FARMER'S DAUGHTER INTERIORS // BEHIND THE NAME
I recently returned from the Design Bloggers Conference in Los Angeles and am so grateful to have met many wonderful peers and mentors. During my time at the conference, I was asked more than once if I was 'really a farmer's daughter?'. Some of you will know this story but since there are some new readers here who may not be familiar with why my design business has anything to do with a farmer, I thought I would share our story with you all.
So here goes...
I grew up on a third generation grain farm south of Swift Current, Saskatchewan - we didn't have many close neighbors on the farm and my brother and I learned to make our own fun as kids. Our childhood involved being outside, building tree forts, taking care of the animals, gardening, and riding with Dad in the tractor. As we got older, we were given various jobs to help with the farm work and keeping up the yard - it would usually take four or five hours just to mow the grass! My brother and I learned to drive most of the larger farm equipment and would often work long hours during the seeding and harvest seasons as we got older - my favorite seasons to this day.
The farm, and the work that went along with it, taught us some valuable life lessons but our parents played an integral part in that as well. We were taught to love God, to value family, to always do our best, to act with integrity, and that some of the most rewarding things in life are often those that you have to earn for yourself.
As a young adult, I moved to Calgary, AB to pursue a business degree from Mount Royal University. I loved living in the city of a million people and taking advantage of all the amenities we simply didn't have in our smaller community. Just after I finished second semester, in May of 2009, I got a horrible phone call. I made the five hour drive home as fast as I could and within a day or two, we learned our father had been diagnosed with stage four renal cell carcinoma - a type of kidney cancer. It was a total shock to us and came completely out of the blue. Within days, they operated and removed his left kidney. He soon started a targeted therapy treatment and thankfully, for the most part, was still able to do many of the things he did before his diagnosis.
One of my favorite farm photos - my dad is the one sitting in the combine tire and my brother is in the bright white T-shirt.
Dad fought with that stupid cancer for more than four years. We all did, in a way.
I completed my degree in 2012 and moved back to Swift Current to marry my high school sweetheart soon after. I'm so thankful I spent that following year close to home because, in September of 2013, Dad passed away in the middle of harvest season - one of his favorite times of year. Now more than ever, I see how my father was a huge encouragement to me, always taking time to offer advice and pushing me to do my best as he watched me dreaming of owning my own interior design business someday.
Like many farmers, and farmer's daughters, I am grateful for where I grew up and how I was raised. The farming lifestyle that my parents chose to lead played a large part in how I view life and who I am today - I guess you could say, like many others in our area, I'm still a farmer at heart and will always be proud to be a farmer's daughter.
The logo was designed by a great friend of mine, who is now in the process of launching her own creative business.
In March of 2016, when deciding to take the leap and finally launch the business I had dreamed of, I knew I wanted the name to have significant meaning and be something I could stand behind - needless to say, 'Farmer's Daughter Interiors' felt like a perfect fit.
Inspired by the warmth + subtlety of the Mediterranean and combined with our signature Prairie style, this pretty bathroom checks all the boxes for our clients who came to us looking to completely transform their {very} small ensuite + outdated main floor bathroom.