The Art of Intentional Living
- Nikki Lo
- 4 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Creating Homes that Heal and Traditions that Last
When Nicole and her husband planted their first peony in their garden, she never imagined the flower would become the inspiration for two businesses. Today, the Buffalo-based content creator and business owner is known for Peony and Linen, her online home décor platform, and White Peony Organics, a wellness brand helping women navigate perimenopause naturally. Through these ventures, she aims to help others treat their bodies and homes with mindfulness and kindness.
Peony and Linen, originally named “The Painted White Peony,” started in 2018 as Nicole’s personal Instagram account. At first, it was a place where she could share her love for home décor and DIYs with an equally passionate community. Over time, her focus shifted from DIY projects and painted furniture to the deeper question of how a home can nurture well-being.
In Nicole’s home, her living room answers that question best. It's the heart of her home and a space she has lovingly reimagined many times over the years. “It’s right in the center of everything,” she says. “It’s where we hang out with our kids and pets at the end of the day. It’s where we have many of our conversations, debates, and laughs (mostly laughs), where we have family gatherings for birthdays, holidays, and of course, to watch football.” For her, decorating is never about chasing trends but about creating spaces that feel cozy, functional, and meaningful. It's about shaping an environment where anyone inside feels connected, grounded, and cared for.
That philosophy is summed up beautifully in a question Nicole once shared online: How can I make this look pretty but also serve a purpose?
“I find it’s easier to decide what the main purpose of a space is and style around that,” she explains. “There are so many creative ways to design without sacrificing beauty for function.”
This year, she’s focused on decorating with intention — surrounding herself with pieces that tell a story. “I love using things that aren’t just décor but are meaningful,” she says. “For example, items like drinking glasses that belonged to my grandmother or a quilted table runner by my mom. Pieces like these make a home feel personal and connected.”
She encourages others to do the same. “We all have something on hand that means something to us,” she adds. “Find one of those items and bring it into your home this season.”
"Create spaces that feel cozy, functional, and meaningful."
Her belief that “beauty and function can coexist” doesn’t stop at home décor — it’s something she carries into her approach to wellness, too. Nicole’s commitment to meaningful and intentional living led her to launch White Peony Organics. She started the company out of her own challenges with perimenopause, realizing there was a lack of natural, supportive solutions for women in this season of life. “The defining moment was when I realized that what I was experiencing was normal and I didn’t have to suffer silently,” she says. “I wanted other women to know that they didn’t have to either.”
Her purpose shifted from decorating her home purely for aesthetics to creating a calming environment where she could nurture her own self-care journey — and to curating products that empower other women with organic, hormone-friendly alternatives.
Nicole now channels her passion into The White Peony Journal, a blog that offers a calm space for women to find trustworthy information and solutions. Through both her creative and entrepreneurial pursuits, her goal has remained the same: to help women “feel more like themselves on their wellness journey,” both in their bodies and in the spaces they live.
For Nicole, it all comes back to the idea that beauty and wellness begin at home. Whether she’s styling a cozy corner or sharing a new product, her work is rooted in care — for herself, her family, and the women who follow her journey.
