Women, In Their Own Words: Sandy Hartley

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Welcome to another edition of our Women, In Their Own Words interview series! At DesignDash, we love celebrating women shaping the design industry through their creative work, business decisions, and very individual ways of building a career. Today, we’re especially happy to feature someone who has already been part of the DesignDash community and conversations for quite some time: Alexandra “Sandy” Hartley.

Sandy is the founder and principal designer of Alexandra Hartley Interiors, a Houston-based residential design firm she launched in 2020. She grew up in England and began her career with British retailer John Lewis, where she managed interior design projects and learned an approach to customer service and attention to detail that still influences her work today. She later worked in sales and marketing for Mars, Inc. in both the UK and US before eventually returning to design.

Her life has also taken her from London to Houston to Kuala Lumpur and back to Houston, which has given her a broad collection of references upon which to draw. Today, her work combines that international perspective with a distinctly British appreciation for tradition, layering, and homes that feel collected rather than overly finished.

DesignDash readers and podcast listeners might already know Sandy from Episode 81, when she joined Laura Umansky and Melissa Grove for a very candid conversation about scaling a solo design firm. They talked about time management, hiring, admin, profitability, and what happens when the business is incredibly busy but the owner is still doing everything herself. Sandy has also been a longtime member of the DesignDash community.

In this interview, Sandy talks about the old design books she collects, why running helps her think, the confidence she has developed as a designer, and the business side of an industry she believes is still too often undervalued.

Women, In Their Own Words: Sandy Hartley

DesignDash: If you could listen to only one musical artist while working, who would it be and why?

Sandy Hartley: Coldplay. That is probably a bit predictable (I am British!). I feel they are part of my heritage. There is a lot of breadth to their music, and it is easy to have on in the background without being distracting.

DD: What’s the most unusual source of inspiration you’ve found for your work?

Sandy Hartley: This is not particularly unusual, but I love old design books, like ones that were published 30 years ago and are no longer in print. I buy them on Etsy or eBay. I collect new design books too and love to support fellow designers by buying their books, but I love going through older design books for inspiration. I do read them cover to cover!

I also love to run. I find that it clears my head and is a great creative reset.

DD: If you could collaborate with any historical figure, who would it be, and what would you create together?

Sandy Hartley: David Hicks. I admire his British sense of confidence with color, pattern, and geometry. My work is generally more neutral, so I think that contrast would be SUPER fun. If I was working with David, I might also get to hang out with his daughter India, and who wouldn’t want that?!!

*Below are interiors designed by Hicks, with a portrait of the British designer on the tenth slide.

DD: Do you have a must-do creative ritual or superstition before starting a project?

Sandy Hartley: Not really a superstition, but I do like to clear my desk, literally and figuratively, before starting a new project. Being creative, I gather fabric, tile, wood finishes, hardware samples, etc. around my workspace. As projects move through the design phases, we add to and then edit the selections.

As new projects start, I like to have desk and head space dedicated to that project. We always start with a blank slate ready for ideas and inspiration.

DD: If your creative work were a color palette, which colors would be essential?

Sandy Hartley: Brown. All shades of it, from soft taupes through muddy camel colors to rich chocolate brown. I can’t get enough! We incorporate these in our designs through wood, leather, antique furniture, fabrics, plaster, and paint finishes. I love the warmth and richness that brown brings to a room.

DD: How do you manage the business side of being a creative? Do you enjoy it, or is it something you’ve had to grow into?

Sandy Hartley: I came into interior design with a business background, so I’ve been very aware that creativity and the business have to work together. Running a design firm involves so much more than the design piece, from budgeting, procurement, and project management to client communication, business development, and a HUGE amount of organization.

I do enjoy the business side of it and am constantly striving to improve myself and the business. I love to learn and always have a podcast or business book on the go in my car.

DD: If you could only use three tools or materials for the rest of your career, what would they be?

Sandy Hartley: Natural stone, reclaimed wood, and striped fabric.

DD: How has your creative process evolved over the years?

Sandy Hartley: I’ve become more confident in editing. In my earlier work, I had the temptation to keep adding to a design or to keep searching for the perfect piece. I am now in the camp that a room often becomes stronger when you take something away.

We also encourage our clients to bring home pieces they discover on their travels, so their rooms continue to evolve over time and tell their story.

DD: What’s one piece of advice you wish you’d known when you started your business or creative career?

Sandy Hartley: Join a community of fellow business owners. For the first two to three years, I worked as a true solopreneur. As I started to integrate into the local design community, I learned of events that I could attend, and shortly after that, I joined DesignDash and another build-focused online community.

I now feel that I have a team around me to bounce ideas off, share business questions and opportunities with, and learn alongside. I wish I had done this from the outset and would encourage any solopreneur starting a business to join a community of similarly minded people.

DD: Have you seen the landscape change for women in the creative industry over the years? What still needs to change?

Sandy Hartley: Honestly, I don’t think I’ve been in this industry long enough to comment on how the landscape has changed. What I can say is that I’m surrounded by an amazing group of women who support each other and build each other up. All ships rise with the tide, and as we all seek continual improvement, we improve the design experience for our clients and for the tradespeople who are integral to the work we do.

What still needs to change? Probably the tendency to undervalue creative work. Interior design can look effortless when it’s finished, but there is an enormous amount of knowledge, decision-making, and responsibility behind each finished space.

DD: How do you think being a woman has shaped your creative vision or business approach?

Sandy Hartley: I am very conscious of how a home or space actually functions for the people living in it. Beautiful design is obviously central to our work, but practicality and function are the backbone. A home has to work on an ordinary Tuesday morning, when everyone is hustling to make school drop-off, not just look beautiful in a photograph.

I also think empathy is a huge part of this business. We are invited into clients’ homes and often into very personal decisions about how they live.

DD: What’s something you’re creatively obsessed with right now that has nothing to do with your work?

Sandy Hartley: I have always been interested in photography. Many, many years ago, I took classes and learned how to develop film (I am that old!!!), and of course this does weave its way into my work.

If I am photographing a room or a scene on my iPhone, I always look at the composition, the light, and small details. I am actually obsessed with horizontal and vertical lines in photos and will NEVER post anything that doesn’t have the lines vertical!

DD: Is there an idea, aesthetic, or trend you first hated but now have completely changed your mind about?

Sandy Hartley: Not that I hated it, but mid-century modern is a design movement that I didn’t have a personal appreciation for until working with a client who is strongly drawn to that aesthetic. I now have a completely different appreciation for mid-century modern design.

I loved going through the creative process of adding clean, simple lines to their home, bringing the outdoors in where we could, sourcing real terrazzo tiles because we couldn’t do poured terrazzo, working with walnut for kitchen cabinetry, installing sculptural, geometric lighting, and sourcing vintage furniture from that time period.

DD: What’s one question you wish people asked you more often about your work?

Sandy Hartley: “How long does a thoughtful remodel really take?”

I wish clients asked this more often because the creative process takes time. It takes time to understand them, explore ideas, refine the details, and source the right materials and furnishings. The build has its own timeline too.

Most of our projects are remodels, where unexpected conditions can arise and cause delays. When clients understand both parts of the process, we can make informed decisions rather than rush toward a finish date. We give clients an estimated timeline for each phase of the project to help them understand the level of detail and coordination involved in creating a home that feels personal to them.

DD: Have you recently wrapped any exciting projects, collaborations, collections, or other work? Is there anything on the horizon you’d like to share?

Sandy Hartley: We have several residential projects underway in Houston, all remodels, which I love, and a couple of projects that will start in the coming months. I really enjoy working with clients on the process of rethinking how their home functions as well as how it will look.

Many Thanks to Sandy Hartley for Participating in “Women, In Their Own Words”

We extend our sincere thanks to Sandy for sharing so much of her creative and business perspective with us. Her responses make it clear that, like many of our Community members, she doesn’t see design and business as competing interests. A beautiful space still has to work for the family living within it, a creative firm still needs sound business decisions behind it, and even a designer with a strong point of view can keep learning from clients, colleagues, old books, and ideas she might not have fully appreciated in the past.

Having engaged with her in DesignDash as both a member and podcast guest, we especially enjoyed Sandy’s thoughts on community. Sandy is continuing to work on residential remodels across Houston through Alexandra Hartley Interiors. To explore more of her work, visit Alexandra Hartley Interiors online and follow along with the firm’s latest projects on social media.

Stay tuned for more inspiring voices in our Women, In Their Own Words series. If you’d like to be invited to participate, please email our EIC at editor@designdash.com with “WITOW” in the subject line and your responses included in the body of the email.

Written by the DesignDash Editorial Team
Our contributors include experienced designers, firm owners, design writers, and other industry professionals. If you’re interested in submitting your work or collaborating, please reach out to our Editor-in-Chief at editor@designdash.com.