Local StoriesJanuary 8, 2026

Conversations with Lindsey Petersen

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsey Petersen.

Hi Lindsey, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
While most teenagers spent their summers at the pool and riding bikes around the neighborhood, I was sanding and staining my parents’ kitchen cabinets, re-doing my friend’s bedrooms, steaming 80s wallpaper off the dining room walls, drawing and painting. I always knew I wanted to pursue a creative career, but one based on human connection, helping others, and positively impacting society. Because this goal could be achieved through multiple outlets, I found myself overwhelmed when it came to determining a field to study. I seriously explored non-profit work, environmentalism, and school counseling.

I completed my undergraduate degree in Communication and Nonprofit Leadership & Management from Arizona State University and briefly attended Dublin City College in Ireland to study International Communication and Marketing. Upon graduation, I accepted a Marketing Management position working for a large, multi-specialty healthcare clinic in Oregon. Despite all of the wonderful skills and personal growth I experienced in these positions, I ultimately felt unfulfilled because I wasn’t truly taking a chance on a less traditional career path and leaning into my natural instincts or artistic tendencies.

Pursuing a career in design meant having to pause a stable career. Many people cautioned me against moving forward with design as it was “just a hobby”, “the first thing to get cut in a bad economy”, and very difficult and competitive to make a name for yourself in. Despite how risky leaving behind this job was, I felt I owed it to myself to take a chance and bet on myself. I attended Heritage School of Design in Portland, where I received my Masters in Commercial & Residential Design and became certified in-Home Staging.

After spending months learning color theory, studying design principles and styles, practicing hands-on skills such as furniture making and pattern printing, and exploring design programs like AutoCAD, Sketchup, I was nearing the end of my master’s program and the pressure to find a job and prove to myself I made the right decision was on. Upon graduation, I landed a job as an Interior Designer on a new program called Airbnb Plus. I was overjoyed to find out they wanted me on their team. I worked with an amazingly talented group of fantastic designers who taught me so much about celebrating creativity, building a network, and embracing change and innovation.

The COVID pandemic hit the travel industry hard, and the Airbnb Plus program was dissolved. What seemed like a major hiccup in my journey ended up leading me to start the initial foundation of my personal remote design business – Lindsey Petersen Collections and to Yardzen, an online landscape design company where I currently work as a Design Operations Manager. It has been the perfect culmination of all of my previous experiences and marries my love of the outdoors and passion for sustainability with the human connection and creativity component I was seeking.

Although it may not be as grand as I once thought, I think we often overlook how impactful small, everyday changes are over the course of time. Design isn’t just about picking pretty things and spending lots of money; it’s about surrounding yourself with things that motivate and inspire you, making your life more functional, and sparking joy. Our surroundings greatly contribute to our productivity, mental health, and overall happiness.

In my personal design business, I am able to meet so many different people from new homeowners to Airbnb hosts, short-term rental owners, to families, and having the ability to get to know each person and create a relationship with them that allows me to change their world by creating a more thoughtful, connected space for them. At Yardzen, even if we can create one yard that has 3 habitat-supporting plants. That turns into one neighborhood, one section of the city. We’re changing the world and chipping away at the big picture together.

Design is such a dynamic field, especially in tech, that lends itself to creativity by developing innovative solutions. Being a remote designer in tech, I love that I’m able to work in an environment that will never grow stagnant. I pride myself on creating opportunities for design to reach a more approachable audience and offer suggestions, big and small, to people no matter what their budget, property, or circumstance is.

Reflecting on my story, I was so crippled with indecision when it came to my career path early on. Now, I couldn’t have dream of a more perfect career for myself. Taking the leap into a creative career and betting on myself has truly changed the trajectory of my life. I am now able to oversee a team of Project Managers, Designers, and Modelers that bring designs to life and allows people to spend more time in their spaces, own an interior design business, and look at life with limitless potential.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting my own business has been a labor of love and an ever-evolving process. Creating a structure for remote design that helps clients see the vision clearly and articulately was one of my biggest obstacles initially as I am not physically in the space. I had to ensure I was receiving all the measurements and materials I needed and ensuring that someone on the ground could install my design exactly as envisioned. With each design, I learn something new and am able to add additional clarification points from install tips (height to hang artwork, how to style bookshelves that are visually interesting and include pattern, shape, and repetition, furniture plans, painting, and wallpapering, etc.) to general business guidelines (securing a retainer, late payment fees, etc.).

Due to the subjective nature of design, I always anticipated running into challenges navigating client opinions that went against my professional opinion, but my biggest lesson was in learning to vet clients and know my own worth. There was a learning curve to feeling confident in the value I bring to my clients, but I know my credentials as a designer with a master’s in my field. I have a body of work that I’m proud of and client testimony that speaks to my impact, and I have grown into being comfortable advocating for myself and charging my worth.

Early on, I had an experience that taught me the importance of alignment, specificity about my process, and holding professional boundaries. In this particular case, the client had unrealistic expectations of payment, timeline, number of iterations, and my willingness to be available round the clock. When I asserted professional boundaries, they were met with unprofessional and disrespectful pushback. This illuminated the critical need to setting expectations transparently and exactly before taking on a project and beginning a partnership. While this was extremely discouraging to have as one of my first clients and caused a lot of self-doubt initially, I am so grateful I experienced this at the beginning of my journey as it helped me vet future clients and projects and tighten up my processes and documentation procedures.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Thank you to all of the amazing mentors and teachers at Heritage, but special thank you to Angie Morse. Thank you to my Airbnb colleagues who taught me to stretch my creativity and became family. To Nicole & Carissa at Evolve for their confidence in my work, consistent recommendations that have helped my business grow and flourish, and for being generally awesome people. To Tron Smith, who brought my visions to life at the beginning of starting my business and was my partner in crime at Airbnb. Your dependability, attention to detail, and personality are appreciated by everyone you encounter. To Kaila Timmons who helped me create my website and get my name out there. And to all my AMAZING clients who allow me into their world and trust me to elevate their spaces. None of this would be possible without you, and I am so grateful for the friendships and connections we have build together.

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