Julie Sousa Shows the World How to Design a Life (and Home) Worth Living In

The creator behind The Avant Garde didn't just design beautiful spaces — she designed a life entirely her own.

Julie Sousa has never been interested in perfection for its own sake. Born in Vitória, Brazil and raised across the U.S., she left home at eighteen with a backpack and a quiet, unbreakable conviction that she could build something better. What followed was years of restaurant shifts, immigration paperwork, a marketing degree, and eventually — in the middle of a pandemic, mid-therapy session — a question that changed everything: What truly makes you happy? Her answer became The Avant Garde, the viral home design platform that landed her on Forbes' 2025 Top Creators list and introduced the internet to a different kind of design philosophy: one where high-end sensibility meets real-life budgets, and where beauty is something you create on your own terms. We sat down with Julie to talk about where she came from, what she's building, and why success — for her — has never been just about the numbers.

Photo Credit: James Ricker Creative

NUOVO: How did your upbringing and moving between cultures shape the way you think about home and design today?

JULIE SOUSA: As an immigrant, I learned to create beauty with what we had, which shaped my instinct to design both resourcefully and emotionally. That mindset still guides my approach today—when my budget gets tight, I focus on working with the materials I already have and finding meaning and beauty in repurposing.

N: What was that moment like when you realized creating beauty was more than a hobby and could become your path?

JS: Surreal. I was on my way to dinner with my husband when I received a notification that I had gained 100k followers on TikTok. That’s when I realized that maybe people actually liked what I create—and that I could monetize my passion after all.

Photo credit: James Ricker Creative

N: How do you approach making high-end design feel accessible and real for people who don’t have unlimited budgets or resources?

JS: I’ve always loved high-end design, even when my budget didn’t allow for it. Instead of seeing that as a limitation, I treated it as a creative challenge—learning through YouTube tutorials, experimenting with materials from my local hardware store, and finding ways to recreate luxury without the price tag. That approach still defines my work today: translating elevated design into ideas that feel attainable, practical, and real for everyday homes.

N: What did rebuilding your life and career on your own terms really look like behind the scenes?

JS: A bit more chaotic than I probably showed. I was learning how to run a business for the first time while holding myself to extremely high creative standards. I’m very competitive—mostly with my past self—and that drive pushed me to grow quickly, even when it meant navigating uncertainty and self-doubt along the way.

N: How has your definition of success changed as your platform has grown?

JS: Early on, success meant growth, numbers, and external validation. I was very focused on proving myself. As my platform grew—and especially after becoming a mother—that definition softened. Success now looks like sustainability, balance, and alignment. It’s creating work I’m proud of without losing myself in the process. It’s being present with my family while still honoring my ambition. I still care about performance and metrics, but they no longer define my worth or my direction.

Photo credit: James Ricker Creative

N: How has motherhood influenced your creativity, ambition, and the way you design spaces?

JS: It’s sharpened my priorities—I’m much more intentional with my time. I’m also more thoughtful about how I design, making sure my home is safe for a toddler—for example, choosing a coffee table with rounded edges instead of sharp, rectilinear lines. If we can prevent an accident, then we absolutely should.

N: How do creativity and mental health intersect for you, both personally and in the work you share with your audience?

JS: Creativity and mental health are deeply connected for me, especially because my work is also my passion. The lines can blur, and in those moments, I tend to overextend myself and feel the mental toll. I’ve learned to recognize when that’s happening, pause, reflect, and work to regain balance—for my own well-being and as an example of sustainable creativity for my audience. Sometimes that simply looks like booking an extra therapy session.