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Our Founder

Home Ec. is an eclectic interior design company owned and managed by designer & artist Natalie Papier.

NATALIE PAPIER

Natalie has a lifelong love of all things eclectic and colorful. Her childhood Victorian home instilled a deep appreciation for period charm and storied furniture. She has a strong belief that homes should be a reflection of the people who live in them, full of life, character, and warmth.

Her early exposure to art sharpened her keen eye for unique pieces and unconventional design. Natalie quickly built a reputation in the Chicago community for her unapologetically out-of-the-box designs. Now a resident of Charlotte, NC, her portfolio stands in defiance of all things beige and cookie-cutter. Natalie's vow against bland and boring has taken shape in her use of colorful wallpaper, eclectic art, and funky texture.

An artist herself, Natalie is a firm believer in supporting local art. Much of her interior design centers around the character of art pieces in the community. Natalie loves to collaborate with artists, designers, and makers to add life to the spaces she creates.

As lead designer on the Magnolia Network show Artfully Designed, Natalie continues to share her bold and playful designs with the world. Plus, many of her projects have been featured in Domino, Real Simple, HGTV Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, Luxe Magazine, and many others.

Testimonials

Words cannot describe the colors, beauty, energy, and light these wonderful designers have brought into our home!

We moved into a new house last year and we were happy to have a bigger space, we were discouraged by its odd-shaped spaces, inexpensive finishes and fixtures, and pale walls. We hired Home Ec. to help us decorate one room. We were so impressed and amazed with the results that we hired them for another room and plan to continue to do so until we are a Home Ec. house “head to foot”.

We got so many compliments on the space they have completed! They interviewed us about our style and pulled in ideas that we shared. Then, they added their own style and influence and the result was simply jaw-dropping. They mixed vintage art with modern furniture and found us so many fabulous thrift store treasures to add interest and soul to our “music lounge.” It is our favorite room in the house! Our dog agrees and has taken to spending her days in that room (we think she might be showing her appreciation for the the dog bookends and figurines that they included in their design).

This review would not be complete without sharing the most important reason to hire Home Ec. LLC — they are SO MUCH FUN and such incredible collaborative partners. You will want to work with them again AND have margaritas with them afterwards!

What else can I say? FIVE STARS and then some!!
— Paula Kluth
I originally asked Home Ec to help me with some help with my living room design. Natalie asked if I ever considered changing the rug. This evolved into a complete makeover of our home from a cold uncomfortable space to a warm, cozy, inviting home that my whole family absolutely loves! Natalie’s vision for spaces is extraordinary and her knack for finding the perfect pieces is amazing!! I also appreciate her ability to repurpose family heirlooms. She has transformed many items my grandmother and great grandmother made into home décor. Natalie is also conscience of our budget, proving that you don’t have to pay a fortune to have a beautiful and unique home. I will never trust my home to anyone else!
— Aimee Eicher
Natalie has the most amazing style and eye for decorating. Working with Home Ec. was super easy and everything turned out better than I expected. Natalie is also very resourceful which helped immensely for keeping within our budget. She turned our awkward disjointed space into a warm functional family space that we get tons of compliments on. Every part of the room has eye catching interest. Great use of colors and textures. I cannot say enough good things about Home Ec. We are already in line to do another project with Home Ec. within the next month and I cannot wait to see what Natalie does with the space! Thank you!
— Cassie Miller
Natalie was fantastic to work with, and I would recommend her to anyone. We asked her to redecorate a few rooms in our house and I felt she had a great appreciation for our style and what kind of look/feel we were trying to achieve. She also worked with some of the existing items we were attached to.She was extremely responsive, helped us complete our rooms in a very timely matter, and had an incredible way of finding just the right touches to make a room complete. She also had smart suggestions for things we could do in the future. I am in love with the results - we have the cozy yet pulled-together look we were hoping to achieve.
— Jennifer A.
Natalie and Kim are simply amazing. They brought to life exactly what I wanted for our new home. Their creativity and eye are impeccable. They also came in on time and on budget. I could not have imagined the process going any better. I am forever indebted to them for helping make my new house a home!
— Amanda Sonneborn
Natalie and Kim were fantastic from beginning to end. I had never worked with anyone in this capacity before (home styling and design) so I was a bit nervous about doing so. But from the moment I met them I was totally at ease. They made the entire process fun and exciting (and easy). I simply love the results and gained a couple friends in the process!
— Donna Rolf
I am so glad I hired Natalie and Kim for a design consultation! The main floor of the house we bought had some beautiful features and old charm, but it was tired and sad and dated. We started with a color consult to choose paint colors, and then they came back to talk about design elements and furniture placement. I had some ideas and a good sense of what I like, but I was having trouble getting started. They really gave me the push I needed to take their ideas, mix with mine, and run with it. Now our space has so much personality and life. It’s been incredible to see the transformation. Natalie and Kim really understand that the items you own are in your life because they speak to you in some way. They value the history in pieces, furniture, art, etc. They helped me to fall back in love with some items I had been tired of, by showcasing them in a new way. I also loved their scavenger spirit, that it’s more fun to breathe new life into something old or found, than to just click and buy something from a website. They also gave me permission to be quirky and whimsical and imperfect. This is not a real estate staging–this is my home, and I loved that they embrace the silly and lighthearted things that speak to me. They also just have great taste and bright ideas, and they were so much fun to work with! Highly, highly recommend!
— Elle Morton
Working with Natalie was a great experience. She redecorated my living room working with some existing pieces to give them a fresh look! She had wonderful suggestions and a great eye for pulling the look together. She gave me upfront, accurate timelines and cost estimates. Highly recommended.
— Rebecca Callahan