Believe it or not, I did not make up the word hurleyhouse.
SERIOUSLY– I didn’t. You can even ask Merriam-Webster, and they’ll vouch for me.
What was so kismet about landing on the word hurleyhouse was that it not only fused my last name with my passion, but my eventual interpretation of its meaning painted a perfect picture for the mission of Hurleyhouse Design.
So what does Merriam-Webster say?
I came across the word hurleyhouse in a random Google search on a late fall afternoon in the school pick-up line. I was on the hunt for inspiration as I was trying to put a name to my newly-realized entrepreneurial dreams. Having only been teaching in the classroom a mere six months prior, I had never imagined myself being in the position of branding my own business.
I did as I assumed any new business owner did when naming their baby business– I created a list of all of the words I could think of related to interior design, added in my name, and then began playing Tetris with the words. When I found one I liked, I went straight to Google. I was not taking any chances on stealing the name of another. I wanted to be unique and authentic. And, to be quite honest, I was deathly afraid of copyright. I did not want scary lawyers all dressed in black pulling up to my house in a Dodge Charger with blacked-out windows to serve me papers.
My list was very basic, which made the game of word-combining pretty straightforward. Hurley Design. Hurley Interiors. Hurley House Design. And it was with that search that hurleyhouse popped up.
hurleyhouse (noun) : a large dilapidated house
Hurleyhouse. All one word. It flowed off the tongue. I loved how it looked. It was literally a compound word using my last name and passion.
JACKPOT.
But then the educator in me kicked in, I sprouted long ears and a tail, and I went down the analytical rabbit hole.
The Rabbit Hole
How could I use the word hurleyhouse if it meant a large house that’s falling apart and neglected? I didn’t want potential clients thinking I only worked with this type of canvas. And in that moment, I apparently also thought that all of my potential clients would be looking up and analyzing this definition, too. The educator in me was still holding on tight.
I spent about ten minutes pouring energy into the synonyms for dilapidated, and was not happy with what I found. There was nothing I could work with: run down; shabby; in disrepair; neglected; unmaintained. It all painted a picture of owners who were lazy or uninterested in basic home maintenance. These were not the characteristics of the future clients of Hurleyhouse Design.
It wasn’t until I switched to the antonyms of dilapidated that things started to click, and the magical interpretation and meaning hit me in the heart. After all, antonyms have opposite meanings and are meant to counter-balance. Anyone embracing interior design and wanting to invest in the spaces in their home are doing the opposite of neglecting. Duh, Ashley.
The antonym list included quite a few gems: enhanced; enriched; bettered; strengthened; improved. I will spare you the definitions of all of these, but you’re absolutely right in thinking that I looked them all up. No stone unturned. Clients that choose to embrace Hurleyhouse Design and the journey of enhancing, bettering, and improving their spaces were my people. I finally felt content– not only in the name itself, but in its meaning and potential.
It was then that the dismissal bell rang, I climbed out of the rabbit hole, and moved forward in the school pick-up line– and in my entrepreneurial journey.
What, then, is a Hurleyhouse?
A hurleyhouse is, first and foremost, a noun.
A hurleyhouse is a dwelling of any size and age.
Large, small, old, new.
A hurleyhouse can be either rented or owned.
And, heck, it doesn’t have to be a house at all!
You may have lived in it for years,
or you may be searching for it with a buyer’s agent.
A hurleyhouse may have wallpaper, moulding, and colors on its walls,
or, it may be a blank slate.
Beyond a noun, a hurleyhouse is potential.
It is a pulsating vessel of potential.
A canvas.
And you are the artist.
By embracing your hurleyhouse, you are choosing to cultivate a mindset of enhancement and betterment, initially in the spaces in your home, but as a result, in your quality of life. I am driven to do this work and share my gifts and insights in order to inspire and guide others to build lives that they love.
It’s more than just a vase or patterned pillow.
But– knowing how to choose the right vase and pattern can definitely help.
And I’m here to guide you.
