Hanna Li’s approach to design has never been confined to four walls—a perspective informed by her upbringing in a small village in China.

“Life was very close to nature; there was a specific kind of rhythm,” Li tells host Kaitlin Petersen on the latest episode of the Trade Tales podcast. “I knew I was going to do something very hands-on, having such a wonderful exposure to a world that was in constant development.”

True to her word, Li went on to study interior design at the Rhode Island School of Design—earning a minor in environmental science from neighboring Brown University along the way—before going on to work for several boutique design firms and furniture fabricators. Over time, her ambitions grew bigger: She teamed up with her brother, who was working as a data analyst in Silicon Valley, and together, the pair launched Hanna Li Interiors in 2016.

“We both decided we should start an interior design practice together, and combining both of our very different skill sets could home in on a really cool combination of family, craft, and [creating] a firm that has a very different cultural perspective,” says Li. “It never really felt like, ‘We’re just building a business.’ It feels like it’s continuing a lineage and translating that into a more contemporary context.”

A major part of perpetuating her heritage has involved bringing the firm’s clients back into harmony with nature. Over time, that mindset has been infused into multiple touchpoints across Li’s firm, from the launch of her own woodshop to promote the use of healthy materials and reduce carbon output, to the small “sustainability fee” tacked onto each design proposal, which funds the work of a team of Harvard environmental researchers.

Elsewhere in the episode, the designer shares how she’s measuring the carbon footprint of every project, why she produced short films about her firm’s work, and the reason every role she hires for comes with a five-year plan.

Crucial insight: While sustainability remains a guiding principle for Li, improving her practices to better benefit the environment has been an incremental process. Her firm has slowly adopted new initiatives—like sourcing more vintage pieces and using AI tools to evaluate the carbon output of each project—without overhauling the entire operation at once. “That has really helped our business, to say, ‘Every month, we’re going to change one decision we make. We’re going to change one habit that we make, [without] shifting the business entirely where it’s impossible to scale because it’s not profitable,’” she explains. “It takes time and patience and the desire to inquire: ‘What does sustainability mean for you?’”

Key quote: “Design isn’t all about aesthetics. I talk about these three principles: How do we allow clients to live happier, promote better relationships and live longer?”

Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.