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" ELLE DECOR: Were you always interested in design? VICTORIA HAGAN: When I was 11 years old, my parents built a house. I remember loving that process but being very frustrated that they didn&amp;#039;t listen to me\u2014I didn&amp;#039;t like the materials they were picking. I had definite opinions, and when I look back on it, I find it amusing that at that age I was so opinionated. My parents humored me\u2014they let me move the furniture around. ED: Your style has been described as quietly elegant. Do you see it that way? VH: So much of what I do is about how people live, and I am always looking for balance. I love it when rooms come alive with a personality, and I like things to be real and honest and reflect the people who live there. We designers definitely have a point of view, but it depends where a home is and who the people are and what they like. It&amp;#039;s a process. You ask lots of questions and you listen. It&amp;#039;s the listening and the seeing and the feeling\u2014it&amp;#039;s all about the senses.  ED: You&amp;#039;ve said you like to make happy homes\u2014what makes a home happy?  VH: A happy home is one where you feel good. It&amp;#039;s a home that works. It&amp;#039;s a place where people can gather\u2014it&amp;#039;s about real life. There&amp;#039;s nothing better than being at home with family and friends, and I like my work to encourage that. ED: Do you have any rules? VH: Don&amp;#039;t take yourself too seriously. We all strive for perfection, but ultimately I think perfection is overrated.  ED: How has the economy affected your work?  VH: I think the business has changed in that there is a lot of attention paid to value. When you work with an interior designer\u2014I don&amp;#039;t care if you are working on a studio or a 10,000-square-foot house\u2014it&amp;#039;s expensive. You buy anything, and it adds up. People really want to make sure they are spending their money wisely, so more time is spent making decisions than in the past. Before things slowed down it was, &amp;quot;How fast can you do this?&amp;quot; We&amp;#039;re good at handling that, and we know how to do it, but now people take more time to make those decisions. ED: Do clients comparison shop? VH: I think people are very aware of the market. I have clients who quote me the color palette of fabrics\u2014they know what&amp;#039;s out there, and I think that&amp;#039;s great. People are more educated now about design, because of TV shows and magazines. ED: What inspires you today?  VH: I find inspiration in nature, especially colors. Because I travel a lot, I am often in the sky, and I get very inspired by the clouds and the different qualities of light. I also get inspiration from people. New York City is such a fabulous place to work\u2014there is so much going on. I think if you&amp;#039;re a visual person and you&amp;#039;re open to seeing things, there&amp;#039;s so much here to take in. Click here to see more of our Women in Design. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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