That feeling you get when you're in a space you love — that's the very best.

I believe that spaces directly impact how you feel.

I have always been drawn to spaces that feel good, whether a dreamy hotel (looking at you, Hotel Fougère), or the breathtaking Pantheon in Rome. I think about every detail in the space (the cool lamp, the honed marble, the greenish-blue paint, the dappled light, and the thousand-year-old walls), but most of the time, I sit and experience how happy it makes me feel.

I love styling — a lot. I style spaces that mix modern, traditional, organic, and rustic styles by using texture, pattern, and color to create intrigue and add warmth. And most importantly, I style spaces to be livable, unique and feel good.

Mote Studio is located in Portland, Oregon.

Colleen Mote

Owner + Principal Stylist

I think your home should welcome you to do the things you love the most. For me, that’s eating freshly baked bread with butter and salt. Oh, and chocolate chip cookies — with salt on those, too. 

I’ve been known to obsessively search for the perfect, slightly textured, vintage neutral rug for our home. For The Love of Kitchens may or may not be on in the background. I can spot an extra space in a sentence like a mile away. I feel immense joy when I find an antique oil painting at an estate sale for $20, although small hundred-year-old vessels are my weakness, especially ones I find in France. 

I’ve been in the design industry my whole career, with experience in business development and marketing with some of the best architecture and design firms. Is it really possible to debate the best photo of a building for three hours? Yes, it is — ask an architect. I was a landscape designer, too. I’m into greenery.