With the release of my book Your Home, Your Style fast approaching (March 20! Get your pre-orders in!), I thought it would be fun to share a bit of backstory on a few of the homes featured within. You see, when selecting rooms to shoot, photographer Joyelle West and I put our heads together and made a list of people we knew with great personal style, and whose homes reflected their confidence and willingness to express themselves through their decor.
One factor that was REALLY important to me was that none of the owners were trained interior designers—the message of the book, after all, is that anyone can create a home that feels like you want it to, if you approach the process with a little self-awareness and savvy.
First up: Lindsey, a colleague of mine whose home oozes happy vibes. Just look at this place.
Source: @NewEnglandLoom
Lindsey works in public relations, but she also harbors a not-so-secret passion for vintage rugs. That interest blossomed a few years ago when planning her wedding; Lindsey’s dream of setting the reception scene with vintage rugs sent her scouring New England’s flea markets and the Internet to find great pieces and deals. Her hunt ultimately led to three amazing things: one, a picture-perfect wedding featured on Style Me Pretty; two, a side business sourcing and selling unique rugs, New England Loom; and three, a house full of gorgeous, hand-knotted patterns and fringe.
Here is a behind-the-scenes pic from our shoot. The cute dog didn’t make it into print, sadly. Arf.
Read on for a little Q&A about this gal’s home and style. And to see Joyelle’s pro pics of this amazing pad, order your copy of Your Home, Your Style ASAP!
Do you have a decorating philosophy? What is it?
Texture and layering is key! I’m all about making rooms feel cozy, and believe you can never have too many rugs, throw pillows, or knit blankets.
Tell me about your current home. What do you like most about it?
I would describe our interior decorating style as “coastal meets boho”. My style is very influenced by the East Coast, where I grew up, but also pulls in a more modern California aesthetic. Our home is a one-story cottage, and it's shaped like a “U” that wraps around a middle outdoor patio. I love the overall flow that the shape creates. The layout means that almost every single room has 3 exterior facing walls that let in amazing natural light, and each room also has French doors leading outside. In the summer months, we almost treat the patio as a second living room, and we can walk straight out our kitchen across the patio to our bedroom without ever going through the rest of the house.
Joyelle and I had so much fun shooting your space for Your Home, Your Style. What surprised you most about having your home photographed?
Well, you and I have worked together on several celebrity design projects in the past, but it was so fun seeing my own home through the lens of a camera! I think what surprised me most was how much plants/greenery can make or break a shot. We already have several plants throughout our home and you brought a few to play with for the shoot. It was interesting to see how just a little fern or succulent could add so much life to the room and photo.
Anything you’d do differently if you were to start over today?
I would have waited on some of the paint colors. I was in such a rush to get things painted before we moved in that I made paint decisions before I knew what the rooms would look like, from a décor standpoint. Now that we’ve fully furnished each room, some of the paint colors just aren’t right and it bugs me every day! Repainting some of the rooms is definitely on the (long) lists of home to-dos.
What were the biggest challenges in furnishing and decorating your spaces?
Again, choosing the paint colors!! I am fairly decisive when it comes to décor and had a very clear vision of how I wanted our home to look and feel, but for whatever reason my mind doesn’t work the same way with paint. There are just so many options and I have a lot of trouble visualizing how a paint colors will look against a larger design scheme.
When you’re shopping, what colors, materials, and types of items can you never resist?
I’m a big fan of the color blue, which comes from my coastal New England roots, I think, so most rooms in our home incorporate that color somehow. I also find myself always drawn to natural woods—I love how much texture they bring to a space. We’ve incorporated wood elements into almost every room: DIY floating shelves in our kitchen made from old floor boards, shiplap in our bathroom, a live edge wood coffee table in our living room, custom wood herringbone closet doors in our guest bedroom.. The list goes on!
What’s one purchase you’ve never regretted?
Our collection of vintage rugs. They add so much color, history and character to the rooms in our home and really anchor each space. I also incorporated many of them into our wedding before buying our home, which makes them that much more special. They just get better with time, and more beautiful every time I look at them.
What was your most recent home-decor project or purchase?
The most recent project we completed was the little half bath off our kitchen, which literally started as an empty room. We’ve slowly added things like flooring, beadboard, lighting and a vanity over time. The last step was wallpapering the top half of the wall with wallpaper. I fell in love with this bird print from Bob Collins, but couldn’t justify the price tag. When I showed it to my sister she told me she could easily paint it, and while I was skeptical, I let her. I think I love the result even more than the original! This little powder room now makes me so, so happy.
Our most recent purchase was the Article Sven sofa, which was one of the best décor decisions we’ve ever made. The shape and camel color instantly gave our very traditional family room a more modern look, and the leather is so easy keep clean despite our two pups constantly chasing each other all over it. It’s also incredibley comfortable – we’ve already enjoyed many lazy Sundays in front of the fire on this couch!
Anything you want to add or change next?
Our next project will be renovating our guest bathroom. It honestly scares me a bit as it’s the biggest thing my husband and I have ever taken on from a DIY perspective, but I’m so excited for the end result! We will be changing almost everything (tile, vanity, shower, tub lighting etc.) as well as hopefully adding a window to let in some natural light, so I can’t wait to see the transformation.
What’s your go-to source for design inspiration?
I’m an Instagram addict and I definitely get most of my design inspiration through scrolling through my feed each day. I love that you can now save images within Instagram, and my saved folder is admittedly all interiors that I love and reference often.