“From a young age, they encouraged me to pick paint colors for my bedroom and taught me it was completely normal to move furniture around umpteen times to get it just right,” she recalls. She channeled that early affinity for interiors into her studies; her focus in college was fine art and business which, “at the time,” the designer shares, “seemed more practical than interior design—the things you learn with time!”

That educational experience led her down an art-focused path—at least, at first. Sullivan built a nearly-decade long career in New York working at art galleries and institutions, in both the curating and fundraising arenas. But a “nagging feeling that something was missing” persisted; Sullivan was missing her early interiors-focused roots. Night classes at the New York School for Interior Design helped sharpen her technical skills as well as more clearly defined her own style. Her early interior design business grew, she says, “through word-of-mouth referrals; initially that meant family, friends, and friends of friends.” Persistence paid dividends, and, after “about a year working in both worlds,” she notes, she had “enough projects lined up to make the leap full-time to interior design. It has been a wild ride but I have never looked back!”

Fast forward to today: The designer has since returned to her Texas roots, maintaining a focus on residential projects for her firm, MB Sullivan Design, which includes a range that spans new construction, historic renovations, and furnishing and styling projects located throughout New York, Texas, Nevada and California. Over the course of her practice, she’s carved out a specific focus: one that balances aesthetic form and day-to- day function, often with special attention to the details that families value and require.

“If I am being completely honest, I truly value form above all,” she says. “I cannot live with ugly things and I don’t want that for our clients either! Simultaneously, life is too short to fret over precious objects and materials. It is an easy sell when you can strike that balance of form and function.”

The experience of parenthood has played a role in her approach to the topic of practicality in a very real way. “Becoming a mother deepened my appreciation for functionality and durability to be sure. [Children] have also strengthened my belief that one can have nice things when there are children in the home—you just have to be prepared for everything to be touched with sticky hands!” Case in point: the designer’s family home in Austin, Texas, features toddler-height windows.

“Naturally, our oldest daughter developed an interest in ‘helping me’ open the shades every morning,” shares Sullivan of the Hunter Douglas Provenance^® Woven Wood Shades. “The cordless function that responds to a slight touch of the finger is perfect for her to exercise a little independence without giving me a heart attack.” It’s a funny parable that toddler parents everywhere can relate to, sure, but there’s also a valuable design principle at play too, says the seasoned pro. “At the core of the parenting/design lesson: nothing should be too precious that it makes you anxious for it to be used.”

Marrying form and function, for Sullivan, involves sourcing high-quality products made of the right materials. She also awards parental bonus points for child-safe products, like the Provenance shades she uses in her home. “I find that designing for a home with children often comes down to materials and construction methods that are naturally more durable, like the woven cordless Roman shades we used in our home. The texture and color of the shades are forgiving and the cordless feature is a no-brainer. It is so easy to use for parents and toddlers alike.”

Speaking of color and texture, the evolution of her interior design business is, in part, an aesthetic one, too. Early on, Sullivan’s preferred color scheme was distinctly neutral, borne out of a desire to keep projects both functional and trend-averse for the long haul. She also wanted to spotlight special antiques that she feared might overpower a room if too many other colors were at play. With time and practice, however, her palette has expanded, and she finds the next evolution of her style may very well be a colorful one: “I find myself more drawn to bold color palettes and patterns to accentuate the rare vintage finds. The overall look might feel akin to a ‘more is more’ aesthetic,” she says. “But I think that suits me just fine!” So do we.