3 min read
A straight line may be the fastest route between two points, but is it the best? If you ask Johanna Lyle, the answer is a resounding no. Before founding her firm, Jo Lyle & Co., Lyle was chasing stories in every form: onstage as an actor, on the road with her sister as part of a two-woman theater production, and later behind the camera in nonprofit video production. “In my twenties, I tried many other creative careers before landing in design,” she explains, noting that interiors were always something that caught her eye, even as a child.
Like many, it wasn’t until the stillness of the pandemic brought “normal” life to a halt that her true destination sharpened into focus. Stuck at home, she found herself deep in DIY projects, reworking her apartment, and sharing the process online. “I slowly came to the realization that interior design was my passion area,” she says. “So I left my job to start over as a design assistant at a growing firm in Chicago, Centered by Design.”
Working under the tutelage of designer Claire Staszak, Lyle got a front row seat to how an established firm is run, exposure she calls “my version of design school.” Two years later, when her now-husband's grad school acceptance pulled them to Boston, she made a characteristically bold move: packed up, got engaged, and launched her own firm, all in one fell swoop.
Now based in Raleigh, Lyle is known for interiors that are layered, personal, and grounded in rich, earthy shades. Vintage finds and artisanal details play a leading role in her projects, proving that her love for spinning a story—whether on stage or inside a client’s 1920s home (her favorite era)—is integral to both her personality and her process. “There’s always the next milestone ahead to achieve, like growing a team or having a big studio space, and those goals are ones I am working towards,” she explains. “But, right now, having exciting projects with clients I enjoy working with and a good work-life balance feels like success to me.”
Get to Know Johanna
House Beautiful: What’s a hill you’ll die on when it comes to interiors?
Johanna Lyle: Please let’s do away with washable rugs. Who is actually taking all their furniture off the rug to somehow try to fit it into their washing machine? Wool rugs will be plenty durable for your kids and dogs, I promise.
HB: What emotion do you most want someone to feel when they enter your spaces?
JL: I always try to lead with this when designing for my clients: what do you want to feel in their space? It might be different in every room of the house!
HB: How do you avoid creative burnout?
JL: I try to pay attention to my creative energy, and when it starts to feel like I’m recycling ideas or lacking inspiration, I take time to get out and do something new to feed my creativity. Travel always reenergizes me, but so can going to a museum or visiting a new shop. As creatives, we need to refill the tank to keep producing great work at a sustainable pace.
HB: Describe a recent project that best captures your voice.
JL: The Hinsdale Terra Cotta House was a special project where the client trusted me to design custom rugs, millwork, furniture, and ornamental plaster details. When I get to create that much from scratch, with the help of wildly talented craftspeople, I come alive! I sourced vintage pieces from abroad, which I love to do when I have the opportunity. What resulted feels really special and specific to the house, the client, and my design perspective.
HB: What’s something you refuse to do in a project?
JL: Work with your brother-in-law’s best friend, who is “kind of” a contractor.
