Meet Amanda Reynal, an Iowa designer gaining popularity on Instagram
This is one in an occasional series on Iowa influencers who are finding new ways to tell the story of the state through social media.
For Amanda Reynal, authenticity comes before all. Without it, her interior design brand wouldn’t be the same.
Who is interior designer Amanda Reynal?
Reynal is a Northeasterner at heart, born in New York City and having grown up in Connecticut. She’s an interior designer, business owner and author. She graduated from Trinity College as an art history major and worked at an interior design firm in New York City after college.
Her book, “Designing Rooms with Joie De Vivre: A Fresh Take on Classic Style,” is dedicated to her mother, who has been Reynal’s style icon her entire life. She always admired the way her mother carried herself. She was lovely, gracious and kind — all things that are as important to a brand as they are to being human, Reynal said.
Embedded content: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4scyeCrdXS/?img_index=1
“I grew up in a place where there were many beautiful things to see and look at,” Reynal said. “My parents were really good at dragging us to museums, showing us art. I think I had a lot of culture and exposure from a very young age.”
Family is clearly central to Reynal’s inspiration and success.
Reynal takes pride in carrying herself with compassion and says her customers often become her friends, too. She said the title of her book rings true, over and over, in her own life.
“I really do feel like creating a space for someone is the opportunity to bring joy,” Reynal said. “It’s very satisfying and fulfilling to work through the challenges of an interior space and come out with a finished product that is both joyful and authentic.”
‘Iowa has been so good to us,’ interior designer says about her career path
When Reynal was pregnant with her first son in 2001, her husband was offered a new job in Iowa. So, they took a leap of faith and moved across the county.
“We never looked back,” Reynal said.
Amanda Reynal Interiors was born in their new Des Moines home. Reynal said Iowa was the perfect place for her to start her family. She could feel the care community members had for each other and knew there would be support here.
While the business took time to get off the ground, and even experienced periods of closing and reopening, Reynal truly revived it starting in 2006. Since then, the business has had offices in both downtown Des Moines and Valley Junction.
Reynal said she used social media to advertise herself and her business, which was difficult for her at first.
“I’m not from the generation where putting yourself out there on social media is natural and comfortable,” Reynal said. “I really had to get brave to share my work and myself.”
Embedded content: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6eVatqA1rA/
Reynal shares designs and inspiration, her finished work, as well as her preparation processes on her Instagram account, @amandareynalinteriors. She often shares her family and day-to-day life as well.
See Amanda Reynal’s work on display at Oak Park
Reynal takes what she calls an organic approach to finding inspiration. She said it’s pinks and greens, it’s flowers and it’s fruits. She also sees the importance of knowing she doesn’t design in a bubble. Her work affects her clients, their spaces and their lives.
Recently, Reynal had the opportunity to do interior design work for Oak Park, a Des Moines restaurant staple that was considered one of the city’s biggest openings in recent years.
She said one of her favorite parts of her first restaurant job has been the feedback she’s gotten from customers.
“The restaurant is so great for Des Moines,” Reynal said. “And it’s such a nice environment to be in. To hear that from people who I meet has just been so fun, and to have done a space lots of people get to enjoy.”
Amanda Reynal tries to carry design aesthetic through social media presence
Reynal said she’s recently started posting more videos, known as Reels, and process ideas on Instagram, her most-used social media platform for her business. She’s grown the account to nearly 32,000 followers in recent years.
Reynal plans to expand her business and her social media presence, and said she aims for each project and design to continue to be uniquely curated.
Embedded content: https://www.instagram.com/p/C8Mw_aVu5ZL/
She enjoys that her work maintains a specific aesthetic, and hopes her social media displays it too.
Where to find Amanda Reynal Interiors
Instagram: @amandareynalinteriors with 38,100 followers
Website: amandareynalinteriors.com
Contact: [email protected]
Learn more about Amanda Reynal in our Off Hours newsletter
Reynal shares about some of her hobbies and favorite places in the Register’s Off Hours newsletter this week.
Sign up now at DesMoinesRegister.com/OffHours to get the newsletter in your inbox Thursday morning.
Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @VictoriaReynaR.
link
