The Heart Behind the Work
The Heart
Behind the Work
our beliefs of home
A return to self.
Not a place to hide.
A place to soften.
Belonging doesn't require sameness, stillness, or perfection. A home can embrace your contradictions. It can be vibrant and calming. Expressive and restorative. Filled with history while making room for change.
A home should hold your whole life, not just offer relief from its demands.
A home that expresses who you are reinforces your sense of belonging. A home that understands your needs allows for restoration. And a home that restores rather than depletes you leaves more energy for living, connecting, creating, and growing.
WORDS FROM THE FOUNDER
I understand what it’s like to have others rely on you. To hold everything together. To want a space where you can just be, without the noise.
And I know what it is like to have a home that adds to the weight instead of lifting it.
I’ve always felt design before I could explain it. Long before it was a career, it was how I made a room a haven in an uncertain place & time. It’s how I’ve healed, reclaimed space, and created joy. Now I help others do the same.
Elizabeth Eigenbauer
The background
Growing up in a small rural town, nature was my first teacher. From the expansiveness of starlit skies to the quiet presence of the trees. The particular stillness of a place that asks nothing of you, was quietly teaching me what it meant for a space to hold you.
Small town life had its charms, but something in me longed for more…
More color. More meaning. More of the world than the small town could offer. So I set out to find it without losing my connection to nature or its influence on me.
Finding my way...As the first in my family to pursue higher education and start a business, I forged my own path. I worked in customer service while earning my associate’s in Elementary Education, before pivoting toward what had always quietly called to me… interior design. I switched majors and off to Chicago I went.
I spent over a decade gaining expertise until everything changed…
My daughter arrived early. She became my focus and my reason. In choosing her, I lost the career I had built. But witnessing myself carry the weight of it all, I also found my courage. And so, Elizabeth Ann Interiors was born.
The Not So Deep Part
The formalities, if you’re interested
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An Associate's degree in Elementary Education from Parkland College in Champaign, followed by a BFA in Interior Design from Harrington College of Design in Chicago.
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I spent nearly a decade at Urban Source, a boutique interior design studio with a textile showroom. That's where my love for layered, tactile design deepened while expanding my knowledge in custom window treatments, upholstery, and wallpaper. Growing from intern to senior interior designer, I worked on everything from custom furniture and millwork to kitchen and bath design, space planning, and furnishings. Working in a small studio helped me develop my skills and knowledge not just in design, but in the business and construction side as well.
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Before starting Elizabeth Ann Interiors, I spent a year at a design and construction firm as a Senior Interior Designer, leading projects from the initial client meeting through construction feasibility. My projects primarily focused on kitchen and bathroom renovations. ending with a four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home renovation and furnishings project.
honest care
Eco-Conscious Ethos
My reverence toward our natural environment shows up in how I approach design, choose materials, source pieces, and care for what is already working. No greenwashing, just a short summary of how I strive to be as eco-conscious as possible.
reduce
Choosing longevity, efficiency, and fewer chemicals.
We prioritize craftsmanship and natural materials, sourced locally or made in the USA. We look for certified, responsibly sourced products keeping indoor air quality, water, and energy efficiency in mind.
reuse
Honoring what’s true, even if it needs a little TLC.
We believe in restoring architectural details, reupholstering furniture, refinishing cabinets, and giving reclaimed, vintage, or antique pieces new life instead of adding to what’s already been made.
recycle
Letting go doesn’t have to mean the landfill.
And new can also mean new to you. We encourage donation or resale of usable furniture and fixtures. We also love looking for the perfect pieces for our clients that have some history and more life to give.
Ready for your soft space to land?
Every journey begins with an Alignment Call. A conversation, a direction, a place to start.