Interior designer Summer Thornton, of Summer Thornton Design, is known for her fearless use of saturated color, and her affinity for combining bold patterns and textures with seeming abandon. A self described maximalist, Summer is full of cheeky but useful advice like “do one thing your Mother wouldn’t,” and “use pattern and color recklessly.”

We love the collected, personality-filled look that has become her trademark. We asked the Chicago-based creative to talk a bit about the philosophy driving her work, and to share a few of her favorite design tips with our readers.

“I think the more color, the more pattern, the more accessories the better,” says Summer. “That old saying ‘remove one piece of jewelry before you leave the house’ is funny to me. I think instead you might consider adding two or three.  The same is true of your home. The more collected, curated and layered it is, the more people can discover as they spend time there. It creates all these different little moments of discovery and intrigue.”

When it comes to mixing hues, Summer is once again in the more-is-more camp. “It’s isn’t formulaic,” she explains. “It isn’t about pulling one color from another. It’s about knowing that the world is full of color, and oftentimes the more colors you mix, the better and more natural it looks. I think of it like an orchestra.  Yes a violin solo is beautiful, but a full symphony has that much more depth. That’s how I see color in homes.”

“Don’t dip your toe, instead you have to jump in head-first to the deep end. When someone says ‘accent wall’ or ‘pop of color in the pillows‘ it makes me cringe. You can’t use color as an add-on or accent, it has to be baked-in to the design—an irremovable component. Like sugar in cookies. Without it, they’d taste terrible,” she says.

Her dedication to treasure hunting is evident in the striking vignettes that grace her client’s bookshelves and coffee tables. “I often joke that I’ve never found an antique store where I can’t find at least one thing to buy,” admits Summer.  “I’ve collected accessories, art and pieces for years. When I travel, I end up taking an extra suitcase or a larger than necessary one, simply because I know I’ll find goodies to bring back with me.”

“The more collected a home feels, the more it feels timeless and multi-faceted.”

“I love mixing old and new,” she continues. “The more you can intertwine them the better across various categories. For example, some new art, some old art, some new lighting, some old lighting, etc. I’m not sure there is a formula, but the more mixed it feels the more collected the home will feel.”

According to Summer, the key to achieving a home that truly reflects who you are is remembering to decorate for yourself & your family—rather than anyone else.

“People worry about what someone else will think or say—particularly their moms or mother-in-laws,” she says. “Decorating with fear leads to boring work that’s watered-down. Everyone should be their own person, should take a little risk, and not be afraid their mom won’t like it. The next generation often has a slightly fresher, younger perspective and that’s not a bad thing.”

“I love my mom, and I’ve decorated her house, but her home’s style is totally different than mine,” explains Summer. “She’s a minimalist, I’m a maximalist—she likes things that feel a little more safe and mainstream, I like things that are quirky and niche. If I decorated my house worried about what my mom thought, it wouldn’t be MY house, it would be a generic version with far less personality.”

Though her work feels very fresh and modern, the designer largely eschews trends in favor of pieces with more staying power. “Sure, I buy a few fun cheap accessories that are fleeting, but the vast majority of the home should be timeless,” she says.

“I find that going back to things that are historic, aged, antique, etc. helps prevent trendy design, and things looking dated.”

“I have plenty of projects that are 10-years old, but I’d still design and decorate extremely similarly today, because the decisions we made were steeped in some sense of classicism and traditional design—just with a colorful twist. We avoid trends, and instead focus on what will be timeless and stylish today and in the future,” she says.

All images courtesy of Summer Thornton Design.