Pretty Is Easy. Personal Is Better.
A peek at what’s inside — and what’s been deliberately left on the cutting room floor (hint: it’s neutral and probably trending).
Let’s get one thing out of the way: I love beautiful rooms. I’ve built a career around them. But I’m not here to help you replicate the same oatmeal-colored living room you scrolled past on Instagram seven times before breakfast.
This space — The Edit — is about more than what looks good. It’s about what feels like you.
I’m Virginia Bell: interior designer, founder of Edit by Virginia Interiors, and a firm believer that a room should tell a story (not just photograph well). I started this Substack because I was craving a place to share what doesn’t always make it onto the portfolio page: the messy, layered, real-life side of design.
What to expect here?
Think less “10 Ways to Style Your Sofa” and more:
The story behind a space, not just the reveal
Notes from the “cloffice” - what I’m sourcing, rethinking, or completely over
Design encouragement for people who actually live in their homes (kids, dogs, husbands with opinions…I see you)
Possibly a hot take or two, lightly charred
This is a place for readers who believe taste can’t be templated, and who are tired of rooms that feel more algorithm-approved than human.
If you’ve ever looked at a perfectly styled space and thought, “Where’s the actual person who lives here?”, you’re in the right place.
This is design with guts, humor, and a point of view. It’s for people who want to live with intention, not just imitation.
Thanks for being here. I’ll be publishing 1–2 times a month - sometimes a deep dive, sometimes a dispatch, always something with a pulse.
More soon. Until then, let’s keep it beautiful—and just a little bit braver.
xo, Virginia