One of my favorite things about myself is that I'm always looking for ways to shake things up and refine my experience. Maybe it’s all those years of therapy, or maybe it’s just a mix of self-awareness and a pinch of boredom, but I thrive on challenging my own status quo. Like, the other day, I caught myself yelling at the TV about the Presidential race, and instead of stewing, I decided to actually do something. I signed up to volunteer at a phone bank. Rather than waste my energy ranting, I channeled it into action. Honestly, hopping on the phone with a total stranger and trying to convince them to get involved? Exhilarating.

Then yesterday, I went to my first ever poetry workshop. Well, actually, let me amend that. I majored in English literature and creative writing at USC, so this was my first ever poetry workshop that wasn’t for a grade. There’s just something about poetry that really strikes a chord in my soul. A good poem can transform your aura, shift your mood. One of my favorites is Robert Pinsky’s Want Bone.

Writing one in under 5 minutes and then reading it to a group of lovely strangers was probably one of the most life affirming moments I’ve had recently. First of all, I’m extremely competitive and a perfectionist to boot. I simply must be the best or at least feel like I’m putting my best effort forward, or I try to get out of it. It was not like we were required to present our poems, but I made a promise to myself: I would read one of my poems out loud at least once, no matter how imperfect it was.

I read two. If you would like to read it, email me and I will send you a copy!

LIGHTING

I don’t know if you know this, but… I am an avid Pinterest-er. I might be shopping for a client, or just need that sweet, sweet endorphin burst of discovering something new.

Rugs

Lately, I’ve been a real rug kick. When I’m designing a room for myself or others, I always try to work with their/my non-negotiables. In my case, my husband’s grandma had left him a very expensive Persian rug. The rug is insanely beautiful, and I always tried to work it into the design. However, over the years, the moths had gotten to it, and maybe once or twice, a careless worker had spilled some paint. Plus, there was just something about it that wasn’t working for the space, even though I felt like I had specifically designed around it.

CUT TO: I bought a new rug, and it instantly made the room feel pulled together. More on that later, but here’s a sneak peek at the rug in question:

I know what you’re thinking… “It’s so simple and purple.” I know. But that’s exactly what makes it fabulous. I wanted just a simple, beautiful color, and purple was just the thing to add some interest but keep it “tight” (which is my new word for “pulled together”).

Meanwhile, in my search, I came across these beauties:

Coffee Tables

Coffee tables might be one of my favorite occasional pieces of furniture. Yet, they are so often overlooked when it comes to statements. More often than not, they are secondary to the sofa or even the rug. So I went on a hunt for artistic and beautiful tables, sure to get that conversation started.

Fashion

Have I ever told you I struggle with my fashion identity? I mean, I can pull together a room like nobody’s business, but when it comes to dressing myself? Forget it. I usually just settle for what’s easiest or whatever seems to be trending. Every time I try to create a look that actually feels like me, I end up feeling like I’m trying way too hard and look… well, ridiculous. Same thing with makeup. I want to express myself artistically, but somehow I always end up looking like the kooky aunt who maybe smokes a bit too much weed. It’s not that I want to be different from everyone else—I just want to be different from myself. And in that effort, I always go way too far.

I’m pretty sure I can trace this all back to middle school. I went to an all-girls Catholic school—the same one as Mary Tyler Moore, Tyra Banks, and, yes, Meghan Markle. Meghan was a year ahead of me, and let me tell you, she was a princess before she was literally a princess. And, believe it or not, she was kind and fun. But she was also untouchable, poised, and somehow already had this perfectly curated image of herself that, if you didn’t know her, could come off as vanity.

There was this rumor that she would tape her boobs into some kind of perky shape instead of wearing a bra. Why? No idea. Maybe it was just part of her personal brand, even back then! But then she’d go and write these beautifully heartfelt messages of encouragement in everyone’s yearbook—always in perfect cursive, of course. She wasn’t the "cool girl," though. It was the ‘90s, and back then, cool girls were more like the edgy goth kids of the ‘80s. Meghan was something else—just good. Polished, composed, and impossibly put together. Whether that was the real her or not, I’ll never know.

But I digress. The thing is, because I went to this Catholic school, we wore uniforms—except for the rare and glorious day when the nuns gave us Free Dress Friday.

Oh boy. You better believe that on the first Free Dress Friday, I was not about to roll in with jeans and a t-shirt. I’ve always known I was a creative kid, and remember, in the '90s, being creative was actually cool. So in my 12-year-old brain, the more “creative” I looked, the cooler I would be, right? That logic led me to wear literally everything I thought was cool—all at once. Because obviously, the best way to show off your coolness is to make sure every single inch of you screams it.

Picture this—little Melanie’s first Free Dress Friday. I walked in rocking a brown corduroy jacket, a gauzy green overshirt, a pink tank top, bell-bottom jeans, some sort of corduroy page-boy hat situation, a baby pacifier necklace (because, you know, ‘90s), and the pièce de résistance— chunky high-heeled, sparkly jellies. Remember — I was 12.

I’m cringing just writing this. And trust me, I was cringing even back then. Girls snickered behind my back all day, and by the time lunch rolled around, half of my “creative” outfit had been stuffed into my locker.

Instead of screaming “cool,” that outfit broadcasted one undeniable truth: trying too hard to be cool makes you exactly the opposite. It’s like there’s this invisible law of cool that no one tells you about—if you push it too far, you end up sabotaging yourself.

Then, 30 years later, I come across this:

And I ask myself: “Do I go for what I think is awesome and fuck everyone, or will this ultimately lead to inescapable embarrassment, stuffed at the back of my locker/closet?”

I’m dying to know: What are your thoughts?

Florals

Well, floral bedding, to be exact! I had a client recently who was absolutely in love with Abigail Borg wallpaper and 1960s floral prints in general. You know — the kind of prints found on vintage suitcases you would fish out of a pile at a flea market. And I have to admit that I kind of re-fell-in-love with floral designs, at least in this iteration.

I had to find new bedding to match my new rug, so voila, I started searching for some moody, romantic floral duvet covers. The problem is two-fold, and let me explain.

Normally, Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters are my go-to for bedding. I like their return policy, and they typically have fun choices. However, due to my many returns to Anthropologie (re: one of the reasons I like them), they have somehow misconstrued me as a scammer, and I am no longer able to purchase anything that matches my credit card, physical address, or my billing address. Yikes.

Secondly, the other option that I typically use in this situation is Liberty London. Why is this an issue? Well, the Brits have much smaller beds than us giant Americans, so the size options are extremely limited. Otherwise, I would have found my solution in a heartbeat. I mean, look at the print below…. It is perfection!

Liberty London, Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie off the table, I did something I swore I would never do. I began to comb through Spoonflower in search of my elusive sutbtle and sophisticated floral print. I wanted something simple, fun, artistic…

Pink Design Inspiration

Finally - I’ve been really on a pink streak recently. I guess my new pink hair has something to do with it. But pink is not anything new, so I’ve been searching for new iterations that aren’t so… predictable.

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As always, thanks for reading! Head over to my Pinterest and “follow”!

what i’m digging right now