At House Beautiful, one of the most highly anticipated events of our year is the annual Whole Home project. Each year, we search the country for a location that we're excited to explore with our readers and tap a group of esteemed architects and interior designers to create the most beautiful, design-forward home imaginable. Artist Teju RevalOur seventh annual Whole Home is located in Asheville, North Carolina, and the finished project is nothing short of stunning. To make it even more special, we partnered with Minted artist Teju Reval, who illustrated 16 pictures of the entire home, spanning spaces both inside and out. Rendered in her signature hand-drawn style, her work perfectly captures the cutting-edge allure and timeless charm of this mountainside vacation home. We recently caught up with Teju to talk about how she began illustrating for Minted (her journey is not what you'd expect!), the details of her creative process, and what it was like to take on this unique artistic project to commemorate our 2024 Whole Home.Related StoryTeju RevalThe living room, designed by Dane Austin.House Beautiful: Can you share a bit about your journey as an artist and what led you to work with Minted?Teju Reval: I come from a computer science engineering and business background, but creating art always gave me a lot of joy, so I decided to become a full-time artist in 2013. I didn't really have a plan, I just dove into it. I started exploring all avenuesI did art shows; I started selling my art on online marketplaces; I did art workshops, etc. And then I stumbled upon Minted and instantly admired their aesthetic and started submitting to their Design Challenges in the hope that someday my art would be selected for their beautiful products. And that is how I got hooked on designing for Minted.HB: As a Minted artist, how has your experience shaped your approach to illustrating spaces in a way that resonates with people? How has working with Minted influenced your journey as an artist?TR: Over the years, I have seen people appreciate art that reflects life in its true form. So capturing the essence of a space in a fun and appealing way while maintaining a trend-forward and modern look was my goal when illustrating for this project. Minted has been instrumental in providing a platform to hone my skills and be adept with design trends and techniques due to the sheer number and variety of products we design for. It was important to showcase the painterly style of illustrating whilst maintaining the designer's essence of a clean design aesthetic and modern decor.HB: How would you describe your artistic style, and how did you adapt it to create illustrations for the Whole Home project?TR: My artistic style is primarily very hand-drawn and has the rawness of traditional media as opposed to digital perfection. When I was given the wonderful opportunity of illustrating for the Whole Home project, I tried out illustrating the interiors in a variety of media (charcoal, ink, gouache, and colored pencils). Although I enjoy illustrating with different media for different projects, we chose gouache as the medium for this project due to its gorgeous colors and unique look for print and publishing. Teju RevalThedining room, designed by Dane Austin.Teju RevalThe recovery room, by Anita YokotaTeju RevalTheguest room, designed by Byron Risdon.Teju RevalThe lounge, by Rajni Alex.HB: What was your first step in approaching the Whole Home project, and what did the creative process look like from start to finish?TR: My first step in approaching the Whole Home project was to understand each participating designer's work for this project and to visualize the story they were trying to tell with each room. I would compile each room's mood boards, design elements, and mockups. Next, I would start sketching the space out, painting with gouache, and scanning it into Photoshop for editing and digitizing. HB: Were there any specific techniques from your personal style that you incorporated into the illustrations, and which did you feel were the most important to showcase?TR: I tried to maintain the rawness of hand-drawn illustrations by highlighting the thick paints and brush strokes of painting with gouache. It was important to showcase the painterly style of illustrating whilst maintaining the designer's essence of a clean design aesthetic and modern decor. Teju RevalThe owners suite, designed by Heidi Woodman.HB: What part of the Whole Home project was the most exciting for you to illustrate, and what specific vignette are you most proud of?TR: I thoroughly enjoyed illustrating each and every room, be it Kelsey Leigh Design Co.'s kitchen or Byron Risdon's guest room. But my most favorite was illustrating Heidi Woodman's owner's suite. The rich colors of the interiors and wallpaper were perfect for rendering and recreating with paint. HB: How did working with the team of designers challenge or expand your artistic approach during this project?TR: It was wonderful to work with the amazing Hearst, Whole Home, and designer teams. They provided me with all the resources I needed for visualizing each room. It included mood boards, photographs, mockups, and details on the individual furnishings and fabrics. The team on the ground even sent me work-in-progress install imagery so I could get a better visualization of the spaces to illustrate. Teju RevalThegame room, designed by MA Allen.Teju RevalThe reading room, designed by Anne McDonald.For an artist, the subject matter is key.HB: What would you say was the biggest challenge in translating interior and exterior design into your illustrations?TR: Because this was a fast-paced, time-sensitive project, I had to simultaneously illustrate the spaces while they were being decorated. It was challenging at times to visualize and illustrate a space based on the designer's vision when the decor was still a work in progress and it had yet to be installed. Sometimes we had to move around the position of the furniture or add extra accessories. But that is what made this project very uniqueit was like nothing I had ever worked on before and at the same time it was extremely satisfying, rewarding, and super fun.Teju RevalThe outdoor space, designed by Curated Nest.HB: What was the most rewarding part of working with House Beautiful and bringing this project to life?TR: Getting to illustrate the visions of some of the best interior designers in the industry was the highlight of this project. For an artist, the subject matter is key so I felt really fortunate to be given an opportunity to illustrate the Whole Home. It was simply wonderful and very fulfilling to draw and paint such tastefully curated spaces and decor. HB: For those who would like to explore more of your art, where can people find your work?TR: My art can be found at Minted, The Met, Pottery Barn Kids, Disney, Target, Hudson Baby, and Kate & Laurel.For more, check out Teju's website and find her on Instagram.Shop Teju's PrintsDreamy Swan Print$30 at MintedCountryside I Print$34 at MintedDog Study PrintNow 92% Off$298 $24 at MintedBirds I PrintNow 86% Off$250 $34 at MintedFollow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.