A carefully curated and immaculate home that's housing two families and seven children sounds like a finicky interior designer's worst nightmare. Thankfully, one could hardly apply that adjective to either Heather Fujikawa or Heidi Andrews, twin sisters and stars of UPtv's "Design Twins," which aired its first episode on Valentine's Day. The duo, who also runs Dallas-based interior design business Joyful Living, has an easygoing nature that shows up on screen and in their designs. While two families in a single space might seem cramped to some, this pair revels in it.
Before the premiere of their show, we chatted with the duo about their aesthetic choices, some of their favorite trends and their crowded living arrangement.
You're all about bringing joy into people's lives. What are some aesthetic choices people can make to bring joy into a space? By zoning in on what brings them joy personally. Whether it's an experience they had or a sweet memento they picked up, people can add different layers of their greatest moments into a space to encapsulate personal joy. You can also include living touches to a space like an artificial tree, an herb in the kitchen window, or a succulent on a shelf. A little bit of life in a room goes a long way.
Have you ever had creative differences? And, if so, how do you resolve these conflicts? We haven't had too many design differences in the past. One of us tends to choose more jewel tones in her design, and the other is mostly neutral when it comes to furnishing, adding in touches of color through textiles and accessories. We love to combine our different design aesthetics to create something we believe is unique and harmonious together.
What trends are you seeing in interior design right now? One in particular is adding wood tones to a room. So, instead of having everything look polished and white, adding some wood to give a little dimension to a space and add warmth is something we are loving. Also, a big item right now is changing up your walls with wainscoting and other fun patterns to give a punch of design and texture to any space. Patterned tile is also a big trend, which we see on floors, bathroom walls and fireplace surrounds. It's fun to see a little pattern come back in style.
How and why did you make the transition from designers to designers/television personalities? We felt we had a unique story to tell. We both love our families and motherhood, but we also have a passion and interest for interior design as well. The show really helped push us in the right direction to become a little more serious about making our business thrive, and it was a great way to tell the story of our brand and the products we have curated from around the globe.
What's it like having cameras follow you while you're working? It's an adventure! It keeps you on your toes. Instead of thinking about things and keeping your creative vision in your mind, you literally had to vocalize all your thoughts. It was a fun challenge to speak your mind at all times so the camera could follow what you were working on or why you were choosing a certain textile pattern.
What was the dynamic like of your families living together? Did it have a positive effect on your creativity? The dynamic with our two families together is busy and a little noisy at times with seven kids, ages 6 and under. But it is so great because in the quiet moments - usually in the evening - we all sit down and brainstorm design projects. There is more synergy and almost a boost of excitement to keep the ball rolling. We have been so blessed on this road of life and can't wait to see what happens next.
