The Designer’s Journal: Susan Yeley on Creating Homes with Soul and Story

For Susan Yeley, founder of Susan Yeley Homes, design is about more than just beautiful spaces—it’s about creating homes that reflect depth, personality, and a sense of story. With a style that’s rich in texture, color, and a touch of whimsy, Susan finds inspiration in everything from flea markets and forest hikes to vintage art and roaring fires.

“Our goal is always to design homes that feel lived-in and loved,” she shares. “Spaces with soul, warmth, and a little bit of magic.”

We caught up with Susan to talk about her creative process, the pieces she returns to again and again, and how timeless Schoolhouse staples help bring heart to every project.

Where do you draw your design inspiration from?

Gosh, where don't I draw design inspiration from? I suppose it boils down to the people, places, and things I love: markets (farm, craft, flea, you name it), velvet and mohair, hand-knotted rugs, contrast welts, beautiful paper, hiking in the woods with my people, meeting new people, vintage everything, big art, local art, any art, yoga, the movies, a big laugh, the unexpected, roaring fires, mobiles, East-meets-West, gently used, wallpaper, terrazzo, the Farnsworth House, farmhouses, Victorian staircases, Spanish tile. I love to travel, and my most favorite tourist activities are wandering, market-going, eavesdropping, and brunching.

What is your design ethos?

The homes we design at SYH are qualitatively different. They honor history, warmth, and artistry over unnecessarily large footprints and trendy finishes. Our team creates spaces with soul, ones that have the same qualities as our favorite humans: depth, texture, intrigue, light and lightness, color, whimsy, and warmth.

What are you working on right now?

We are currently wrapping up a project we refer to as Off-Campus Canvas, before IU students move back to Bloomington for the fall semester. It will house an IU undergrad and friends for now, and will be renovated again after graduation as a second home for the whole family, who want a long-term landing spot in the midwest, for fall colors and easier access to the eastern half of the country. Off-Campus Canvas will showcase loads of fun Schoolhouse products, along with a great collection of limited edition screen prints, old and new art, vintage moments, and a mix of high-low pieces that are resilient and versatile.

Do you have a favorite piece of decor in your home?

I have a vintage chair that was given to me by a dear friend and neighbor who was downsizing; she purchased it in Denmark and shipped it back to Bloomington in the 1960s. I reupholstered it in two different greens; when the kids started calling it the Frog Chair, I really couldn't object.

I also recently purchased an oversized, banana yellow table lamp at my favorite local vintage shop, with an old school tall drum shade. It sits on our upright piano and creates the warmest, most inviting vibe; I love leaving it on for our teenagers to return to at who knows what hour of the night. The acquisition of the lamp has been just the inspiration I needed to spur along my current personal project, redecorating our family room, which still has the mass-produced, discount and secondhand collection we acquired in our first apartment in Chicago back in the early 'aughts.

What’s your favorite Schoolhouse product?

This question is so hard, because we have so many! For years, as you can see by the photos I've shared, Schoolhouse has been a go-to for us for light fixtures and cabinet hardware; we currently feel as if every room can use a Teig Lamp, and the only question is which.

More recently, we've been drooling over Schoolhouse textiles, from bedding to rugs. I personally have the Winter + Summer coverlet on my bed, and we've just placed the Aster Flatweave Wool Rug in Fern in a college student's room that we designed to be masculine but colorful, low-key, and resilient. We've got the Stillwater line bookmarked to use at the first possible opportunity, unless we do the Shelburne first!