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Artists on Instagram that you NEED to follow… Part I
three things i did to start my styling business
Friday finds, Orange edition
Hi there, fellow design rebel! In honor of fall, just writing a quick blog about my latest finds IN ORANGE in case you’re looking for something cool/weird/awesome for your home decor project. I think orange is one of the most underrated colors and I don’t often get to see it celebrated for the beauty and joy it brings. Enjoy!
large art for (somewhat) little money
One of the toughest assignments I give myself as an interior stylist is finding large art that doesn’t suck. If you google “oversized art”, you’ll know my plight. It’s a lot of hotel art and badly pixelized digital prints. And what do you consider large art? I would say anything over 55” on the longer side. Anything huge is simply a matter of luck and a 4AM trip to the flea market. And even then, the likelihood of finding something in pristine condition is low, so be prepared for dings and scrapes.
The other design dilemma is the affordability. If I have over $6K to spend, I’m in business. But often, my budgets are a total of $15K for one room, which includes sofas, chairs, rugs, paint, wallpaper, etc. I can’t spend half the budget on a singular piece of art and leave the rest of the room blank!
So what is a budding interior stylist to do? Well, I get my search engines ready and my filters primed. I’m always on the hunt and here’s what I’ve found lately… my suggestion for you is that if you need large art now, purchase these right away because I have no idea how long they will last.
my top online vintage shops
If you’re reading this blog and are a fan of my work/home, then you know one thing to be true: I love vintage.
About 85% of everything in my home was either thrifted, bought at a consignment store or found lying on the sidewalk (I used to live in a very interesting neighborhood where they just threw a $400 chair out just because it was “old”). I attend the Rosebowl, Long Beach, PCC and other flea markets practically every weekend and ALWAYS find something (I don’t always buy). I’m of the belief that one can find great vintage and flea markets anywhere, but flea market finds do not always fit your exact needs. How many times have you gone out looking for a decorative tray and came back with giant wooden dragon? I’m raising my hand over here and pointing directly at myself.
how to mix patterns like a pro
You’ve seen it. That drool-worthy Pinterest or Instagram photo of an interior dripping with pattern. We make it look so effortless, right? And your gut might be telling you that although we make it look effortless, it actually take a lot of effort… and I’m here to let you in on a little secret.
Mixing patterns is super easy, bro.
How i pick out wallpaper (shhhhh....)
I have been wanting and NOT wanting to write this post for a very long time. And I lied a little in my last post, in case you have been following. I ran two different polls asking what you wanted to me to post about. So while most of you voted for "How to make my house look cool" on this blog, my Instagram followers wanted to know how to pick wallpaper.
so you want to buy a neon sign
Hello there and Happy Holidays!! In case you want to take a break from all the festivities, here is a little blog to distract you. And what a blog post it is!
the kitchen reveal
Hello! How are you today? I'm so excited to show off my new kitchen, but best part of any kitchen reveal is the "before" pictures:
how to build an art collection
I'm such a tease. No seriously, I've been teasing you on how to find and buy art and I haven't got to the good stuff yet. Because if you're reading this, you seriously want to know WHAT YOU SHOULD BUY!!!!!!!!!
no fail steps to make your house look cool
Hey there, all you cool cats! You asked for it and now I'm delivering. You want to make your house look cool. And I'm not talking about how to make your house look expensive, well-styled, or even well coordinated.
How to pick art: part 2
Hello! I've been putting off my blogging duties this weekend - I've been experiencing major migraines and just couldn't look at another screen. Plus, my keyboard is not working so typing has become even more difficult! But duties call and I can't leave you hanging on my next installment on how to pick art for your home. ICYMI, here is my first lesson:
https://www.melaniethomasdesign.com/post/how-to-pick-art-the-basics
My next lesson is in
how to pick art: the basics
Chances are that if you've landed here, I don't need to explain why picking out the perfect art piece is integral to your interior design. BUT if you really want me to spell it out --
ART IS THE SPARK THAT SETS OFF THE WHOLE PROJECT.
ahhhh... Ikea.
Today is a BIG day in the Thomas family household. It happens only once a year typically, and it usually happens on a whim. Today I make my trek to IKEA Burbank. If you live in Los Angeles, you probably have done this once or twice or twelve times before. The showrooms, the wonky carts, the big yellow plastic bags, the aisle traffic rules, the arguing couples, the MEATBALLS. You go in wanting a rolling cart, you come out with a whole kitchen dining set, a few lamps, a quirky objet d'art, and definitely some loganberry jam for those frozen meatballs you never ate from last time. Again with the meatballs... but I do love them and if you haven't tried their cafeteria, the trip is worth it alone.
ugly beautiful
Hello and happy Valentine's Day! What are you doing to celebrate? I normally don't really care about this obvious corporate American holiday, but that feeling was so pre-March 13th shut down. This year we're going big with a lunch reservation at our favorite restaurant. Judging by my recent outing at Trader Joe's, I will probably spend half the meal awkwardly chatting with the waitstaff about what my cat has been up to in the last 6 months.
large scale art
Hello and happy "Day Before You Officially Start Your First Work Week in 2021"! At least that's how I feel. Although, with the new work from home model, more people are working past the regular 9-5 M-F. What else are we going to do?