything on aisle seven without dignity was hard work.
I found that I loved designing kitchens, so the renovation plan pivoted into a design career where the lessons in hard work continued.
Being an entrepreneur is like being a homesteader. You. Do. Everything. Not just the cute, fun bits involving baby goats. All of it. Or you don’t make it.
All of this has changed the way I think about home.
My mother was right. A home is meant to be lived in. Comfort and functionality matters. Beauty matters too. But not if we chase it for the wrong reasons. And not if we chase it with only ourselves in mind.
I’ve come to see these qualities as part of something larger: the relationship between our home and our wellbeing. A beautiful home can enhance how we feel. A home’s flow can make everyday life a little easier. But a home can also support connection and contentment.
These ideas have culminated into my design philosophy.
