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Designer of the week: Halie Rachal
Designer of the week: Halie Rachal
Halie Rachal is the founder and lead designer behind Sand and Stone Interior Design, a studio rooted in the wild beauty and soulful character of nature. With a passion for spaces that feel as good as they look, Halie blends modern design with organic textures, layered warmth, and bold touches. Her work is personal, grounded, and intentionally high-impact.
Why do you love interior design?
To me, interior design is a form of art — and my clients’ homes are my canvas. It's not just about creating beautiful spaces. It's about designing environments that are deeply personal, rooted in the way my clients live, dream, and feel. What I love most is the opportunity to translate someone’s habits, lifestyle, and inspiration into something tangible and meaningful. Whether a space makes someone feel inspired, rested, joyful, or alive, that transformation is everything to me. There’s something incredibly fulfilling about knowing that what I create becomes the backdrop to someone’s daily life, their memories, and their sense of home.
Describe your style in three words
Textured. Natural. Refined.
Where do you find inspiration?
I find most of my inspiration in nature, especially in wide open land like grassy fields, wooded acreage, and bodies of water. There’s something about untouched or hardly touched places that just speaks to me. The textures, the movement, the way light shifts throughout the day. It all holds this quiet, wild beauty that reflects my own personal style. I also draw a lot of inspiration from Tudor Revival architecture, especially the mix of stone, brick, and stucco exteriors. There’s something so timeless and grounded about that style; it has character and age in the best way. Between nature and historic architecture, I’m constantly looking for ways to blend organic materials with structure and soul.
Name a current trend that you love.
For sure color drenching is at the top of that list. I think it’s such a fun, dramatic way to create high impact in a space. It feels fearless and intentional, and honestly, it’s a risk that always pays off. I love a space that makes a statement, and color drenching delivers every time.
What's a trick of the trade that you live by?
One trick of the trade I live by is designing with both the space and the people in mind. I always listen to the home itself, its natural light and surrounding environment. Not every space wants to be what we think it should be. Then I design based on how the client will truly live in the space. It’s not just about how a room looks, but how it feels and functions day-to-day. When you design for real life, the space becomes more than just beautiful — it becomes meaningful and lasting.
Share the story of your project with Ernesta. How did the custom-sized rug make an impact? Any memorable reactions from your client? We'd love to hear the details.
Our Modern Meadows project had a lot of open square footage; most of the home is open concept, so our biggest challenge was making those expansive spaces feel warm and grounded. To achieve that, we intentionally over-scaled the furniture in both the living room and breakfast nook, which meant we needed rugs that were untraditional to standard sizing. That’s where Ernesta became the perfect partner.
In the living room, I knew we needed something contemporary, soft, and expansive enough to support the oversized layout. Ernesta’s custom sizing allowed us to fit the rug perfectly so that every furniture leg sat fully on it, anchoring the space and creating a sense of cohesion. My client described the rug as “a cloud under her feet,” which felt like the ultimate compliment.
Then came the breakfast nook, which has a bay window and unusual angles. With an oversized round dining table and layered styling in mind, we needed a rug that fit the space exactly — no overhang, no awkward gaps. Again, Ernesta came through. Being able to custom size that rug allowed us to scale up the design without sacrificing intention or fit.
As my client walked through the finished home, she kept saying, “This is beyond anything I imagined.” I truly believe that our collaboration with Ernesta played a major role in delivering that experience. The custom rugs weren’t just functional, they completed the emotional impact of the space.
Share your approach to custom-sizing rugs for a space. What factors do you consider to ensure a tailored fit and aesthetic harmony?
When it comes to custom sizing rugs, I start by looking at the scale and layout of the space, especially how the furniture will live on the rug. For the most luxurious result, I always aim for all legs of the key pieces to sit fully on the rug. This helps intentionally anchor the room. In more open concept homes or floating furniture designs, this is especially important to create definition.
I also consider the shape of the room, any architectural details (such as the bay window in our Modern Meadows breakfast nook), and how the rug will interact with traffic flow. If I’m working with oversized or layered furniture, I scale the rug to support that look without crowding the space. It’s really about finding that balance between function and aesthetic, where the rug feels like it belongs, not like an afterthought.
Custom sizing gives me the freedom as a designer to tailor each rug to the home, the furniture, and the way the client navigates the space, which makes all the difference in creating that polished, cohesive feel. Beyond size alone, I think of rugs as a way to create harmony throughout a home. Using complementary or consistent colors, textures and materials helps each rug feel like an individual piece that still contributes to the overall story. In the best designs, the rugs don’t just ground the furniture, they feel like movements in a larger symphony.
Marci Salt Rug
What is your idea of great design?
To me, great design is simple — it’s a design that feels good. And that feeling is completely personal. What feels calming and inspiring to one client might feel cold to another. That’s why my role as a designer starts with listening — really listening — to how someone wants to live, move, and feel in their home. My job isn’t to push a certain style or trend, it’s to take their needs, dreams, and emotions and turn them into a space that reflects them. If they walk into a room and feel peace, energy, or joy, whatever they were craving, then we’ve created a great design.
What are you reading or watching right now?
As a wife, mom to a three-year-old, four dogs, a kitten, and a horse (and a full-time business owner and designer) I don’t get much time to sit and read these days. But I do spend a lot of time in the car, and I make the most of that by listening to podcasts. My current favorite is "There She Rose" with Jamie Sea. It’s all about uncovering and rewiring your subconscious beliefs to align with the 2.0 version of yourself, whether that’s in business, motherhood, wealth, or self-worth. Jamie’s insights on everything from manifestation to the science behind your nervous system have been game-changing for me. She also happens to be my business mentor, so it feels extra personal and inspiring to listen to.
On the personal side, I’m a cowgirl at heart, so I love anything to do with cowboying. Naturally, I fell deep into Yellowstone and all of its spin-offs. Give me gritty ranch life and I’m happy.
If you could design a home for one famous person / couple, who would it be?
What a fun question! I'd have to say Lainey Wilson. She’s young, current, full of energy, a little blingy and a total cowgirl, which is right up my alley. I feel like I could create the perfect balance for her — something that feels luxurious and elevated but still grounded in the organic textures and spirit of ranch life. Think rich leathers, bold colors, a little sparkle and a whole lot of soul. Designing a home that captures her vibe would be such a dream.
