Writing for Open Concept

Editorial Writing · Copywriting · Trend Research · Brand Voice · Storytelling

A lot of my day-to-day work is writing short-form content—captions, hooks, emails, ad copy—but Open Concept gave me the chance to work on longer-form editorial writing.

I wrote articles around interiors, design trends, lifestyle, and what people are actually interested in right now. The goal was to make Open Concept feel less like another brand blog and more like a design publication you would actually want to read.

Finding the Angle

When I write about a trend, I don't want to just say, this is trending.

I want to figure out why it's trending, why people care about it, and how I can make the topic feel interesting even to someone who wasn't already searching for it.

For Tuscan Kitchens Are Back (But Not How You Remember Them), I didn't want to write a basic article about Tuscan kitchens coming back. I focused on why they're coming back.

After years of white kitchens, minimalism, and spaces that could sometimes feel a little too perfect, people are craving warmth, texture, natural materials, and homes that actually look lived in. The article became less about one kitchen style and more about how our taste in interiors is changing.

That's usually where I try to find the story.

Creating a Voice People Want to Read

One of my favorite parts of writing for Open Concept was developing its voice.

I wanted the articles to feel knowledgeable about design without sounding overly serious or like they were written for designers only.

That meant using stronger headlines, conversational intros, humor, cultural references, and opinions throughout the articles.

For example, The Room Your Home Has Been Missing starts by talking about the rise of Mahjong rooms—but instead of immediately explaining the trend, it opens with:

"There's a game being played in the most stylish homes right now, and it's not what you think."

It's a small thing, but it's the difference between just giving someone information and actually giving them a reason to keep reading.

Making Design Feel Approachable

I also wanted the articles to be useful.

Some pieces were more inspirational, like 6 Hotels to Visit Just for Their Wallpaper, where I looked at hotels around the world that use wallpaper, pattern, and color to create a really strong sense of place.

Others were much more practical.

For Micro-Luxury: The Small Upgrades That Make a Home Feel Expensive, I broke down smaller changes—wallpaper, hardware, lighting, trim, and textiles—that can completely change how a room feels without requiring a full renovation.

Being able to switch between trend pieces, inspiration, advice, and more lifestyle-focused stories helped me become a much more flexible writer.

Writing for a Brand Without Making It Feel Like an Ad

This was probably one of the most valuable parts of writing for Open Concept.

Because the publication exists within a larger home and interiors brand family, there were opportunities to talk about categories we sell—wallpaper, wall art, textiles, and other home products.

But I never wanted an article to suddenly turn into a sales pitch.

Instead, I learned how to start with the story and find the places where a product or category actually made sense.

If I'm writing about making a patio feel more finished, outdoor wall art can naturally be part of that conversation. If I'm writing about Mahjong rooms, wallpaper and pattern drenching make sense. If I'm talking about small ways to make a home feel more expensive, wallpaper can be one of those upgrades.

The product supports the story instead of becoming the story.

What I Took From It

Writing for Open Concept made me a stronger writer, but it also made me better at content marketing as a whole.

I got more experience with finding story angles, researching trends, writing headlines and hooks, developing a consistent voice, and turning a simple topic into something people would actually want to read.

It also made me think differently about the content I create everywhere else.

Whether it's a full article, an Instagram caption, an email subject line, or the first three seconds of a Reel, I'm always thinking about the same thing:

What's the most interesting way to tell this story?

Because good marketing writing isn't just about making something sound nice. It's about knowing what will make someone want to keep reading.