#TIYMLI with Linda Mordoh

photography by Polina Osherov

#Tryityoumighlikeit with Deborah Dorman is a platform for a generation of approximately 80 million baby boomers to speak out and share their wisdom and leave nothing left unsaid for the future generations to come.

Photography by Polina Osherov.


I am proud to introduce to you a life-long friend of our Indianapolis community and inspiration to so many in the field of interior design. Born and raised in Indianapolis with a heritage that dates back many generations, she launched her first company – Design House Interiors in 1979. The company that she owns today was established by Mary O’Connor and Colleen Anderson. These women gave her the back room to design her projects. In 1986, the women left the business and this created an opportunity for her to buy them out and she has been the sole owner of Savvy Decor since then. She now has three designers on her team which she manages with the help of Rosemary Peters, who’s been her office manager for nineteen years. The two laugh that they have been together longer than any of their marriages. At the time of this writing, the firm has seventeen active clients. Meet Savvy Decor’s interior design guru and female entrepreneur extraordinaire Linda Mordoh!

Deborah Dorman: Where does your inspiration come from? 

Linda Mordoh: My inspiration comes from my clients. Each one is so individual, and they come to me with different ideas and feelings about their spaces and they push me to be creative and think outside the box. 

DD: In your professional design career, has there been a time when you fell off the ladder you were climbing, and if so, who was there to help pick up the pieces with you? 

LM: This is an easy question to answer because any time in my life when I needed help or guidance my Uncle Leon was there for me. He was my mentor, my everything. He always guided me down the right path. My life was certainly better because I always knew he was there to catch me. 

DD: With the times being so challenging due to the COVID-19 virus, if you had the opportunity, what would you do today to make the world a better place? 

LM: This may seem like an odd answer, but I think the virus is making the world a better place. People are getting to spend time with their families that they would not have had a chance to otherwise. We all get to give of ourselves, our money to help others. I think the slower pace has made me more insightful about my own life. My family has always given back to the community that has been so good to us and I always try to do the same. The loss of life is horrible, but the good side of humanity has also come through with so much goodness, compassion, and love. We all need to be the best we can and help one another. We will get through this. 

DD: What are three essential characteristics to be a true professional in the interior design industry today? 

LM: Creativity, the ability to actually listen to your clients’ needs and give them what they want, and a bigger than life personality! 

DD: What is one thing you wish your 25 year old self knew before embarking on your personal and professional journey of life? 

LM: To give more time to your friendships. As a busy mother, wife, and a woman who owned her own business I worked 7 days a week and I did whatever it took to get the job done and be successful. I wish I had taken more time to have friends. I know that sounds funny, but now at sixty eight years old I am working on being a better friend; reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. I appreciate the importance of friendships more than ever, and am always telling professional women not to lose those friendships – they are precious. 

DD: If you had the opportunity to start all over again, what would you do differently? 

LM: Nothing. I believe everything happens the way it should and for a reason. You may not see it now, but at some point in your life you will discover the reason. 

DD: Describe a life changing moment.

LM: The day my mother died. I was 26 years old and 5 months pregnant with my son Sam. She was wonderful person –– so kind, and so beautiful. I really miss her. But at an early age I learned an important lesson, that money doesn’t buy you anything important and that family and friends are the real gifts of life. 

DD: You are considered a dreamer of dreams for so many families in our community today as you reinvent their lifestyles. Is there a dream that you long to fulfill for yourself personally and professionally? 

LM: I have fulfilled all of my design dreams. I have a very successful design firm and a good name in the design community that has taken a lifetime to achieve. Personally, my dream is to live to see my grandsons, Charlie and Teddy be successful men and achieve their dreams. 

DD: What are five words that best describe you? 

LM: Strong, creative, funny, caring, and smart. 

DD: In your illustrious interior design career, is there a project that has stood out as the most memorable and meaningful one? 

LM: I have been very lucky to have had many great projects, but there was one that stands out, the first Dreamhouse I did @ 333 Mass Ave. That was a Satori moment for me. The Penthouse was spectacular and the opening night my whole family was there with me including my 92 year old father. It was just one of those moments you will never forget. 

DD: You are an Indiana native, a long-time resident of Indianapolis and have watched it transform over the years. Is there something special that you regret that has changed and something that you have embraced as a positive change? 

LM: I am so proud of my city. I think all things changing in Indy are for the better. We have developed into a “Big” small city and with that has come many exciting things in the areas of theater, ballet, music, art, and dining. It is a good time to live in Indy with everything going on here. If you are bored, you just are not looking hard enough. We are a good city. Oh, and if I miss one thing from the past it is Roselyn Bakery and their Chocolate Eclairs. lol! 

DD: What’s your favorite thing about the interior design profession. Who are your favorite interior designers? 

LM: I always say I love being an Interior Designer, but the true reward is the people I get to meet and the friends I have made –– that would have never happened if I had not done what I do. I have a true passion for design. I never feel like it is work because I love it. So much. After 40 years, I still love going in every day. As far as my favorite designers, Kelly Wearstler and Johnathan Adler to name a couple. Both have been successful not only in design but have made beautiful fabrics and lifestyle products for the masses. 

DD: If you could have a cocktail with anyone and feel comfortable to discuss your life personally and professionally who would that be? 

LM: I would love to have a cocktail and converse with Iris Apfel the 98-year-old design Icon. She has lived such an interesting life and the fact that she is 98 and still designing is amazing. I love her catch phrase “more is more”. I am sure I could learn so much from her both professionally and personally. What a moment that would be. 

DD: Do you have plans to continue your interior design career or is the word “retirement” in your future vocabulary? 

LM: Absolutely not. I cannot even imagine retiring. Interior Design is my life. It is what keeps me going. It is what I love, and I hope I can do it for many years to come. 

DD: Finally, what is your proudest moment? 

LM: The birth of my son Sam. He has been the true joy of my life. He is a funny, charming man. He is married to a wonderful woman, Adrianne. They were high school sweethearts and have been married for 18 years. They have given me the loves of my life Charlie and Teddy. Nothing is better than being a grandmother. It is the role I cherish most in my life. 

DD: Thank you Linda for sharing part of your life journey with all our readers. You are a woman of distinction in the interior design industry, and I am so thankful for this opportunity to share your journey both personally and professionally as one of our city’s best-known baby boomers who is truly making a difference in the world today. 

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One reply on “#TIYMLI with Linda Mordoh”
  1. Avatarsays: Elliot Reiff

    A wonderful article about a designer that I have known for a long time. A hard working, funny and nice person that does not waste time giving her clients the best of her ingenuity. Linda is an entrepreneur that Indiana should be very proud of.

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