From a long time banking career to full time home styling and staging, Stephanie Rich from Leather and Blush brings happiness to your home through individualized and high-end home styling.
What is Home Styling vs. Home Staging?
Have you ever felt like you had a vision for how you want a room in your home to feel, but just can’t seem to figure out the details to get it there? You look through endless magazines and purchase items from every store, but somehow it just doesn’t seem to pull together exactly how you imagine it? Stephanie Rich founded Leather and Blush to help your vision come to life. When you don’t know where to start in making your home look and feel like you want it to, she does.
Home Staging, on the other hand, is a service provided to realtors with homes on the market to help potential buyers imagine what it looks like to actually live in the space. That’s where Stephanie comes in. She helps curate home furnishings that feel attainable to those who are considering making a property their home, helping them envision what their life will look like. If it’s a family home, she might stage a playroom complete with activities for the kids. If it’s a condo for a young, single professional on the other hand, she may set up a bar area where friends can gather over a drink. Her job is to make the space invoke a sense of comfort and possibility, so potential homeowners can walk in and think, “Yes. I can do this.”
A Lifelong Love for Interior Design.
Stephanie shares that she spent her childhood constantly rearranging the furniture in her bedroom, imagining every way she could curate her space. Her love for interior design runs deep, but it wasn’t until recent years that she was able to make the jump to doing home styling full-time. She says she made the transition for her kids. “I want to set an example for them,” she says. “I want them to love what they do and not dread going to work every day. I want them to do something creative if they want to. That’s what motivates me to follow my dream. This work allows me to be more present with them.”
Home Styling for Happiness
Stephanie says that the most important thing she considers when working with someone to style their home is what makes them feel happy. “When I’m home styling, I always try to bring something I love into every space, and I recommend to my clients to do the same,” she says, That’s because your home should feel like a place that you genuinely love.
It often starts with simple questions like: What colors do you like? What kind of feeling are you hoping for? After establishing a foundation, Stephanie takes her clients on a walk through stores like Home Goods so they can point to things they like to give her a sense of direction. When people can actually touch the things that draw their attention—pick up a vase or hold a piece of art—it makes the inspiration much more tangible than simply flipping through a magazine.
For Stephanie, building a home around things that bring her joy looks like a funky set of mustard yellow curtains with blue birds hanging in her office or a christmas tree in her bathroom during the holiday season. They aren’t exactly ‘trendy,” she says, but she finds that they bring her joy and energy every time she walks into the room. For others it may be a bold colored bathroom or a funky wallpaper in the hall closet. Or maybe it’s pictures of your family in the living room or your dog sleeping on the couch. Whatever it is that draws you in is worth pursuing because anything can feel homey if you incorporate it in a way that makes sense, says Stephanie. Home is about finding your happy, and surrounding yourself with it as much as you can.
Inspiration Is All Around Us and 2026 Trends We Love
Stephanie shares that she finds inspiration far beyond the typical places you would expect. She doesn’t simply flip through home magazines and scroll Pinterest, she finds inspiration in the colors, architecture, and natural world all around us. Sometimes she walks through Balboa Park and feels inspired by the architecture, or sees a beautiful plant and thinks, “how can I incorporate that into my home?”
When we asked Stephanie if there are any current trends that she enjoys, she said that bold colors are making a comeback and she is all for it. 2026 is the year when people are getting playful with color in their homes, which opens up a ton of possibilities for design.
Finally, Stephanie leaves us with some easy tips to freshen up your home on your own this Spring, and throughout the year. If you are looking for a refresh, start by simply changing out your throw pillows with the season. Consider moving your couch to a new area or painting one wall a different color. Add different textures to your environment to create visual interest and consider adding a natural scent like sage, citrus, or floral to your living space. Or perhaps find a funky new art piece to place on your bookshelf or in your kitchen to add a sprinkle of fun. Don’t be afraid to play around and change things up. You will be surprised how it makes you feel! Remember, if you need help, Stephanie is only a phone call away.
“When I’m home styling, I always try to bring something I love into every space, and I recommend to my clients to do the same.”