written by Nada Jones

Last week, I had the privilege of interviewing Interior designer Kirsten Blazek for her book launch, A 1000 x Better: A Rebel by Design. It was a gift to see this woman, whom I had watched build her business one step at a time, getting her flowers, as they say. 

I prepared for the interview by pouring over her newly minted book by Rizzoli and oohed and aahed at the beautiful images captured within, but it was her personal story that moved me. The first few pages read like a manifesto for our work here at Liberty Road. "I'm a rebel who was brave enough at almost 40 years old to listen to what the universe was saying to me and to push past the fear that said, 'You're too old, and this is crazy,'" writes Kirsten. "If there is anything you take away from my story or work, I hope it is that anything is truly possible when you walk the road less traveled to see where it goes."

In her book, Kirsten walks us through her Scottish-born and bred life and the sensible path she chose to please her parents. She became a nurse, met, fell in love with and married an American, and planted her life as an ICU nurse in San Diego. She eventually had two children and moved to Pasadena, where she decided to stay home with the kids. Eventually, Kirsten found herself divorced and needing to return to work, but this time, the sensible life was no longer calling. "There was always a feeling of Yearning for something more," she writes. "The whispers of the feeling that there was something more for me out there never went away." 

While contemplating her next steps, a friend visiting Kirsten's home recognized her design talents. She encouraged her to take a stab at staging a Malibu home on the market; the rest, as they say, is history.

"This has been quite a journey I have been on, and through it all, I have learned so much about who I am. I have a level of self-acceptance and confidence in that human in the mirror now. I have tattoos because I love them. I will rock a Valentino dress with snake-design cowboy boots because it makes me feel right. The more I create , the more I become, and the more I become , the better I get at creating. My work is my passion and the gratitude I feel for it, and the wonderful loved ones I have in my life, is infinite. It doesn;t matter that it happened later in life or that I am not classically trained, what matters is that it happened at all."

You can learn more about Kirsten and order her new book here.

Photos credit: @kianamichellescott

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