Meet Amanda Overton: Designer | Interiors + Textiles

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amanda Overton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk, I love this question, it even gets me jazzed, excited, motivated thinking about the question. And it truly is the secret to everything, the backbone. Risk requires gumption, a willingness to entirely let go of everything you have envisioned, trust your gut, let go of fear and dive into it all. And I don’t say any of this lightly. That’s why I get excited, liberated talking about it. Risk is the number one go to I attribute to my successes. Meaning I can have all the skills, intuition, creative applications but unless I push myself, take the risk in sharing it, putting it out there to the world then I only have it for myself. But before risk, you’ve got to have clarity. Clarity of your vision. Without clarity of your vision you can feel muddied, unclear, which can create doubt. Doubt is fear, which resist risk.. Once your clear, then it’s fun and liberating to take risk!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a Story Teller. A designer, a maker, an artist, a constant observer of our sensitive, tactile world. I find inspiration everywhere and I listen. Through architecture, landscape, people, sounds, culture I guide myself through my feelings. Seeking connection to the tangible world I can visually create. Instincts are immediate and so important to be present to observe and listen to them. I am very interested in creating environments and product that connect us to our natural world, remind us of who we are at our core, tell our authentic story, make us feel good and nurture our well-being. This has been my personal life journey experience, both in the exciting and challenging pathways. I have learned through my life to lean into the challenges as gifts. I am always an optimist, idealistic but rooted, grounded. This has allowed me to expand my reach, try new things, be uncomfortable so I know what real comfort feels like to me. I stay patient in the process of learning, listening. I think of the process much like how nature behaves. Nature doesn’t move in a straight line and it changes based on the environment around it. For me, I am deeply interested in our connection to each other and how we share ourselves and celebrate our uniqueness. I think over the decades we have seen the ease in duplicated style and design, but we learned that did not really satisfy us. I think we are now experiencing a deeper level in honoring our individuality. We are curious and we want to expand and express ourselves without needing validation, but rather trusting our own instincts. My design work is a guided process. I listen to my clients and guide along the creative process to ultimately find those moments where we all feel “oh this is it, this is what I really love”. You know that feeling, it’s like drinking the perfect cup of tea, coffee or biting into a sweet. I want every single design decision to behold that exact emotion. Because it feels so good! And you can be certain when the entire space has been designed with that much care and love, it will feel like a home.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Let’s start the first evening out for a cozy, candlelight, mellow and relaxed dinner at Croft Alley in Beverly Hills. Sublime food, warm comforts surround with the kindest of souls to serve. We would begin the next morning with homemade muesli, fresh cut fruit and tea in my garden with my little dog Petunia and the coming and going of my inquisitive little felines. With the San Gabriel mountains in site we feel the inspiration to hike, so we head to the trails of the Santa Monica Mountains or depending on the time of year, possibly the poppy fields in Lancaster for a picnic along the grasslands (but not on the poppies!). I love to pack a picnic basket! Homemade foods like lentils, fresh baked bread, yes cheese please, and fresh fruit. I dye linen napkins in natural dyes so we would have a mix collection of unique textiles to sit on and add to our outdoor moment. Finish the day with a sunset drive and our toes in the ocean at Point Dume with the dolphins and sea friends. Always time for a drive through the winding back roads and mountains towards Ojai for lunch at the Farmer and the Cook. Explore the local Ojai shops like Summer Camp, Cattywampus Crafts and Fig. And always time for a little natural dye in the garden working with indigo, avocado and other wild seeds and natural fibers! Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Phuong Tran, Chef Croft Alley

Website: overtonhousedesign.com

Instagram: @overtonhousedesign

Facebook: Facebook.com/overtonhousedesign

Other: Instagram @overtonhousedesign