The Art of Coming Home
By Michaela Feldmann
Some of us spend our whole lives searching for where we truly belong. We travel the country, experience different cities and cultures, and discover our passions. But for some of us, home will always be where we started.
Amy Macfarlane smiles as she sips her coffee, thinking back on that journey and where she is now.
"I never thought I was coming back," she says. "But life has a funny way of bringing you home."
Amy grew up in Sioux City as the youngest of three siblings. Her brother Doug was 10 years older, and her brother Greg was 13 years older. Greg’s helicopter was shot down, and he was killed in Vietnam when Amy was 11 and Doug was 20.
At a young age, she filled her life with the love of piano and liked going through her dad’s souvenirs from WWII. “In Jr. High I was decorating my room based on a photo from Seventeen Magazine,” Amy laughs.
It's what led Amy to her next love: Interior Design. At the University of Iowa, period styles from William and Mary to Chippendale, to the Bauhaus Movement, filled her early morning classes and fueled her adoration into something lasting.
"When I was young, I was fascinated with history," Amy recalls. "I was captivated with my family's genealogy and learning about where I descended from. My mom’s family was 100% Swedish, and my dad’s mother was an Italian immigrant from Sicily. She met my grandfather during WWI.”
Her first design job was with Ethan Allen in Des Moines. "My business card said, Interior Designer, but I realized pretty quickly that I was in furniture sales. I was disappointed," Amy shares. So, she pivoted to a role with L'Oréal's Hair Care division as a Regional Product Trainer and Sales Rep.
In Des Moines, Amy met her first husband. His career took them to Chicago, where she embraced the move.
"I loved Chicago. My very best friend from college was there. When you don't live in the town you grew up in, your neighbors and friends become the people you celebrate holidays with. They were my family," notes Amy.
The couple built a life on the North Shore and started to raise their first child, Kathrine. They were expecting their second child, Hillary, when Amy says things took a turn.
"He just didn't want to be a husband or a father. All the doors were closing in Evanston. But like my mom always said, ‘When God closes a door, HE opens a window.’ And the windows were flying open in Sioux City."
“I’ve never felt HIS presence so resolutely,” Amy recalls. That was in 1995. She sold most of her household items, including the piano she learned to play on. “I looked over, and my mom was crying,” Amy continues.
I was working a part-time job at a children’s clothing store in Winnetka to cover incidentals. Barb, my bestie, was picking up the girls to babysit. She handed me an envelope with a personal check enclosed for $2,500 and said, “It’s time to retain a lawyer.”
It was a difficult transition for everyone. I didn’t realize it at the time, but we were homeless. After two weeks of camping out at her best friend Barb’s home, she found herself in a car with her two daughters, a cat, and a determination… Ready or not, Sioux City, here we come! A chapter that could have been dark became one of the most meaningful times in her life and a major turning point in her career.
"My parents were unbelievable," Amy exclaims. "My mom, Helen, became my significant other and watched the girls while I worked, and my dad, Bob, became such a strong male influence in their lives. We were surrounded by people who loved us, and they were the foundation of my support. I realized how important extended family is as well.
My cousins, Pam Lapke and Beth Schwaderer, preceded me in reputation; that’s for SURE!"
“I was supposed to go to Sioux City. I felt that tug and I went with it."
Her next act: returning to interior design. In 1996, she launched Lifestyle Design on Historic Fourth Street inside House Dressing LTD. “Lora Holton and I were introduced and sealed the deal, and in the process of our businesses, we got to witness Historic Fourth Street unfold,” Amy fondly remembers.
As Amy continued rebuilding her career, a new life slowly began to take shape, one filled with support and great friendships. Then, unexpectedly, love found her again.
"Steve saved my life," Amy says lovingly. "He's my biggest support, and my biggest cheerleader. He's my best friend, and he makes me laugh out loud."
The two had known each other for years, moved in similar circles, shared friends, and even played in golf tournaments together.
The two married in 2002 and became a blended family, bringing together their children, Kathrine, Hillary, and Greer. The phrase “a blended family is anything but…” is SO true. We had many obstacles, but twenty-four years since they married, Amy tears up as she reflects.
“Steve’s a rock. Together we built this second chapter of both of our lives. Steve and I had full custody of the girls, and no child support. We consistently preached to our girls, it’s never too late to have a relationship with your biological mom or dad.” (I now refer to our exes as my ‘wasband’ and Steve’s ‘wiff.’ It keeps the air light.)
My girls’ paternal family also played a lovely role in our lives. Babysitting over school holidays and in the summer at the farm, Hillary was labeled by her Aunt Victoria, ‘the small animal technician’ for her love of kittens and other animals on the property.
After some years in design, Amy took a detour into commercial construction recruiting and later became a business development director. But the burnout was real. So, with Steve by her side, she took a leap of faith.
"I just said, 'I'm jumping back into design.' I had no clients. But I knew in my heart it was the right thing," Amy continues. "Design always calls me back. I've come back to it three times. Every time I step away, something eventually happens, and I find myself right back in the saddle. I always joke that three is a charm."
Her third act began in 2018.
"I sent out a letter to everyone I could think of. For a couple of weeks, nothing happened. Then all of a sudden, some of my old clients came back, and new clients appeared. My philosophy is that I believe every room should have something unexpected. It could be a vase. It could be a unique find. Whatever inspires you when you look at it. I believe your home should be completely you," Amy shares.
Two years later, she outgrew her space. One day, Amy was driving around Sioux City, and she spotted a leasing sign at Plaza Professional Center off Hamilton Boulevard in what used to be a dental office, and she felt an immediate connection.
"I just knew," she says. "It was another one of those moments when I felt a tug telling me, 'Go this way.'"
The location had more space than she needed. Then, a client gave her an idea.
'Why don't you open a consignment shop?' and I thought BINGO," Amy recalls. “I’d always wanted a small shop.”
That idea grew into Lifestyle Design & Consign, blending Interior Design services with an upscale resale showroom filled with furniture, décor, curated finds, not to mention new pieces she sources from monthly trips to market in Minneapolis.
"I've always loved estate sales and repurposing pieces. That 'second life' of consignment is something that I have always been drawn to. It cuts down on waste in our landfills, and there are so many unique finds that deserve another life. Anyone can buy beautiful, new things, but making your home graceful and livable? That’s the tricky part. Save the last part of your decorating for things you acquire along the way that give your room meaning," Amy explains.
For more than a decade, Amy has also helped preserve Sioux City's history, serving on the Historic Preservation Commission and running Historic Preservation Week every May.
"I love the stories behind the places," Amy says. "It's about honoring a community's identity. Sioux City was a REALLY big deal in its early years. Right now, we are really focused on ghost signs: the old painted advertisements on buildings around town. We've made it so you can't cover them up now. Once those buildings are gone, they're done. We have to protect the stories."
Her passion for the Siouxland community runs deep, whether she is on the commission, working with First Tee golf tournament, or mentoring others and supporting local organizations.
"You have to dig in, and I know it’s cliché, but giving back is the key. That's how you feel fulfilled in your community," Amy affirms. "God's been with me this entire journey. Steve and I were Sunday School teachers while the girls were growing up. Religion: don’t just say it, DO IT.”
Decades later, her brother Greg’s memory remains part of her story. She and her brother Doug recently connected with one of his military friends, Greg’s closest friend, Geb. They went through basic training, flight school, and also ended up together in ‘Nam. Geb put me in touch with another buddy from flight school, who had been a good friend, and asked to visit Greg’s grave here in Logan Cemetery, which happened in July,” Amy shares.
Greg's memory also became part of Sioux City history: when North High School was built, Amy's family donated the flag from his casket to be flown at North. Years later, her daughter Katie noticed the memorial needed repair, wrote about it for the school paper, and supporters stepped up and restored it. “Katie learned about the power of the pen,” Amy notes. "That's the power of community and support. That's what I love about Sioux City."
Amy looks back on her life with gratitude, and the confidence that comes from surviving every chapter that once felt impossible. It’s also made her who she is today: a woman of deep roots, confidence, and an undeniable ability to make people realize they matter in her life.
"I'm just so happy with where I am today," Amy says. "I adore my clients; we’re a team. I love taking a room and transforming it to their vision. I love Sioux City, and I love my country. Everything that has happened has brought me right where I'm supposed to be. I look forward to the next chapter, wherever life leads us. Now that I’ve added my website, www.lifestyledesignedandconsign.com, I’m not seeing myself retiring any time soon.”
More With Amy
Amy plays the piano and has two in her house, including a player piano from 1923 that they were going to haul away. After 10 years dormant, Amy says they plugged it in, and it just started playing, “There’s Got to be a Morning After” from the Poseidon Adventure. They laughed, and she teared up and said, “This piano is staying put.”
She is a grandma to her beautiful granddaughter, Sistine, who is Amy’s world. “When I’m with Sis, nothing else matters. It’s like everyone told me, you won’t believe how amazing it is to have a grandchild,” Amy gushes.
Outside the studio, Amy is trying to spend more time on the golf course. She also enjoys participating in her book study club, Portfolio, where she will serve as Secretary this Fall.
Amy just celebrated her fifth anniversary at Lifestyle Design & Consign. Her design philosophy centers around five things that can transform any space: original artwork, drapery panels, antiques sprinkled throughout, door hardware, and treating ceilings as the fifth wall.
Amy studied to become a Master Gardener in 2014.
Her latest LLC venture, Refurb the Curb, launched in 2024, offering consultations to freshen up your home’s curb appeal.