Serena Dugan: Our Homes Are Our Power Centers

"We all have visual DNA," says Serena Dugan. "Our aesthetics are unique and we should not try and follow or adhere to someone else's aesthetics. We need to find our own design compass and our own design language. So, my advice would be: find what you love, buy it, make it work, let it make you happy, learn what your DNA is and form your unique point of view out of what you just learned."

Serena Dugan is an artist, textile designer, and the co-founder of Serena & Lily — a popular home design and decor company.

Serena is extremely thoughtful when it comes to her home. She designs her personal space around how she ​feels​ in it, not how it looks to the visitor. We talk about how the objects we bring into our homes have a resonance, how our items should feel well-worn and well-loved, and she encourages us to buy what we connect to, without thinking about the rules. Whether you're an artist, a designer, or you simply love home decor, this conversation is pure inspiration.

In this episode we talk about:

• How she created the company Serena & Lily
  with Lily Kanter.
• Her reasons for why, after many years, she
  stepped away from Serena & Lily to forge her own path.
• The influence of travel in her work.
• Her process in creating textile designs.
• Things in her home that hold the most power, and
  why.
• Her non-negotiables in her living space.
• The power of having handmade objects in our
  home.
• Where and how she reconnects with herself every
  day – and the traditions and rituals around that.
• Why her grandmother is her role model.
• The new home project she's setting up on the
  east coast.
• Tips on helping people create a home that they
  love.
• How we should each form our unique point of view
  of our aesthetics based on our own visual DNA.

If you want to learn more, read more, discover more about Serena, you can find her at any of these places below.

• Website: SerenaDugan.com
• Artwork: Serena Dugan Studio
• Instagram: @serenadugan

​Being Home With Hunker is a new podcast where we explore the idea of "home"​— ​not just as a place where you live, but as an expression of your identity. Each week we talk with designers, creatives, and artists about who they are, how they create meaningful spaces, and what "being home" means to them.​

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