I couldn’t find a site that offered affordable, beautiful home accessories that truly matched my taste—so I created one. That’s how HomeIdea was born. While the spark came from that simple frustration, the story leading up to it has been brewing for decades. Here’s how it all began.
(Hi, I'm Lorraine, the human behind HomeIdea.)
Part 1: Saturday Afternoons and Folded Corners
Before Pinterest boards and endless Instagram saves, there were stacks of magazines on my mother’s floor. Growing up in China twenty years ago, glossy pages were our only window into the world of design. We didn’t have Architectural Digest or Elle Decor. But we had something else—HomeIdea.
(These magazines were from 2006 or 2007. If you look closely, you can see the Chinese characters on them.)
My mom had piles of HomeIdea magazines. They were everywhere: under the coffee table, beside the bed, on the dining chairs no one sat on. As a child, I’d flip through those pages over and over again, mesmerized by homes that looked nothing like ours—curved armchairs, floating bookshelves, textured walls, wooden kitchens flooded with light.
That was my first real introduction to home aesthetics. And without realizing it, it shaped the way I saw the world: that your space is a reflection of your taste, your warmth, your stories. Home wasn’t just a place—it was an idea.
On Saturday afternoons, my mom would bring those magazines to the neighborhood clubhouse. While I ran around the kids’ area, she’d sit quietly nearby, flipping through pages. After my playtime, I’d curl up beside her and look through the spreads with her. We didn’t talk much, but in those quiet moments, we dreamed together. At the time, beautiful home accessories were hard to find in China, and my mom had just started her own business. We didn’t have much to spend on décor, but she never stopped folding the corners of pages she loved—circling pieces and keeping those ideas alive. Slowly, one by one, the items she had bookmarked began to appear in our home. It was a slow, thoughtful process. And I saw firsthand how a home could evolve with intention.
Part 2: Suits, Spreadsheets, and the Dream That Never Left
Fast forward to 2017: I began college at USC. Like many business students, I set my sights on banking or consulting. After several internships and a whirlwind of recruiting, I landed a full-time offer at a bulge bracket bank’s Shanghai office.
(Back when I was working in banking, I still miss our office view sometimes.)
From the outside, that job looked like success. But like many stories you’ve probably heard on Shark Tank, it didn’t take long before I realized that success without meaning wasn’t enough. I was buried in late-night emails, endless revisions, and the unspoken rules of a rigid corporate hierarchy. I rarely got to contribute creatively, and certainly never got to build anything of my own.
But even as I followed the “right path,” that early fascination with design never left me. I’d walk through LA’s boutique stores and think, “Maybe one day.” I even spoke to a few incubators while I was still in school, curious about how to bring that vision to life. But at the time, it was just a quiet thought—something I wasn’t quite ready to pursue. Still, that idea stayed with me. And the more disconnected I felt in the world of finance, the louder it grew.
Part 3: Building Something That Lasts
Before I left my job, I spent time researching how to build an e-commerce business from the ground up in the U.S. Nearly every guide pointed to dropshipping—a model with low overhead, quick setup, and efficient cost-saving mechanisms that could generate strong cash flow with the right decisions. But it also became clear to me: there’s a difference between building a business that’s optimized for revenue and building a brand that’s built to last.
(Visiting suppliers and attending Home Expo to prepare for launching HomeIdea)
For me, the choice was clear. I wanted to create something with soul—a brand that offers home accessories that feel personal, expressive, and accessible.
At HomeIdea, we don’t sell large furniture pieces. We focus on home accessories—the small but powerful details that can transform a space. As someone who’s moved 14 times in five years—across countries, cities, and countless apartments—I’ve come to appreciate the flexibility and emotional value of beautiful, transportable pieces.
A hand-embroidered cushion, a playful vase, a statement art print—these are things you can actually take with you. They add character to your space without taking over your life (or your budget). They let you be creative without committing to permanence.
Over time, I’ve grown to believe that home isn’t just a fixed address—it’s how a space feels when you make it your own. The right decorative accents—whether it’s handcrafted pottery, bold modern drinkware, or a soft linen throw—don’t just fill a room, they tell a story. They turn a blank canvas into something intimate, reflective, and full of life.
That’s why curation matters so much to us. At HomeIdea, we carefully select pieces that fuse traditional Asian aesthetics—Chinese, Japanese, Thai—with clean, modern design. Whether it’s canvas art, serveware, vases, or textured décor, everything we carry has been thoughtfully chosen for how it can fit into your home and your story.
We want to help you create a space that feels like you—layered, evolving, meaningful. Not because it follows trends, but because it reflects who you are.
And above all, we believe in building slowly. In a world obsessed with growth and speed, we want HomeIdea to be a brand rooted in intentionality, authenticity, and longevity. We're not here to chase trends. We're here to curate thoughtfully, work closely with artisans, and build something that lasts—both in your space and in your life.
That’s how HomeIdea began. Not just from a childhood memory, or a career pivot.
But from the belief that home, like life, should be something you get to shape—beautifully, meaningfully, and entirely your own.
