With Valentine’s Day upon us, it seemed appropriately cliche to talk about love. Specifically a few of the things I love. When it comes to tokens of affection, I love the idea of giving someone something really unexpected and thoughtful, like a tiny box. I am mad about boxes! They are weirdly magical things that everyone feels compelled to open. They can hold wadded up love notes, photos, ticket stubs, or even small tillandsias. They are little worlds unto themselves.
It’s no surprise that I’m also infatuated with flowers. They don’t need to be huge arrangements, but they need to be real. When it comes to blooms, I’m a purist. I like them fresh or dried, but never silk. I think there is something awful and sad about silk arrangements. They get dusty, they never change, you spend an inordinate amount of time telling yourself you like them and at least you have some green in the house. You don’t – because they aren’t real. It’s not difficult to step outside and cut a few things. Anything will do. I incorporate a lot of found foliage in my arrangements, such as Eucalyptus pods, long twines of Jasmine branches and what others consider weeds. Using a pretty and unique container just puts it over the top for me. You don’t need to be a professional, you just need to care.
Walking by the windows of the shop it’s pretty obvious I’m obsessed with branches. I like them gnarled, bare, dotted with moss, stubby, weird, and twisty. They are sculptural, practical (for hanging my whimsy on), organically fill cold space, and are an homage to nature as I move them around in ever-changing displays. Most of my branches came from the center of my street after one of our wind storms. Others were gifted to me by people who love the store (thank you!), still others were brought home by my daughter, who thought they looked cool and collected them as she walked home from school.
Vignettes! I really can’t live without them. It’s no joke that I’ve been styling rooms since well before Junior High. I would organize my things into little groupings that felt right to me and I have somehow never stopped. My shop is very petite, weighing in at only 500 square feet, but people can spend over an hour in here just looking at things. I work hard to create a good overall view, as well as individual, smaller views. There is never a boring inch. It’s the thing I’m hired the most to do – create stories in people’s homes!
I love tissue box covers because I cannot stand standard-issue tissue boxes. In fact, if you hire me and set me free in your home, I will absolutely seek out the fugly offenders and either cover them with something cool. If you have more than 2 boxes in your home, you may have a tissue fetish. One should be in the bathroom, and the other can be any other place except the living room or the dining room. There are plenty of pretty tissue holders and covers. Please get one.
I feel the same way about switch plates and outlet covers. It’s one of the first things I replace when I’m hired to redo a space. It’s inexpensive (or expensive depending), it freshens up a room instantly, and it is a detail so often overlooked by almost everyone. You can get nice enough switch plate covers at Lowes, Home Depot, and OSH. You can order much cooler ones online or shop flea markets and thrift stores to find great vintage ones. This is a place you need to exercise restraint though. I never think it’s a good idea to have a NASCAR switch plate, a “themed” one covered in sea horses or dogs, or plates that have naked people on them. I’m just sayin’. Cheap ass white plastic switch plates have absolutely no place in the place you call home. They scream, “I don’t care about my space!” I promise. I hear them screaming right now.
I love matches! I sell gorgeous matchboxes of varying sizes in my store because I personally want to rid the world of gas station, strip club and pharmacy matchbooks if I can. Growing up, my grandmother always had matches in the bathroom. They usually had the name of a deli, a mechanic or a restaurant on them. They always looked really ugly to me. As a form of relaxation and a bit of OCD, I started covering my matchbooks at home. Then I decided to sell them – and they sell out all the time – so I know I’m not the only one that cares. I sell short and long matches, (long because I am terrified of burning myself). Pretty matches can be left on the counter, coffee table and wherever else. Ugly ones can’t. I’m here to help you ease into the switch.
I could literally go on forever about things I love. For me it’s all about the details. Simple things often bring me the biggest amount of joy. When I look at design magazines I hyper-focus on a single picture, taking in everything from the edging on the window treatments to the objects on the shelves. I am the same when I enter a room for the first time. Adding small things that you care about, things that make you smile, will make your home a much more beautiful place to live in.
Happy Valentine’s Day to you! We are so blessed to still be here. Thank you.xxx
Melisa
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