Talk Shop: Natalie Steen // The Nat Note
ABOUT NATALIE
Natalie Steen is a creative consultant and the creator of The Nat Note, a fashion newsletter delivering curated shopping suggestions for women, children, and the home in Natalie’s signature collages - the “Notes”. What began as a creative outlet for Natalie when she began practicing law in 2016 is now a coveted newsletter with loyal subscribers. Her fresh, bold style acts as a filter for the finds she shares each week. Natalie is a Cuban-American, Miami, Florida native living in Houston, Texas with her husband Jamey and their children, Whit (4), George (2), and Nell (4 months)—and they are truly the cutest family with an amazing mom. We so loved chatting with Natalie—enjoy!
Describe your style in three words or less:
Funky, feminine, and festive.
What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:
My life experiences, the settings for these, and their respective energies.
I have always been a sponge for aesthetic details, which accelerated when I left my buzzy and punchy hometown of Miami for college. I graduated from UVA and Penn Law with an appreciation for the classic, more traditional elements that permeated Virginia and Philadelphia and arrived in Texas, where I felt a kindred spirit to the bold and colorful personalities and tastes that dominate here.
While I’ve always found it a challenge to describe my aesthetic, I am certain that it is guided by an urge to share things that tell the story of who I am and where I’ve been. Many of the pieces I wear and add to my wardrobe as well as the items I acquire and display around my house are oftentimes rooted in their own kind of history - whether because they are heirlooms or vintage or commissioned or meant to represent something beyond their surfaces.
How did you start your company, and/or what is your favorite thing about what you do:
The Nat Note started in 2017 – I was a few months into my corporate law job and found myself awake and waiting for emails at strange hours, with not much else to do but online shop. I was sending a lot of “you should buy this” messages to family and friends, and eventually channeled this late-night, deep-diving, compulsive-shopping energy into what it is now: a newsletter to share the products and brands that catch my eye each week. Eventually, this side-project evolved into its own kind of vocation. No longer was it “a creative outlet that’s just for fun” - it became what it is today: a comprehensive, curated shopping guide sent in the form of a newsletter to loyal subscribers.
I genuinely love all aspects of working on The Nat Note - from discovering new products to connecting with emerging brands and the entrepreneurs behind them to creating a visual mood board that I get to share with others. I get a high each week when I’ve completed a Note and wake up on Mondays excited to share what I’ve created.
Do you have a mentor in your career, and if so, how have they helped to shape your trajectory:
Not really - only because my trajectory felt so different from what I was surrounded by when I began my career (as a lawyer). But what I grew up around and have always had is the influence of my Cuban immigrant family, who are all extremely hard-working. My Mom is a federal judge and my Dad is a lawyer - they both still work full time - and they stress the importance of creating work product you’re proud of (be it legal or otherwise). Their greatest lesson to me has been to find whatever it is I am passionate about and to excel in it.
What does your home say about you:
I hope it says that I’m thoughtful. I want my home to be a place associated with happiness - not just because of what it looks like, but because of how it makes people feel. I want guests and friends to associate it with warm welcomes and good times, I want our families to think of it with fond memories, and I want my kids to think of their home as where they would always prefer to be. My way of trying to achieve this was to imbue my home with color, cozy, collected elements, and familiar schemes that invite whoever enters to stay awhile & put their feet up.
Where do you find inspiration:
I find inspiration everywhere - from travel, Instagram, magazines (yes, still) and the litmus test for whether it checks my box or not is whether it checks my box. The more enjoyable part of working on The Nat Note is finding those items that make me think to myself, “Oh, yes!” - and the process for designing the spaces in my home is the same. If it makes my heart sing, it’s going in.
Who are your style icons:
Anyone who approaches style with authenticity, originality, and creativity.
What are your key ingredients for entertaining:
Good lighting, good music, good company. Good cocktails also help.
Do you collect anything:
Matchbooks, Christmas ornaments & Olympia Le-Tan book clutches
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration:
@nicolocastellinibaldissera, @elizabethhaydesign, @housesandparties, @happyisles_salon, @inkindmag, @ig_art, @jupeculotte, @thereal60sbazaar, and @megbusacca.
What design “rule” do you always follow, and which is made to be broken:
When it comes to dressing my house and myself, I'm drawn to bold and colorful - the working limitation being that I want it to be aesthetically pleasing. Things don’t have to (and shouldn’t) match perfectly - but I think they should coexist in harmony.
What are you working on right now:
I’m designing a home from scratch with my sister-in-law, Illa Gaunt (@ig_art). As daunting as I’d like that to sound, it’s a miniature one and our dollhouse will be auctioned off this fall for the Petite Maison Gala, which benefits A Shelter for Cancer Families.
Wardrobe staples:
A stripe button down, a good pair of jeans, a statement accessory & something vintage.
Favorite fabric/wallpaper:
Too hard to pick! But if I narrow it down to my own home - I love the Brunschwig & Fils Katibi wallpaper in our entry and the Christopher Moore Monfaucon fabric we used for pillows in our living room.
Best interior advice you ever received:
If you can avoid it, don’t DIY it. Working with @lilamaloneinteriors on our home was an incredibly rewarding and eye-opening experience - it taught me to never attempt home design without some heavy hand-holding from a professional.
Best career advice you ever received:
Came from my Dad, who has practiced law for over 40 years and whenever asked why he (still) works so hard, he says “if you enjoy it, it doesn’t feel like work.” The time and effort you put into anything shouldn’t feel daunting if you’re truly enjoying the process of working on it. When I started The Nat Note, I was just having fun making collages - and I still am.
Types of home purchases you invest in, and save on:
Invest in art; save on paint (any color can be matched!)
Your greatest extravagance:
Traveling sans-children.
Favorite places to shop for home:
Online! The many, wonderful rabbit holes of the World Wide Web.
Most prized possession and why:
The pair of heels my great-grandmother left Cuba wearing – they serve as a personal reminder to always try my best, no matter the circumstances.
Your interiors motto:
Tell your story. I prefer to create and live in spaces that are layered with personal touches. My husband is from Texas and I am from Miami and both of our styles reflect this. So our merging of styles mimicked our merging of cultures - our house is filled with art and colors and decor that very much feels like “us” and where our families come from. It’s a little bit cowboy, a little bit Cuban, and a lotta bit of fun.
Your life motto:
Watch with glittering eyes. It comes from a Roald Dahl quote that ends with “[t]hose who don’t believe in magic will never find it” and serves as a reminder to put on a metaphorical filter for what you take in. Life as a mom to young kids goes by so quickly, especially when you’re juggling many roles at once. While I’m not really a “slow down and smell the roses” type of gal, I try to live my life by celebrating the big and small moments, creating special memories, and believing that magic can exist in the mundane.
Advice for someone looking to define their own interior style:
Don’t be like the rest of them, darling. While travel, Instagram, and magazines are treasure troves for inspiration and have undoubtedly influenced my interior style, I think making it your “own” shouldn’t merely be a copy/paste job. Hone in on and recreate the styles and details that speak to you - but give it your own spin.
Take Ten: My Favorite…
Food: Bean & Cheese Taco
Drink: Gin Martini: up & dirty
Film: Step Brothers (truly)
Hotel: Il Pellicano
City: Miami, FL
Bedding: D.Porthault paired with Leontine
Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): Coffee. I take it very sweet. As in the toasted almond flavor syrup at Dunkin’ Donuts sweet.
Playlist: ‘60s Summer in St Tropez (on Spotify)
Weekend Activity: Spending the day with my husband & my kids. Spending the evening with my husband while a babysitter watches my kids.
Design Book: Cabana Anthology