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DALLAS - North Texas twin sisters are sharing stories about their life and more on camera while managing their interior design business.
Sisters Heather Fujikawa and Heidi Andrews share a home with both of their husbands and all seven, soon to be eight, of their children.
They believe interior design is a way to spark joy in people’s homes.
“We realize we can’t be happy all the time. We can’t be happy all the time because that’s not real, right? But joy is real. Going through the hard times and the good times and finding the joy in those things. And also as mothers, and as human beings, creating joy around us,” Heather said.
That philosophy is the basis of Joyful Living, their interior design business in the Dallas area.
“This is a sense of organization and also a place to be able to put things like ‘Let them be little’ or a handprint that was made for Father’s Day that means something to a family,” Heather said about a couple of floating shelves on her wall.
In order to get their business off the ground, Heather asked Heidi to move from California to Texas. Heather and her husband opened the doors of their home already shared by twin boys and a third son. Heidi and her husband moved in with their four daughters, including twin girls.
“One of the big draws coming here was to be able to really establish the business, build it together. And when can you build a business together when you have seven kids under the age of six? There’s only a few hours in between so a lot of the times it was late nights where we’re planning with Paul and Tyson, our business partners or husbands,” Heidi said.
Their family business has now also become a cable TV series called “Design Twins.”
Filming just wrapped up with episodes showcasing how functional space can also be beautiful.
“Here we have some motor skills activities for the kids or right here we have blocks. Then if everything is all together, then they won’t know how to play with it individually,” Heidi said as she showed off a solution for toy organization.
The twins are experts on designing family-friendly rooms, pretty places for both learning and play.
“This is one of our favorite things, this message board because in our family we strive to have a word of the week,” Heather said.
They said using positive messages as decoration provides an inspiring focal point for kids and a family slogan brings unity to the space.
They also encourage their children by displaying their creations on the walls, which were painted a signature color to add appeal.
A plush soft rug serves as just one piece of the family-friendly furniture, an acrylic table makes for easy cleaning and a spinning chair is both fun and functional.
Heather, Heidi and their two families spent four months together before Heidi went back to San Diego to deliver her fifth baby girl. But soon both families will be home all together.
“I love the chaos with the joy. And I love cousin time and having all these kids together, experiencing all these things,” Heather said.
“Design Twins” airs every Thursday on UPtv.