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November 16, 2016 By Melinda Leave a Comment

“Feel Home” with my Friend: Sarah Gibson

I am starting a series of posts about a few of my friends and how they “feel home”. Some I have met in person and some only in the online world (hopefully that will change one day!). I want to show you how different types of people create different feelings in their homes by choosing design elements that communicate that feeling best.

The only criteria for my featured friends is to be a talented, willing to share their home, and willing to open up about who they are and how they feel home. Not too much to ask, right?!?! Let’s get started!

Please meet my friend Sarah. Sarah is a designer and the talent behind the blog Room for Tuesday. We met on a business trip that we were both asked to take part in with Polycor, a natural stone fabricator. The first time I saw Sarah, I noticed her friendly smile right away. I also quickly took note of how after a long day of travel, her appearance was still so very well put together. Me on the other hand, not so much. We started chatting right away and I knew the friendship would continue long after the trip came to an end.

Sarah and her husband have made their way to Utah where they are currently renovating a mid-century ranch style house. Prior to this move, they resided in a 1920 bungalow style home in Ohio, which is where the pictures in this post were taken from. The feeling of this house reminds me of my first impression of Sarah, friendly and put together.

Sarah describes her personality as decisive, nostalgic, and effervescent. All of these traits are evident in the feeling that she created in her home. They are characteristics that make up what I call the strong, welcoming, and fun feeling.

The animal hyde and natural wood elements seen on the dining chairs and blinds are all design elements that communicate a more welcoming feeling.

I asked Sarah how she wanted her home to feel and her response was the following. “I want my home to feel curated, balanced, interesting, inviting, and unusual. These are all things that are important to me, and I want my home to reflect these qualities. I suppose when designing my home and filling it with furniture, decor, and objects I love, my objective is to create a place that is unique to myself and my family. I love mixing classic, timeless design with unexpected vintage pieces to give my home personality”.

I love how Sarah placed a fun element in her hallway using this floral pattern wallpaper. The pattern is scattered and larger in scale, which makes it feel fun, but the color palette is more warm and muted which falls into the welcoming feel. She also kept the space welcoming by using a vintage runner which adds a sense of history and has a warmer tone as well.

The architectural elements of Sarah’s home fall more into the authentic feeling. She and her husband made some design decisions that complemented that type of feeling. The kitchen cabinetry, floors, and molding are all choices made to honor the roots of their 1920 bungalow style home.

In this space, the lines of the coat rack, bench, and light fixture contribute to a more edited strong feeling. We also see the welcoming feeling in the texture of the basket and a nod to nature seen in the pillow, art, and animal heads. The animal heads add a little bit of fun to the space as well.

I just love this image of Sarah’s dog. Perfection!

Sarah is such a kind person and I am grateful to have met her. She wanted to gift you with something, so she thought her grandmother’s recipe for “the best sugar cookies” would be perfect for this time of year. Sarah was also nice enough to share the story behind the recipe, which makes me eager to get in the kitchen, gather the ingredients, and start baking!

“My grandmother makes these every single holiday. She makes hundreds and sometimes even thousands of cookies! She passes them out to everyone. Family, friends, neighbors, fellow churchgoers, the mailman, and anyone who will accept her tin of cookies. The recipe is from her old elementary school teacher and she still has the original copy. She said she remembers her teacher making these and passing them out to everyone in the community and at the single room schoolhouse. They’re so popular, she always runs out! Every time I make these, they remind me of her compassion and generosity to others.”

If you would like to meet my friend Sarah and learn about her e-design services, no matter your location or the scale of the project, you can visit her here.

I hope you enjoyed this first piece in my new series, “Feel Home”. I can’t wait to introduce you to my next friend in the series and share with you how they feel home.

Take care,

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August 9, 2016 By Melinda Leave a Comment

A Timeless Living Room Design

I have found that people tend to have two different types of feelings in their home (hint, it has a lot to do with your personality). I refer to them as your “major” feeling and your “minor” feeling. Every feeling has specific design elements that will help convey its message.

Creating a feeling in your home is far more than just a checklist, but it does help to have a framework to reference. It is about finding a balance between your creative side and the specific framework that communicates your feelings. The purpose is to help you see how all of the different design elements fall into place. For example, when it comes time to purchase a pillow for your couch, you will know which patterns will best communicate your feelings.

I created these living room design boards below based off of a timeless feeling. Within the timeless feeling are two categories, simple and elegant. You will see a mix of both categories in this living room. My free “Timeless Feeling Design Plan (available to my email subscribers) is based off of the simple side of timeless. Once you receive it, look to see what design elements in the plan are put into practice here and how it is done. Pay attention to color palette, patterns, finishes, etc.

I started with the largest piece in the living room, the Arhaus sectional (#1 design board) and Arhaus couch (#2 design board) because it is a focal point and makes an impact in the room. I then moved onto the other large pieces and kept my timeless framework in mind throughout the design. I wanted to show you two examples, one using a standard size couch and the other showing a bit more seating by using a sectional.

This design plan is a small sample of what you could learn in my online course, “Creating a Timeless Feeling Home” that you can register for now on my website, here. This course will guide you through the framework that I use to create a timeless home with my own clients. You will finally be making decisions for your home with ease and a new found confidence.

A FEW COURSE DETAILS

The early registration price for this one week course (4+ hours of content) is $38.00. This course will begin on November 1, 2016 and you will have LIFETIME ACCESS to the videos.

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August 3, 2016 By Melinda 11 Comments

Beautiful Backyard Blogger Series

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Thank you to my friend Stefanie from Brooklyn Limestone for asking me to participate in her Beautiful Backyard Blogger Series. Having been a long time admirer of her work, it is a true honor for me to take part.

I think of our backyard as another room in our home. A room where I want a timeless and relaxed feel that is consistent with the other spaces throughout the house. I have discovered that when you understand how you want your home to feel, their are basic design elements that will communicate that message consistently. As a result, making design decisions for your home becomes a little easier.

Once I knew and understood the color palette, patterns, and finishes that would portray a timeless feeling best, I became confident in what to choose for our home whether the space was inside or outside. I thought others may benefit from a simple guide showing how I create this feeling, so I built a FREE “Timeless Feeling Design Plan” to help get you started. This design plan is a small sample of what I teach in my online course, “Creating a Timeless Feeling Home” that you can register for now here.

When you keep your outside decisions consistent with the ones you make on the inside, you are able to bring the outdoors in seamlessly. For me, this approach creates a calming and predictable setting which I appreciate and crave. We have a busy household with three young children. By working within a framework, I create a calming retreat my family and I desire. Intuition and your home play a big part, but having a set of guidelines can make it a little easier for you.

My daughter took this picture while I was taking my own and I absolutely loved her perspective. I had to share!

Stefanie will be featuring 10 blogger backyards over the course of two weeks, so be sure to stop by her blog for some inspiration!

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June 9, 2016 By Melinda 2 Comments

A Room That Works

As a child, my parents would take my sisters, brother, and myself on vacations to different parts of the country and overseas where my father was originally from. We would visit friends and family, experience different cultures, and take in famous landmarks and homes. On a visit to Ashville, North Carolina, The Biltmore Estate was on the top of the list of places to visit. I found this 250 room French Renaissance chateau built in 1895 fascinating.

What I remember enjoying most about these grand homes wasn’t the exquisite furniture, the fine linens, or even the four acres of floor space as seen in The Biltmore Estate. It was the informal spaces that I couldn’t get enough of. It was the places where the work was done to keep these homes running on a day to day basis. The basement kitchens, utilitarian spaces, and the servant quarters are what I loved. The elements that made up those spaces have had a huge influence on the decorating elements that I place in my own home. These spaces fit perfectly within how I want my home to feel which is simple, timeless, and welcoming.

When I am presented with a design decision for myself or a client, I look at it as an opportunity to create a feeling in a home. It doesn’t matter if the decision involves picking out a new canister for coffee or choosing countertops for a kitchen remodel, they are all moments to tell your story.

When it was time to choose a new light fixture for my laundry room, I applied how I want my home to feel, simple, timeless, and welcoming, and began my search. I finally came across this schoolhouse type fixture from Barn Light Electric.

This style of lighting was first found hanging from classroom, library, and courthouse ceilings in the 1920s. It earned the reputation as a practical choice in these settings and one that would help accomplish everyday jobs. The history, along with the look, allows it to fall into the classic, timeless, and welcoming feelings.

Lastly, I always seek a piece that I feel is real and that was the last box to check off on my list of requirements. This Barn Light Electric fixture is hand-crafted and made in America. I don’t think it gets much more real than that.

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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