Ali Faulkner | Orange County Interior Designer

If you guys know anything about my career before starting this biz, it’s that I knew my sh*t about hospitality. After years of working in hospitality and consulting for Deloitte, I knew when I started AEF, I needed to do things a little *differently*. To me, that meant merging the worlds of hospitality and interior design to create a design experience that was clear, straightforward, client-focused, and dare I say even *fun*. Anywho, I’ll stop talking and let you guys read the slides because that’s what they’re there for. Cheers to doing this differently and focusing on hospitality-centered interior design! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #ocinteriordesign #ocinteriordesigner #interiordesignprocess #interiordesigntips Hiring an Interior Designer, Orange County Interior Design, Interior Design Business, Interior Design Tips, Orange County Interior Designer, Interior Designer Newport Beach

Oh hiya it’s me! It’s been a hot freaking minute since we did one of these and it’s Saturday so *why not!* (insert Lizzie McGuire movie sountrack here). 7 little fun facts about yours truly comin in hot hot hot: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 1. Bullet points and plus signs in e-mails are my jam. Keeping it short and sweet in this digital age is everything (ain’t nobody got time for an essay with our short attention spans lol) 2. My go-to drink is a dirty (filthy) martini with “as many blue cheese olives as you can fit” thank you very much 3. I met my husband at Walgreens and by “met” I mean I approached this poor man in the most horrendous morning-after-a-night-out outfit and asked him out, but hey a win is a win, friends! 4. I used to be a ballerina growing up and praise be I didn’t follow that career path because ya girl can’t even wear heels for more than a couple hours these days 5. Gift giving is my love language but I can’t wrap a present to save my life 6. I lived in the midwest throughout the majority of my twenties and I truly feel like a midwester at heart. We just don’t have cheese curds like that on the west coast, ya know? 7. I’m currently on the hunt for my next spring hyperfixation.. last year it was pickleball and I absolutely loved it until the pickleball mishap of 2024 (my poor toe.. do the real ones remember that? lol) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Okay I could yap on forever and ever but that’s a wrap for now! Catch you on the flip, friends

For once, as the person who *always* has something to say, I stand before you... SPEECHLESS. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The day has come, she’s here. A labor of love, 2 years in the making, but we finally made it. IG, meet our Seal Beach Project. We’re starting in the kitchen as one does, cause she’s got a story (more on that later). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Anyway I’ll shut my trap (for now lol) and let you guys drink this in the way I have since we got the photos. Thank you to the dream team for pulling this all together. The best is yet to come - stay tuned!!! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 📷 @stephaniecrusso || #SealBeachProject

Hear me out guyssss, yes, there are a lottt of things where we have to follow the rules (load bearing walls, permit approvals, etc.) but to me the things that bring “good design” to “great design” are often outside the box - sometimes it’s as simple as disrupting the trends and a lot of the time it’s maintaining the original character of the home or figuring out how we can add charm back into a space where it’s been blown out completely (*ahem* open concept living *ahem*). BUT these shifts are often easier said than done + it all goes back to that post I did a few weeks back about a good designer vs a great one blah blah blah - I’ll shut up now and let you swipe through to see exactlyyyy what I mean! Frame 7, 9, 11, 13, 15: 📷: @stephanie___russo Styling: @piecesofcate Frame 17 + 19: 📷: @stephanie___russo Styling: @rachel_forslund Builder: @bluelinecustombuilders #ocinteriordesigner #ocinteriordesign #designrules #breakingdesignrules #moderntraditional homedesign Orange County Interior Design, Interior Design Philosophy, Modern Traditional Design, Thoughtful Interiors

You guyssss, I had an absolute blast in Charleston!!! I am going to do a whole dedicated post for the @thedesignfieldretreat . I went deeeep on topics I have never discussed before, my entire onboarding process, and how I attract clients I love, so I feel like it deserves its very own highlight! Anddd because I had the chance to explore this city packed to the brim with charm following the retreat, I have SUCH a good list of boutiques, coffee shops, restaurants, etc. - I already shared bits + pieces on my stories, but would you guys want a dedicated post on that too? Let me know in the polls, please, and thank you!! #ocinteriordesigner #ocinteriordesign #charlestoncharm #southerninteriors #travelinspo designinspiration Orange County Interior Design, Charleston Inspiration, Destination Moodboard, Travel Recommendations

WOW totally a little late to the may show but, better late than never!! I NEED someone to talk to about Bieberchella!!! I personally couldn't have been any more of a fan of feeling like a fly on the wall - I felt like a friend watching my friend J Biebs go through YouTube and sing me some good old sing-alongs. The fact that this man can have zerooooo production and still have me by a chokehold goes to show how iconic and how much of an artist he is. I mean, I know compared to Sabrina it was night and day, but guys, think of the production Bieber had at that point in his career? He is already established, and we just want his true artistry. Now I also heard he was recording with Netflix leading up to Coachella?? When the hell is that going to droppppp now?! P.S. not Bieber related whatsoever, but you haveee to swipe on this dump to spot the cutest puppy sit you've ever seen in your lifeee. #ocinteriordesigner #ocinteriordesign #southerncaliforniadesign #aefinteriors #designcommunity Orange County Interior Design, Newport Beach Interiors, Southern California Homes

They sayyyy a picture is worth a thousand words, so what better way to show how we work with our clients to create charming homes that they are as equally obsessed with as we are, than to literally walk you through it! Building out these designs really is done brick by brick, and we leave no stone unturned in this process. Our design questionnaire is at the core of every project - here's a lil sneak peek into the one for Seal Beach and how it guided the rad home our clients get to enjoy to this day!! 📷: @stephanie___russo Styling: @piecesofcate #ocinteriordesigner #ocinteriordesign #designprocess #clientexperience #thoughtfulinteriors customhomes Orange County Interior Design, Interior Design Process, Custom Home Design, Interior Design Workflow

You guysss I have been so stuck on @sombr ’s music lately I was humming away in my marketing meeting last week + my team had never heard of him so now I feel like it’s my mission to tell everyone because he has such an angelic voice. Such a vibe for working in the studio! Do you have any new artists you’ve been crushing on lately? Drop the deets below plssss - anywhooo it’s been a minute since I shared a good ol around the AEF office photodump so here you have it folks!!! Had fun playing dress up with @tsgnewportbeach recently, and the office got a little glow up herself with an extra touch of spring + it was pure magic! #ocinteriordesigner #ocinteriordesign #southerncaliforniadesign #aefinteriors #designcommunity Orange County Interior Design, Newport Beach Interiors, Southern California Homes

If I had to answer the question "Ali if you could only choose one thing to add charm to your home what would it be?" Welll I think you've probably figured out the answer to that now folks!! Millwork is one of my favoriteee things to add into a home to bring charm into a space so it isn’t this ugly big white box with no character aaand with each project I like to take it a step further + experiment with how creative we can get incorporating it into different spaces. It truly does feel like the options are endless!! Frame 1: 📷: @laurentaylorcreative Styling: @piecesofcate Frame 2-7: 📷: @stephanie___russo Styling: @piecesofcate Frame 8 + 9: 📷: @stephanie___russo Styling: @rachel_forslund Builder: @bluelinecustombuilders Frame 10 + 11: 📷: @stephanie___russo Styling: @piecesofcate Builder: @waterfordconstruction #ocinteriordesigner #ocinteriordesign #greenmillwork #mudroomdesign #custommillworkdetails greeninteriors Green Millwork, Mudroom Design, Custom Built-Ins, Functional Entry Spaces, Layered Interior Details, Orange County Interior Design

Can you guys guess the one thing that is the same in pictures 1-5 in this photodump??? I'll give you a hint: it's a teeny tiny detail sooo minuscule it is possible it may only be noticeable to me because wellll I intentionally put it there LOL I have to pat my back on this one because it does veryyy much reflect our bread and butter, that AEF charm that you know and (hopefully) love! Take your time, zoom in and give it a think. I should've come up with a prize for the first one to guess it right now THAT would've been a fun game - okay okay I've dragged this out long enough here it is: the same shape that makes up the corner of the hood you can also find in the wood of the island where it meets the leg anddd where the shelf of the built-in meets the wall. I'm tellin ya these are the custom details I live and breathe for + live rent-free in my head!!! #ocinteriordesigner #ocinteriordesign #luxuryinteriors #homerenovation #custominteriors designinprogress coastalinteriors Orange County Interior Design, Custom Home Interiors, Project Update, Interior Renovation, Design in Progress, Coastal California Homes

Okay sooo I fearrrrr I’m perpetually on a full-blown vintage treasure hunt and honestly I’m not even pretending to have self-control anymore -plates, trays, mirrors, if it’s old, a little fuunky, and looks like it has lived a whole life before landing on a shelf… I’m probably bringing it home!! The bestttt part is these pieces end up sneaking their way into projects all the time. And heckkk you know I’m bringing things home from antique stores all over the county at this point so now I’m wondering… should I just make my own little guide to sourcing vintage pieces?? Because I feel like I’ve got some spots you guys would very much appreciate! #ocinteriordesigner #ocinteriordesign #vintagedecor #moderncharm #curatedinteriors antiquefinds curateddecor Orange County Interior Design, Vintage Decor, Vintage Home Finds, Curated Home Details, Curated Decor Pieces

Hiyaaa peeps I just have to say I am so grateful to live in a world where college football + thrifting classic books exists simultaneously and can be enjoyed equally by one human (you guessed it, it's me) - I meannnn how freaking cool is it that two things COMPLETELY unrelated can bring me so much joy?! That's pretty much all I've got for a Wednesday morn I hope you too woke up ready to take on another wild week of this life + if not maybe my latest hot take will give you a little laugh HA 📷: @stephanie___russo Styling: @piecesofcate #ocinteriordesigner #ocinteriordesign #rugdesign #interiordesigntips #homestyling Orange County Interior Design, Rug Styling, Interior Design Tips, Home Styling