latest posts**
**Dedicated to the messy, stubborn, stupid, ill-advised, short-sighted, absurd, futile, thrilling lost art of trying anyway.
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.
how to thrift like a pro
Hello! How are you today???? I made the executive decision today NOT to go to the Long Beach Flea Market. Yes, there are some things I wanted to scope out, but I wanted to take it easy, use my poor forgotten pool and catch up on shows. Plus, I get to blog instead! And what better subject to blog about than thrifting?
Raise your hand if you've gone thrifting before. I'll wait.
If you raised your hand, you know the emotional roller coaster thrifting can bring that often goes a little like this: "I hate everything here, I'm not going to find anything." "Hm... that stone bust over there is really interesting and would look good in neon yellow." "There's not enough room in my car for all my stuff. I guess I need to get a Lugg." (Not sponsored by Lugg BTW).
how to become a maximalist (and not max out the credit card)
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for tuning in. Every week, I have oodles of ideas to write about but alas, due to the slow moving glacier that is my home touch up, I have no new content myself.
it takes two (or more)
Good morning and happy Sunday! How are you doing out there? How are you liking the new AD this month? Loving the feature on Emmy Raver-Lamper and Daveed Diggs (I especially love the couple's embrace of color in lieu of the typical washed out California modern look) and also the article on JJ Martin's chic AND inspirational transformation of her Milan apartment (man, for a freshly divorced lady with no money and no time during a lockdown, she sure turned it out...). One thing that struck me about both stories and transformations was the sentiment that it couldn't have happened without help and partners. In fact, the AD article for Emmy and Daveed is titled "A Perfect Pair."
get the look without copying
We've all done it. You're flipping through your favorite pins and you come across a jaw-dropper living room. A "stop everything and let's analyze every detail" living room that is absolute perfection. And then you get to the resources and you -- no judgments, I promise -- add everything to your cart. Or even worse, you pin the image and the algorithms deliver the exact products from the pin. That's how they get you! And boy is it tempting to just copy everything you see in that one photo, but I'm here to tell you: "You're better than that." I was definitely guilty of this when I saw Emily Henderson's redesign of Bri Emery's living room:
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.
the british wave
Hello, sunshine! What are you up to today? If you've been following my Pinterest account, you will have noticed I've been pinning like crazy (my screen time is up 21% since last week AND I just got congratulated for my 10,750th pin... I think I might have a problem....). That's the thing I love about Pinterest -- those algorithms get me. My favorite thing to do is to fall down that rabbit hole and discover new and exciting things, because -- and three points if you guessed it already -- I have nothing else to do!
color and mood
Good morning! I hope you're having a lovely weekend so far and you get to do something today that makes you feel wonderful about life. For me, a dose of "green therapy" (that is, walking around our nearby lake) usually sets me straight. Or, if I'm feeling extra dingy, I have a telephone with my eternally optimistic friend. That's the thing about moods: there's usually something you can do to change them.
when being moody is a good thing
Before COVID-19 ushered in the work-from-home era (for most of us, that is) our homes represented the milestones in our lives. Instead of also having to serve as a workspace and conference room, our humble abodes were where we lived our private lives; where we laughed and loved; where we sipped our coffees; watched TNT's umpteenth airing of "The Shawshank Redemption" from the couch in our mismatched PJs; where we listened to podcasts while cooking dinner with friends. If our casas are going to serve virtually every purpose for the unforeseeable future, why not do it all in a home that's stylish?
out with the old modern farm house
Like all of us, you've probably been stuck in your house for the last 10 months -- and you're itching to add personality to your "modern farmhouse". Me too! I actually love the look, but feel it's a little restrictive and doesn't really represent my personality or my, shall we say, "natural color tendencies". And anything that is that pervasive tends to get old quickly. These days, rustic beams, word art, giant clocks, neutral window dressing, white, black, grey, conservative shades of pink, green, and blue are ubiquitous.
failure is an option
To err is human. To err in interior design is expensive. Chances are, if you're a home design pioneer and like to take chances, you have made a ton of mistakes. There are the obvious mistakes like not measuring and not testing paint colors in the actual room, but there are the other mistakes. The "What was I thinking?" and "Did I take it too far?" mistakes that make you second guess your bold choices and go back to square one.
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?
wallpaper: the tattoo of the design world
There are certain things commitment-phobes shy away -- neigh, bolt -- from: marriage, carpooling, children, buying a house, tattoos, wallpaper... Any one of these things would certainly send shivers up the spine of any free-wheeling spirit. They represent making a choice and then having to live with it beyond the "honeymoon" period, well into the unknown territory of the future. "Where will I be in 30 years?" is a thought that churns my stomach in the middle of the night.
whole house challenge
I'm about to step up the "One Room Challenge" and declare (on myself) a... dunh dunh dunh... WHOLE HOUSE CHALLENGE. And I am sure you are saying to yourself "But that defeats the purpose of the 'Better Homes and Gardens' One Room Challenge! The whole point is for 12 carefully selected and vetted top designers and influencers to transform one room over six weeks, while providing their expert advice and inspiration." I, for one, am not a top influencer (thank you for reading!) but what I do have is a lot of rooms and a lot of opinions which can be construed as expert advice.
Humble beginnings
Hello and welcome to my blog! It's been a long journey to get here, for myself personally, and you may be wondering where and how I became the designer I am today.
Find your #truecolors
The biggest epiphany I've had in my life was that there are no right or wrong answers. And this applies to everything, from weight, to style, to life choices, and to interior design. However, the worse thing you can do is make choices based on fads.