1. Maruki Table | 2. Savanna Side Table | 3. Marlow Mod Pedestal Table | 4. Eleni End Table | 5. Art Deco Side Table | 6. Crank End Table | 7. Evers Side Table | 8. Hugo End Table | 9. Lineage Occasional Table | 10. Dita Side Table

UGH. How totally badass is that brass Dita side table with the serrated edge detail? I’ve got even more hip accent table picks on my Accent Tables Pinterest board.

“Lesley’s Picks: 10 Best” are roundups of my favorite home furnishings. Check out the complete “10 Best” archives here, and find more furniture, home decor, and lighting I love on Pinterest.

Your home should make you feel totally amazing. Is something missing (like the perfect accent table)? I’ve got your back. Book your complimentary Consultation Call now and let’s make design magic together.

Book Your Complimentary Consultation Call

The post Lesley’s Picks: 10 Best Accent Tables appeared first on Lesley Myrick Art + Design.

I gravitate towards interior design that blends and layers contrasting design styles, and this industrial-meets-french-eclectic master bedroom for a client in Houston, TX is no exception. When one half of the couple is into traditional, feminine French furnishings, and the other half prefers a cleaner, industrial look, my job (which I freakin’ love) is to merge and balance the two into one happy design plan.

This bedroom is gigantic and scale was mega-important when making design selections. The king-size bed needed large nightstands to feel balanced (these awesome faceted ones are actually chests of drawers so they’re quite generous in size) and the wing chairs needed some height to feel proportionate to the ultra-high ceilings. While this moodboard might look a little busy at first glance, when these furnishings are placed in the actual room there will be a lot more visual “breathing room” around everything. I can’t wait to see how this space comes together IRL.

Working virtually with clients on a Design Kit is a kickass option if you’re not in the Waco area, as everything is done via email and Zoom video calls. Clients provide measurements and photos of the rooms to be designed and answers to our Design Dossier questionnaire; you’ll receive a digital Design Kit with everything you need (like floor plans, moodboards, paint colors, furnishings selections, and finish samples) to completely transform a room as your time and budget allows.

Want your own custom master bedroom design? Here’s how to book your design package, and here’s what you need to know before your first meeting with a designer. ✌️

The post An Industrial Meets French Eclectic Master Bedroom in Houston, TX appeared first on Lesley Myrick Art + Design.

Once you’ve taken the plunge and hired and interior designer (yay for you!) it can seem intimidating. What do you need to know to get ready for your first session together? Prepping in advance is important and makes the most of your limited time together. Here are 5 tips for your first meeting with an interior designer:

Tip #1: Complete any requested pre-meeting activities.

At Lesley Myrick Art + Design we send our clients a personalized Kickoff Kit that contains links to their invoice, our Design Dossier questionnaire, and other helpful resources to help us kickstart projects in the best way possible. The more preparation our clients can do before our first working session, the better prepared we are to deliver design awesomeness. If you’ve taken the time to think through your needs, wants, style, and budget, we don’t have to spend time going over those items when we meet – we can jump right into the good stuff (design!).

Tip #2: Gather inspiration images.

A picture really is worth a thousand words, and something described as “modern” may mean different things to different people. Photos of spaces, objects, or furnishings you’re drawn to will bring clarity to your interior designer that words just can’t. Designers are visual people and getting on the same page from the start will ensure a successful partnership. Have magazine tear sheets, links to Pinterest boards or Houzz ideabooks, and any other design reference you’ve collected ready.

Tip #3: Prepare your questions in advance.

Usually during your first working session with an interior designer (sometimes referred to as a consultation; we call ours a Design Jumpstart) the designer will answer a lot of questions before you even ask them. We make sure our clients know about our design packages, our design process, and what it looks like to work with us beyond that first meeting. But do be sure to make a list of all the questions you have, whether they’re about the design process, pricing, or specific design dilemmas in your home.

Tip #4: Remember, interior designers are not judging you.

Designers understand it’s a privilege to be hired and to be allowed in your home. We don’t take it lightly that you trust us in your space, and we aren’t judging you on how your home looks! Please don’t apologize for anything. If your home looked exactly the way you wanted it to already, you wouldn’t need us. But do point out problem areas that need to be addressed so we know what’s not working and can design a solution for you.

Tip #5: Trust your designer.

You’ve hired a designer for their style, expertise, and ideas. We have years of education and experience that allow us to design and visualize some amazing transformations for your home! Even if you can’t clearly see the design picture at the first meeting, trust that you’ve hired the right designer and she’ll create something incredible for you. You may feel a little uneasy at some of the design changes suggested, and that’s totally normal. When you’ve lived in a space for a while, it’s weird to imagine things changing, even if you don’t like the space how it is. A designer will take your needs, style, budget, and timeline into account to customize a design that will rock your socks off. And they’re happy to guide you gently through the process, as it can be a stressful one. Remodeling and decorating takes months and there are always bumps along the way. But your designer totally has your back. (Also, while it’s important to trust your designer, if you’re getting major red flags from them and it’s really not a fit, it’s totally okay not to move forward with them.)

These 5 tips for your first meeting with an interior designer should put you at ease. Designers love what we do and are happy to help make the process a smooth, efficient, and happy one. If you have other helpful tips or questions, chime in on Facebook – I’d love to hear what you’ve learned or what you wish you’d known. Cheers to starting your design project! 

Want more awesome design tips and inspiration to break out of a “blah” home and let your rad self shine? Get my FREE guide, “Bring Personality to a Boring Space” right here. 🤘

The post 5 Tips for Your First Meeting with an Interior Designer appeared first on Lesley Myrick Art + Design.

Just because a wall is painted white does not guarantee that the room will have the bright expansive feeling that’s desired. (Bummer, right?) It’s counterintuitive, but in fact, a deep color can often be a better choice and actually make a space feel larger! While white walls bounce light and feel open and airy, dark colors recede. A deep wall color sits back and blurs the boundaries of a room, creating the illusion of a larger space, especially if the walls and ceiling are painted the same dark hue.

To further enhance this space-expanding effect, I prefer a matte paint finish over an eggshell or satin one. A flat, velvety finish only helps the walls appear to recede and therefore creates the illusion of a larger space.

Not everyone around Waco is on board with dark, matte wall colors though, not even paint professionals…

READ MORE…

Your home should make you feel totally amazing. Is something missing? I’ve got your back. Book your complimentary Consultation Call now and let’s make design magic together.

Book Your Complimentary Consultation Call

The post Going Dark: Deep Wall Colors Can Be Surprisingly Successful appeared first on Lesley Myrick Art + Design.

What I’m drawn to when choosing sofas for a client are the details – channel quilting, tufting, buttons, a cute little swoop arm, self-piping, or some seriously sexy legs. Your sofa is a huge investment piece, and worth every penny! This is not the place to go cheap. Your butt will thank you for splurging on a comfortable piece of furniture that’s made to last. A durable upholstery-quality fabric or leather are going to clean well, wear well, and last for a loooong time.

1. Barin Green Leather Sofa | 2. Calista Sofa | 3. Abbot Cigar Leather Sofa | 4. Blue Velvet Canal Sofa | 5. Charlotte Sofa | 6. Conrad Sofa | 7. Gatsby Sofa | 8. Vendome Sofa | 9. Delano Velvet Sofa | 10. Helm Sofa

You may notice that there aren’t a whole lot of neutral options up there, and this is for a couple of reasons. One, your sofa is the biggest investment in your living room – don’t be afraid to make a statement with it! You KNOW I’m a fan of colorful sofas. And two, many of these 10 best sofas are available in other leather and fabric finishes, or even COM. (Design tip: COM means Customer’s Own Materials, when you supply your own fabric for the manufacturer to use. I do COM furnishings all the time and it creates an even more kickass custom look – you’re almost guaranteed that no one will have the same piece as you!) A number of these sofas are available through my awesome trade-only resources, so if you’re interested in purchasing one please contact us for pricing and details.

“Lesley’s Picks: 10 Best” are roundups of my favorite home furnishings. Check out the complete “10 Best” archives here, and find more furniture, home decor, and lighting I love on Pinterest.

Your home should make you feel totally amazing. Is something missing? I’ve got your back. Book your complimentary Consultation Call now and let’s make design magic together. 

Book Your Complimentary Consultation Call

The post Lesley’s Picks: 10 Best Sofas appeared first on Lesley Myrick Art + Design.

Can’t view the embedded video above? Click here. Prefer to read? Transcript is below.

Hey everyone, Lesley Myrick here. I’m an interior stylist and I transform boring beige spaces into kickass colorful homes with an offbeat edge that are livable, delightful, and unexpected. I talk a lot about “boring beige”.

But, I’m going to let you in on a little secret – I don’t hate beige as much as you might think.

When it becomes a fail-safe, when it becomes a default because you don’t know what else to do, it’s not my favorite choice. But beige and neutrals really are needed to help ground a space. Too much color is crazy-making – and I’m someone who loves color! It really is all about the mix.

When you’re working with neutrals, form, and texture, and sheen – that’s what becomes important, not color. So layering neutrals can actually be incredibly chic and sophisticated and put-together. When you start to work with beautiful textures like leather, tweed, and fur, and beautiful luxurious finishes like that, beige becomes anything but boring.

Now, you can do an all-neutral space and do it very successfully by layering in texture and pattern, but my jam is more about mixing neutrals in to form a foundation for a more colorful, exciting, and creative look.

Neutrals can really ground a space and create that blank canvas that you can have a lot of fun with.

By using a lot of reclaimed wood, and black and white, and neutral walls in my designs I can do funkier things like a teal upholstered sofa or a yellow wing chair and other sort of quirky accents that come together as a whole to create an awesome space, and not one that feels totally crazy-making.

Now, this is just scratching the surface of talking about neutrals and color and balance and texture and all of those great things. So if you want to go deeper and learn more about how to sort of cultivate your style and figure out how to work these subtle design nuances, I have a great online course called Interior Style.

Want more awesome design tips and inspiration to break out of a “blah” home and let your rad self shine? Get my FREE guide, “Bring Personality to a Boring Space” right here. 🤘

The post Confession Time: Neutrals Need Not be Boring appeared first on Lesley Myrick Art + Design.

Feeling in a post-summer style rut? Layer in a few of these hip finds for an instant update in your home. Here’s what I’m loving this fall:

Grey Ceramic Lamp | Paloma Embroidered Pillow | Pleura Champagne Mirror | Wood Slab Stool | Indigo Block Print Rug | Monarch Magazine Rack | Tweed Side Table | Distressed Zebra Sculpture

Click through for more details on each piece – and if you’re interested in purchasing anything, please contact me for pricing and availability and I’ll hook you up.

Want to see more of my favorite pieces – stuff I would actually buy for myself and for my clients? Check out my past seasonal decor picks and browse the interior styling archives for oodles of design goodness. ✌️

The post Fall 2017 Home Decor Picks appeared first on Lesley Myrick Art + Design.

Since the early 1990s the great room has become a common alternative, and I’ve got to say, I dig it for both practical and aesthetic purposes. A great room incorporates the functions of several more traditional rooms into one space. Think of it like combining the family room, living room and study into one. Often great rooms have raised ceilings and are located at the center of the home.

The New York Times has called the great room “the McMansion’s signature space.” I’m not sure how I feel about that slightly snarky observation — or how I feel in general about McMansions, which are large, mass-produced homes with little attention to architecture and design.

I’m a big fan of the great room, and it’s a trend I’d like to see continue.

There is often so much square footage in a home that goes unused, and I’m thrilled to see a functional, family-friendly space becoming the norm.

I believe a home should be livable, delightful and unexpected. Livable is first in that list for a reason. What’s the point of designing a home you love only to admire it from afar? Pretty and practical is the name of my game, and the great room checks both of those boxes.

READ MORE…

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I had a client once refer to her home as a “beige box of sadness”. Ain’t nobody got time for that! Your home should be a haven and a source of delight. There’s too much great design out there to live in a home that lacks personality and style. Here’s how to bring personality to a boring space.

Can’t view the embedded video above? Click here. Prefer to read? Transcript is below.

Hey everyone, Lesley Myrick here. I’m an interior stylist and I transform boring beige spaces into pretty kickass colorful homes with an offbeat edge that are livable, delightful, and unexpected.

Let’s talk about something I am super passionate about – how to bring personality to a boring space.

There is so much cool design stuff out there, so I’m always surprised when people land on boring. How do we get to these boring beige homes where nothing has a whole lot of personality? Well, design purchases are a big investment and mistakes can be costly. We often stay “safe” and make safe choices to avoid making one of those mistakes that could cost us thousands of dollars. Once you’ve purchased a brown sofa it feels safe to buy a beige chair, and paint your walls beige, and suddenly, you have a room that might look pretty but doesn’t feel anything like you and doesn’t feel that great to be in.

We get locked into this safe style and then don’t know how to break out of it.

I think there’s also a big fear of being judged by others. If you’re willing to step out, to express your personality, to have fun with your home, you open yourself up to criticism and judgement from other people. Not everyone is going to love what you do but I’m a real believer that you do you. Your home, your space, your money, you get to decorate it and you get to invest in your home how you see fit. There’s a big fear about doing what we should do, and I hate that word “should”! It is the worst thing to guide you when you’re making design decisions.

Screw the “shoulds”. Do what you want, do what you love, do what feels good.

Now, if your space is a bit of a snooze-fest, I do have a tip to help you get started and make it feel more “you”. And that is that textiles are your friend. Introduce patterned curtains, accent pillows, throw blankets, area rugs – those soft, fuzzy, cuddly, textural, colorful things. They might seem kind of insignificant on their own, but all together as a whole, when you layer them in over a neutral base they can completely transform a room.

So, if you’ve got the brown sofa, and beige chair, and beige walls, and you’re just feeling like you’re stuck in this beige box of sadness, that’s a great way to start. Throw a couple great pillows in, a new area rug, and you can really start to transform your room.

Even a boring beige backdrop comes to life with color, pattern, and texture.

Now, this is just scratching the surface. I know a lot of people out there have these beige homes and feel stuck and want to be able to transform them. I would love to help you with that! Head on over to lesleymyrick.com and reach out on my Contact page, or if you’re more of a DIY-type gal, you can check out my fantastic online course called Interior Style which will help you find your style and break out of that boring beige space.

Want more awesome design tips and inspiration to break out of a “blah” home and let your rad self shine? Get my FREE guide, “Bring Personality to a Boring Space” right here. 🤘

The post How to Bring Personality to a Boring Space appeared first on Lesley Myrick Art + Design.

HELLS TO THE YES. Bright color, bold pattern, and a super-functional organized space? I’m your gal. This colorful kids craft room in Waco is going to be da bomb.  But we’ve got a long way to go. Want to see what the room looks like now?

Yawwwwwn. While it’s definitely a pretty room with a great neutral wall color, classic espresso floors, and gorgeous French doors, it’s not at all where this hip mama and her three rad kids want to hang. Plus – hello, clutter. Nothing has a home or a proper place to be stored. And as a former Professional Organizer/total neat freak, I totally get how mom is dissatisfied with this room as-is.

Okay now, get ready. This space is about to get a totally kickass, colorful makeover. Here’s where we’re going with the design:

Each kiddo is getting a chic white lacquered Parsons desk and unique lamp; Mom’s getting a glam desk with acrylic and brass accents; there’s going to be THE BEST ACCENT WALL EVER (I’m so obsessed with that floral wallpaper!); and that badass hammered brass credenza is going to be the most freakin’ chic storage you’ve ever seen in a kids craft room. Check out our design selections (and some alternate ones too) on the Colorful Waco Kids Craft Room Pinterest board.

We’re still in the early stages of this design project so it’ll be a while before the transformation is complete, but I’ll be sharing sneak-peeks on Facebook and Instagram throughout the process, so be sure to follow along.

The post A Colorful Kids Craft Room in Waco, Texas: Before appeared first on Lesley Myrick Art + Design.