Like many modern relationships, the ladies of Salt Lake City’s Foundation Goods and social media style star Courtney Grow can thank the internet for setting them up. Call it an Instagram meet-cute: “We connected with Courtney around the time we launched our brand while we were growing and getting our name out there,” recalls interior designer Caitlin Creer, who co-founded Foundation Goods with her friend and fellow designer Bethany Christensen. “Courtney was in the same phase with her personal brand and was gaining a following.” The admiration was mutual, and both parties expressed an interest in working together. Suffice to say, it was a perfect match.
Grow and husband Wyatt had recently purchased a new Orem home for their young family (four kids under the age of 10, including twins), and while fashion may be her forte, she felt overwhelmed when diving into the world of interiors. “Courtney wanted to invest in her home and create a space for her family, but she also wanted the design to represent her lifestyle and her brand,” explains Olivia Snow, lead designer and stylist at Foundation Goods, who jumped at the chance to work in tandem with Grow to create something out of the box.
“In total opposition to the less-is-more mentality, I’m a big believer in more being more,” says Grow. “I wanted my home to be full of eye-catching and interesting furniture and objects. Whether it’s an unexpected texture or a piece that comes from another place or another time, my goal was to have a home that felt like it was furnished from the overstock of a museum rather than a catalog.”
For design inspiration, the team at Foundation Goods studied the way Grow dresses and took cues from her closet. “Courtney’s clothing always includes a hero piece, something that pops, and something that’s a little bit eclectic and off-beat that keeps things interesting,” notes Creer. “We applied that same formula to her home. We wanted to tell a story through her interiors.”
They landed on the perfect narrative to describe Grow’s style and guide their process: “A ’70s starlet living on the Upper East Side who loves to vacation in Palm Springs and inherited all of her grandmother’s furniture,” says Snow. Think one-part Gossip Girl and one-part California girl (Grow originally hails from the Golden State). This translated to a high-low mix of modern and traditional pieces, layered textures and patterns, moments of color, and unique lighting and accessories for a cool, collected look.
“We wanted the rooms in Courtney’s home to feel unique and individual, but they all had to play well together and interact with each other,” explains Snow. “It all works because each room suits a different element of Courtney’s personality and style.” Case in point: The formal, dusty rose dining room reflects the lipstick tones that Grow tends to wear, while the eclectic, vibrant green entry was inspired by a favorite verdant sweater. “If you stay true to a client’s authentic self, the design will always feel cohesive,” Snow says explaining one of her fundamental philosophies.
What started as an exciting design project resulted in an exclusive product collaboration. The Foundation Goods x Courtney Grow Collection features accessories, furniture, light fixtures and more, all inspired by Grow’s wardrobe and wanderlust. Many items from the collaboration were used to fashion Grow’s home and are shoppable via Foundation Goods (all furniture is available for custom order); fitting, considering Grow has built her brand on being a stylish shopping savant.
Ahead, we take a peek inside Grow’s dwelling and share two style lessons for a fashionable abode.
COLOR
Choose colors you love and that reflect your style and personality. “Courtney wears rosy tones and greens,” explains Snow, who suggests looking at your wardrobe when selecting paint swatches. “If you pick colors that you come back to time and time again when getting dressed, you’ll be happy with them in your home.”
Grow agrees: “I exclusively chose colors for my home that I would wear,” she says. “I love green generally, and in living spaces, I love the way it brings a sense of life to a room.” As for her dusty rose dining room, she says they tried a slew of samples to find the perfect shade. “Nothing was quite hitting the spot until we found this wonderful color called Nutmeg.” The feminine hue may not be for everyone, but that’s just fine with Grow. “When starting this process, I told myself that it wouldn’t be a success unless some people hated it.”
In the formal living room, Snow selected blonde tones that speak to Grow’s physical color palette and act as a bit of a reprieve from the rest of the saturated tones. It’s an appropriate palette given that this is the room where Grow snaps most of her photos for Instagram and where her followers see her the most—and it’s one of her favorite rooms in the house.
TEXTURE
Add visual interest with the right mix of textures. “Courtney is a mix master when it comes to textures,” says Snow, noting, for example, that she’ll team denim and wool with pops of fur and velvet. Foundation Goods applied the same textural mix to her home, pairing lacquered pieces with natural stone and silk pillows with matte fabrics. Most notably, though, bold, textured walls set the tone for the stylish abode from the moment you step foot inside.
“The entry is a tight, small space with tall ceiling so we made a statement with a green grasscloth wallpaper,” says Snow. They chose a vinyl grasscloth so it would be wipeable, which was key with little kids at home. “A strong first impression for my house was important to me, and I think we accomplished that in dramatic fashion,” says Grow of the vibrant, verdant walls. The textural mix continues throughout the room with the addition of a polished burl wood dresser, part of the FG x CG collab, and a vintage woven rug.
Learn more about Foundation Goods here.
