CAROLINE: Growing up in a small Texas town, I never imagined that a major city like Houston could have the same sense of connection, community, and support. I love that we have access to everything we need while maintaining strong relationships with friends, our church family, and our children's schools. Houston has an amazing, supportive group of creative women who uplift and support one another. There is a local group of small business owners and creatives that meets monthly to learn about and support other small businesses. When it started, we would meet at a local restaurant, Tiny Boxwoods, so we call it “The Boxwood Breakfast Club."
Caroline is photographed wearing Eileen Classic Linen in White and Kinsale in White.
CAROLINE: Growing up in a small Texas town, I never imagined that a major city like Houston could have the same sense of connection, community, and support. I love that we have access to everything we need while maintaining strong relationships with friends, our church family, and our children's schools. Houston has an amazing, supportive group of creative women who uplift and support one another. There is a local group of small business owners and creatives that meets monthly to learn about and support other small businesses. When it started, we would meet at a local restaurant, Tiny Boxwoods, so we call it “The Boxwood Breakfast Club."
Caroline is photographed wearing Eileen Classic Linen in White and Kinsale in White.
F&E: You run a successful media site, HOUSE of Harper, focused on beautiful interiors, travel, parenting, and fashion. What prompted you to create HOUSE of Harper, and how has it evolved over the past 10 years?
CAROLINE: In 2010, my husband and I moved to NYC for him to attend Columbia University. I joined Gilt Group after working as an Assistant Buyer at Neiman Marcus in Dallas. My love for fashion grew during my time at Gilt, as did my passion for creating the perfect interior space in our small Manhattan apartment. With the blogging space gaining momentum, I started HOUSE of Harper to share my personal style and experiences living and working in the fashion industry in NYC.
After our first son, Knox, was born, I decided to leave my corporate fashion job to stay home with him. Blogging became the perfect outlet to continue my passion for fashion and design while sharing my new life as a mom. It allowed me to contribute financially to our family without missing too much time with my son.
I think the biggest change since starting my blog has been the evolution of the industry itself. When I first started, publishing a blog post was straightforward, and I could still step away from work. Today, with platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Substack LikeToKnow, etc., it can quickly become all-consuming. Even family vacations can turn into content! Each creator must be very intentional about what feels right to them and find that line to balance their personal and public lives.
CAROLINE: My career in the fashion industry helped me develop an eye for beautiful things and quality pieces. It also kept me in the know about constantly evolving styles and trends. I think this helped me hone my own personal style in fashion and interiors. It gave me the confidence to know what I like and not be afraid to go for it.
Caroline is photographed wearing Eileen Classic Linen in White and Kinsale in White.
CAROLINE: My career in the fashion industry helped me develop an eye for beautiful things and quality pieces. It also alway kept me in the know with constantly evolving styles and trends. I think this helped me hone my own personal style in fashion and interiors. It gave me the confidence to know what I like and to not be afraid to go for it.
Caroline is photographed wearing Eileen Classic Linen in White and Kinsale in White.
CAROLINE: My Texas roots definitely influence my design aesthetic. I grew up surrounded by beautiful antique furniture, plates hung on walls, and a very warm, welcoming home—elements you can find in our own home today. I love color and mixing patterns to create a playful, unique space. I could wallpaper every room! Color makes me happy, with blues and greens being my favorites. I want our home to be beautiful but most importantly, functional and warm. I want our friends to walk in and immediately feel welcome. I don't like spaces that feel too fancy to actually use.
Caroline is photographed wearing our Malibu Travel Set in Black.
CAROLINE: My Texas roots definitely influence my design aesthetic. I grew up surrounded by beautiful antique furniture, plates hung on walls, and a very warm, welcoming home—elements you can find in our own home today. I love color and mixing patterns to create a playful, unique space. I could wallpaper every room! Color makes me happy, with blues and greens being my favorites. I want our home to be beautiful but most importantly, functional and warm. I want our friends to walk in and immediately feel welcome. I don't like spaces that feel too fancy to actually use.
Caroline is photographed wearing our Malibu Travel Set in Black.
CAROLINE: My personal style has evolved significantly over the years, reflecting the changes in my life. I still have clothes (and shoes!) in my closet from my days as a buyer in NYC, but my mom life in Houston requires a very different wardrobe. I still like to feel stylish and put-together, but that usually means a great pair of denim with a perfect button-up shirt and a well-fitted blazer. In the summer, you’ll often find me in an easy dress paired with trendy shoes and a Freya hat.
Caroline is photographed wearing Eileen Classic Linen in White and Kinsale in White.
CAROLINE: My personal style has evolved significantly over the years, reflecting the changes in my life. I still have clothes (and shoes!) in my closet from my days as a buyer in NYC, but my mom life in Houston requires a very different wardrobe. I still like to feel stylish and put-together, but that usually means a great pair of denim with a perfect button-up shirt and a well-fitted blazer. In the summer, you’ll often find me in an easy dress paired with trendy shoes and a Freya hat.
Caroline is photographed wearing Eileen Classic Linen in White and Kinsale in White.
F&E: What’s coming up next for HOUSE of Harper (or your design/styling work!)? … And what are you most excited about?
CAROLINE: After having our youngest child, I took a lot of time away from the daily grind of content creation and social media. It was March 2020, there was a worldwide pandemic, and everything felt uncertain. On top of that, it was an election year and the world felt more divided than ever. It was not a pleasant time to be on social media, to say the least.
I wasn’t sure what I wanted HOUSE of Harper to look like going forward at this point, but I knew I wanted to be very intentional about the next chapter of my career. As our kids grew older, I felt a shift in what I wanted to share online. When our oldest son started kindergarten, he felt too old to continue to share our personal lives in the same way I had when he was a baby. It weighed heavily on me to rethink what HOUSE of Harper was and how I wanted it to look moving forward.
I took the time off to think about why I started HOUSE of Harper in the first place, what I loved about it, and what was causing me to feel so burnt out. While I was taking this break from blogging, I began helping friends and family with interior design projects offline. I discovered immense joy from sharing my passion for beautiful antiques, art, and fabrics, bringing them together in an approachable way to create livable spaces for families to better enjoy their homes.
I've also really enjoyed the challenge of learning a new side of the industry. I nerd out over industry software and processes that help streamline my work, allowing me to spend more time on the fun part of my job—designing and bringing my clients' visions to life.
I am most excited to start sharing this new chapter with my long-time followers, supporters and friends. I just started working on a website redesign to better represent HOUSE of Harper today, and I am very excited about that. I'm also still really energized and excited about learning more about design. I love reading old interior design books and magazines and finding inspiration when we travel.
Thanks for cozying up for 'a cuppa with' Caroline!
To keep up with Caroline and HOUSE of Harper:
houseofharper.com
@houseofharper
Shop Caroline's looks:
Eileen Classic Linen in White
Kinsale in White
Malibu Travel Set in Black
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