When we were planning Melina's surprise birthday party, I got to spend a lot of time with Melina's mom, Mrs. Lucy. To clarify, she is [hands-down] one of my favorite people. She is a selfless, hardworking, benevolent woman of God. In addition to her many talents and gifts, Mrs. Lucy is a crafty, creative spirit so we connect on a-whole-nother level.
After she had the genius idea to save money by painting champagne flutes herself, she tried stacking them and these photos pretty-much-basically sum up Mrs. Lucy's personality.
There's a vision. There's execution.
Then, there's the voila moment. I've hired Mrs. Lucy to paint my home. You've seen her work. She painted the awesome stripes in Munchface room.
At the time, I was moving and knew we needed to paint the entire top floor but never imagined tackling the task of painting stripes while simultaneously unpacking and settling in. It was a lot in that moment but it was also totally worth it. You can read more about Munch's room here. Oh, and Mrs. Lucy also painted the accent wall in the master:
She is the interior designer for her family and her home showcases some of her best work... not only because it's beautifully designed but because she has some AMAZING ideas that I have to share. This list of tips and unique ideas is just a glimpse into the awesome things I've learned from Mrs. Lucy. I am sure I will share more as they hit me so, stay tuned!
1. Cut it out!
Mrs. Lucy had the genius idea to cut a hole into a high-traffic area rug. OMG! When I saw this in her home, I 'bout fell out. most sliding doors or entry doors have an annoying vent on the floor and this solution is both simple and smart.
It allows air to circulate and helps to keep the rug in place. I LOVE that she didn't downsize the rug to avoid the vent!!
2. Think outside the box!
The above photo frames were actually purchased as one piece that stood on the floor similar to a ladder. She simply removed the connecting hardware and mounted them over a buffet in her dining room. PERFECT! This idea works for the room that doesn't have floor space to accommodate a substantial piece; think outside the box and create a unique wall covering!
3. Don't purchase, re-purpose!
I love the built-ins in Mrs. Lucy's family room.
If you look closely, you can see that all of the yellow accent pieces match exactly. How is that possible, you ask?
Rather than buying all new pieces, she painted over the areas with colors that didn't work for her space. The monochromatic colored pieces blend with one another and allow the family photos to be the focus on the shelves. How smart is it to paint pieces as your taste changes rather than buying all new stuff?
Oh, and speaking of her family room...
4. Look up!
Mrs. Lucy has high ceilings on her main level. She's chosen a gray color palette for the walls on most of her main level. With high ceilings, and eclectic decor, Mrs. Lucy has chosen to keep the walls neutral but wanted to ground the space by painting the CEILING in her accent color. The rich dark gray is a bold color but the decision to paint the ceiling allows the color to anchor the room.
Bonus tip: in the above photo, do you see her fan's lamp shade? She found it at Goodwill! It's an ambient shade for a standard lamp but, because of it's large size, Mrs. Lucy knew it would be a great accent for her fan. She took a risk and she loves the look!
5. Display your collections!
Mrs. Lucy collects porcelain chefs. I wish I was the type of person who could display a collection of porcelain items in my kitchen without the worry of cooking gunk or sticky dust making them dirty... Mrs. Lucy motivates me to admit there are items I struggle to pass by when I see them in stores; those items are what I'd consider a collection. She also motivates me to display items that make me happy in areas that allow me to see them often.
I hope you may have gotten some inspiration and ideas to make your home work better for your style!
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