Lindsay Wilson’s path to interior design wasn’t exactly a straight line. It took her from the mountains of Wyoming to a career in pediatric nursing, through years of renovations and personal design projects, and eventually back to a creative world that had been part of her life all along.

Meet Lindsay

Born in Boulder, Colorado, Lindsay spent most of her childhood in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. After earning a degree in psychology, she returned to Jackson Hole and began working for her aunt’s interior design firm. It was her first real introduction to the professional design world and an experience that would stay with her, even as her career took a very different direction.

Lindsay later enrolled in Regis University’s accelerated nursing program and went on to work as a pediatric neurology and neurosurgery nurse in Austin, Texas.

But design never completely left the picture.

Throughout those years, Lindsay continued finding creative outlets through personal renovations, vacation rentals, and designing her own homes. When she eventually returned to Boulder to raise her family, she began thinking more seriously about what she wanted the next chapter of her career to look like.

Finding Her Way Back to Design

As Lindsay’s youngest child became more independent, she had an opportunity to think about what she genuinely wanted to spend her days doing. The answer kept coming back to design.

She already had years of hands-on experience and a natural creative instinct, but she wanted the technical skills and industry knowledge to turn that experience into a professional career.

That search led her to Heritage School of Interior Design.

While researching designers in the Denver area, Lindsay came across the story of a designer who had made a career change similar to the one she was considering. It immediately resonated with her and led her to learn more about Heritage.

She was especially drawn to a program designed with career changers in mind.

“I appreciated the combination of in-person learning, industry connections, and practical application through field trips and the Denver design community,” Lindsay shares. “It felt much more connected to the actual day-to-day world of design than a traditional academic program.”

Building on a Lifetime of Experience

For Lindsay, pursuing interior design professionally doesn’t mean leaving her previous experiences behind. Instead, she sees them as an important part of the designer she is becoming.

Her years in nursing gave her a deep understanding of how environments can influence the way people feel. Now, she brings that same awareness into her approach to residential design.

Lindsay is particularly interested in full-scope residential projects and creating homes that feel personal, welcoming, and connected to the people who live in them. Her inspiration often begins not with how a space should look, but with how it should feel.

Lighting, materials, texture, scent, music, architecture, nature, and even the changing seasons all influence the way she thinks about a home. She is equally inspired by its history and by other creatives who bring perspectives entirely different from her own.

Continuing a Family Legacy

Looking ahead, Lindsay plans to continue growing within her family’s design legacy while building something of her own through Lineage Studio.

Her goal is to create homes that support the people who live in them through every season of life, bringing together the empathy she developed through nursing, the design experience she has gathered over the years, and the technical education she gained at Heritage.

For Lindsay, returning to design has also reinforced the importance of the people who help shape a new career along the way.

“I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has been part of this journey, especially my family, classmates, instructors, and the professionals I’ve met along the way,” she says. “This experience has reminded me how much creativity grows through community, mentorship, and shared inspiration.”

Lindsay’s story is a reminder that changing careers doesn’t always mean starting over. Sometimes, it means recognizing the thread that has been there all along and finally giving yourself the opportunity to follow it.

To learn more about Heritage School of Interior Design’s Denver programs, visit the Denver campus page.

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