Raised in the Deep South, Ellen spent her childhood summers visiting family in Guatemala, she lived nearly a decade in California, and has an intense love for the English Countryside. Each of these places have influenced her style in its own unique way.
We met Ellen Godfrey over a decade ago when she and her husband joined our church small group in Los Angeles. We became instant friends and have always been amazed by her talents and keen eye for detail. We felt a real loss when she and her family decided to move back home to Birmingham, Alabama. Luckily we have family in Franklin, TN so we have made it a point to pop down and visit whenever we are out that way.
Keep scrolling to check out an interview from our latest visit with Ellen.
How long have you been an interior designer and tell us how you got into it?
I established Ellen Godfrey Design in 2015. Previously, I had always been interested in interiors and had helped friends with their homes in my spare time. While living in LA I had attended UCLA extension for interior design. Around that time, I was working full time for a company that would attend trade shows two or three times a year, and I used to design their booths as part of my job. The booths were really like mini stores with real walls and bespoke fixtures and lighting. We tried really hard to make it feel like you were in a boutique instead of a trade show at the Javits Center. From there, I began to design their brick and mortar stores as well. In 2015, I became a mom and knew I wanted to have some control over my schedule and work hours so I left that job and started working for myself full time.
EARL LAMEL Bedframe made for Ellen Godfrey many years back
Give us three words to describe your design aesthetic.
classic. layered. functional.
What is your favorite interior paint color?
Walnut or Oak?
Walnut!
Where do you source your wallpaper, and do you have a favorite specific wallpaper right now?
I LOVE wallpaper. Truly it’s probably the design element I love the most. I could never pick just one! A couple of my favorite brands are: Soane Britain, Trustworth, Bradbury, William and Morris, Ottoline, Zak and Fox. I could go on and on!
Name a few of your favorite designers you’re pulling inspiration from.
Reath Design, Sherwood Kypreos, Jessica Helgerson, Yond Interiors, Kristen Panitch, Jamie Haller, W Design Collective, Heidi Caillier, Rita Konig
Where is your favorite place to source new furniture and, what about vintage?
New: EARL, Shoppe by Amber Lewis, McGee and Co, DWR, Nickey Kehoe, Lawson Fenning
Vintage: 1st Dibs, Chairish, Scotts, Nickey Kehoe
What was your process like when working with EARL Home to create custom furniture?
Amber and Chris are some of my close friends so the process has always been easy and informal. My favorite piece they’ve made for me is their custom KABOT cabinet that went in the foyer at one of my clients homes. We needed something that would have some storage, and we wanted it to be an heirloom piece with a funky marble top. Chris sketched out exactly what we needed and I was able to approve the stone top from afar.
EARL KABOT Sideboard custom made for Ellen Godfrey Design.
What is your favorite piece from EARL’s furniture collection?
Honestly, I can’t wait for my new commission, the LAPILO coffee table. It’s walnut and is large in scale with 8 hidden drawers! We are going to fill it with spare blankets and games and I am sure my kids will each claim a drawer for their treasures..
EARL LAPILO Coffee Table commissioned by Ellen Godfrey
Would you recommend EARL to other interior designers and, if so, why?
Yes! Their pieces are made to perfection and the wood finish is so beautiful. I often use their ceramics to fill in open shelves as well.
EARL Serving Bowl and large Nesting Bowl styled by Ellen
EARL small bowl from our Nesting Bowl set styled by Ellen.
Ellen asked us to customize our WOLF Bench into a Console and we loved how it came out!
Our X Dining Table customized for Ellens client as an occasional table. We love it!
Do you have any advice for those of us out there that would love to get into interior design?
Learn to render out your spaces! It is monumentally helpful to draw things out for my clients in 3-d. It takes out so much guess work and communicates what’s in my head to the clients and contractors.
Thank you Ellen!
We love working with you and look forward to future projects together.
- Earls
