interiors

March 9, 2017 By Melinda 16 Comments

Spring Home Tour

When I was asked by April from House By Hoff and Krista from The Happy Housie if I would like to participate in the “Seasonal Simplicity” home tour, I thought what a fantastic way to celebrate the start of this time of year. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to represent new life, optimism, and the changes that take place outside that all occur at this time of year. Budding branches, a fresh feeling, and learning something new were all at the top of my list to help welcome spring.

If you are here by way of At Charlotte’s House or any of the other talented bloggers on the tour, welcome, and thank you for visiting me!

Learning how to arrange flowers was a fantastic way for me to kick off the spring season. Doing it with friends made it even better!

I have a passion for teaching and the home, and teach the “everyday home designer” that design isn’t about a look, but a feeling. A feeling that is about emotion and simply put, feels right to you and your home. It is that “something” when you walk into a space that just feels right.

The feeling you want to create in your home (hint, it has a lot to do with your personality) has basic design elements that you can choose to communicate that message consistently. Making design decisions for your home becomes intentional, easy, and something that you are happy with for a long time.

In my kitchen you can see evidence of the feeling I created in the space. Timeless, simple, and welcoming are the words I used as a guideline for the design elements that I chose for the room. By using these words as a guide and their design framework I was able to make decisions with intention, rather than make decisions on what the latest trend was at the moment.

As I noted above, I wanted to create a fresh feeling in my home to help celebrate the spring season. Pastel greens, fresh greenery, and forsythia branches were all ways that I created that feeling in the space.

Please provide your email address below to receive the mudroom drawing plans and resource list.

Mudroom Drawing Plans and Resources

Yes, please send me the plans and resources!

Please be sure to visit the next stop on the Seasonal Simplicity Home Tour, my friend Jennifer from Town and Country Living, and all of the other homes on the tour for more inspiration!

Monday

House by Hoff / The Happy Housie / The Turquoise Home / Maison de Pax / Refresh Restyle

Tuesday

The House of Wood / Simplicity of the South / Place of My Taste / Tidy Mom / That’s My Letter

Wednesday

Sincerely, Sara D. / at HOME with the barkers / Paint Me Pink / Nina Hendrick Design Co. / A Burst of Beautiful

Thursday

Just a Girl and Her Blog / Cherished Bliss / At Charlotte’s House / House 214 Design / Town and Country Living

Friday

Cassie Bustamante / Robb Restyle / Erin Spain / My Fabuless Life / The Wicker House

October 4, 2016 By Melinda 2 Comments

The 7 step process to a “Timeless Feeling Home”

Creating a Timeless Feeling Home

This course will guide you, “the everyday home designer”, through the step by step process that I created and use with my own clients. I will teach you how to make decisions with purpose and confidence for your timeless feeling home. We will discover your blueprint (hint, it starts with your personality), and learn the exact design elements that create a timeless feeling. We will then take what you learn about the timeless feeling and apply it to different aspects of living. I will show you specific examples of how to entertain, shop, decorate, and even make holiday gifts for neighbors and teachers in a timeless way. The everyday will feel more like you because it will be you. Learn more and register here: House 214 Design Courses

A FEW COURSE DETAILS

It is a one week course (4+ hours of content) that you take at your own conveience. This course will begin on November 1, 2016 and you will have LIFETIME ACCESS to the videos.

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September 2, 2016 By Melinda Leave a Comment

Budget Isn’t The Issue

I am thrilled to be combining my passion for the home with my love for teaching. My degree in education naturally leads me to think in terms of informing and inspiring others. My hope is to awaken the feeling that is your story and to teach you how to communicate it in your own homes.

Feel Home: Creating a Timeless Feeling Home

We all have the same questions when it comes to designing our homes. Where do I begin? Is this really me or am I making this decision because it is the latest trend? Am I still going to like this look six months from now? Whether you are the everyday home designer or working with a professional, the choices you make for your timeless home need to be made with intention. This course will guide you through the process and teach you the framework that I use to create a timeless home with my clients. We will create storyboards, discover the language for a timeless home (hint, it has a lot to do with your personality), and learn the exact design elements that create a timeless feeling. You will learn by doing. As a result, making design decisions for your timeless home will be easier. You will be making your decisions with intention and confidence rather than because you saw it in the latest issue of a favorite magazine. This course will teach you not just the what, but the how and why behind creating a timeless feeling in your home.

Details

The early registration price for this one week course (4+ hours of content) is $38.00. You will be sent the videos starting on November 1, 2016 and watch them at your convenience. Also, you will have LIFETIME ACCESS to the videos.

Notes for registering:

If you are new to the Jeanne Oliver Creative Network here are easy steps to get you started…

Click the button above and register FOR FREE at jeanneoliver.ning.com.
Once your account is active you are able to register for my course (and take advantage of other free courses!).
Go to jeanneoliver.ning.com and find my course Feel Home: Creating a Timeless Feeling Home and follow the instructions to join!
All courses on the Jeanne Oliver Creative Network are pre-recorded so you can watch at your convenience. The best part is that you have lifetime access on all new purchases!

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July 22, 2016 By Melinda 8 Comments

Step 1: How To Create a Feeling in Your Home

I have been where you are, standing in the pillow aisle of a store I frequent often, feeling overwhelmed by the choices and questioning my decisions. Looking at shelves full of coffee canisters and wondering which one I should place on my counter. I have even been to the point of having a difficult time picking out something as simple as a tea towel for my kitchen. In my head I would have a conversation with myself trying to make a decision, “I think this is the pattern everyone is buying, so maybe I should choose one of these five tea towels” or “I think I saw this in the latest issue of some magazine as a top pick, so maybe I should go with that one”.

I have been inspired (and overwhelmed) by all sorts of imagery for years. I felt like I would love a particular style, but not know where to start or if it would even look right in my home. There were many times when I purchased the trendy pillow just to bring it home and have it look out of place.

I know not everyone is like this and some people don’t put that much thought into their homes, and that is completely fine. I also know some people always seem to get it right the first time and make it look so easy, but that wasn’t me either. I fell into this middle group that cared a lot about my home, but I also wasn’t trained professionally in the area of design. I was the everyday home designer who wanted to connect my story to my home, and thought there has to be a better way. So, I decided to get to work.

I created a framework and tools that will help create a feeling in your home. It is one that I use with my own clients and it is what want to teach you here. The end result will have your home feeling more like you because it is you.

If you are interested in joining me on this journey grab a notebook, a pencil, and let’s get to work. We are going to start with asking ourselves one question, why. Why is it important for you to make a feeling in your home? Why are you drawn to me and this blog? Why are you wanting to join me on this journey?

I would love to read and share some of your responses to these questions on my blog and an online class that I will be teaching, so please comment below! The course will be available to register for on August 1, 2016 and is all about teaching you the process and tools on specifically creating a timeless feeling in your home. Please be sure to subscribe to my blog below if you want to learn more about the course! All images by Lori Baskin Photography.

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March 17, 2016 By Melinda 17 Comments

You Belong Here

Do you remember writing out a Christmas list when you were a child? You would write line after line of gift ideas for the big day. Over the course of the holiday, you would receive many gifts from many people. Although those gifts were appreciated, it got to be so much that you couldn’t remember all that you had received and from who. As the years passed and you got older, the amount of ideas on your lists got smaller and you saw more joy in giving rather than receiving. The more we mature the less we need and the more we crave authenticity. This idea applies to the home as well.

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This process does not happen overnight. It is a journey, but one that will have you making a home that has that feeling you crave. It is not about knocking down walls, walking down the home aisle filling your cart with the latest must have, or watching before and after shows that take place in thirty minutes. It is about more than that. It is about making your home extraordinary. Extraordinary for you, for the people who walk through the door, and for your home.

This is about more than making a “pretty” house. Pretty is something that you find only on the surface. There isn’t a deepness to it. Pretty doesn’t give me the feeling that I get when I listen to Expressions by Helen Jane Long (link below). Close your eyes. Listen. What do you feel?

I truly appreciate your feedback and wanted to share just a few of the comments that I have received regarding my recent blog posts. In these posts, I shared my hope to teach you not just what to put in your home, but the how and why behind it. See if you can understand where these readers are coming from.

1. I see so many styles online and feel an affinity towards them, but then I realize they aren’t really my style, they’re just well designed rooms that I appreciate.

2. My goal with our new house is to be intentional with telling our story through decorating…truly making it a home that is US and not just full of pretty things.

3. I often get sucked into the Pinterest blackhole which leads to indecisiveness and me questioning my choices. I want our home to be a reflection of us and not some trendy design blog.

Can you relate to any of these comments? If so, you belong here. You may feel overwhelmed by making decisions for your home and fear you are making and investing in the wrong ones. If so, you belong here. You may feel tired of the endless imagery surrounding you and unsure if what you “like” is right for you and your home. If so, you belong here.

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