Hello dear friends, and happy summer!! I realize it’s been nearly two months since a blog post here, which certainly wasn’t my intention when I decided to take a bit of a break back in April. The past few months have flown by, and when I realized it was July and I’d yet to check in on here, I thought it high time I give you all a life update before resuming our regular content (yay!).
After our last pop-up shop in April, I really needed a reset. The energy with which I was running head-first into a post-quarantine world was – obviously – unsustainable. I had vastly underestimated the amount of daily work, input, socialization and hustle my body and brain were now capable of. After a year of rebalancing and prioritizing, I should have known better, but old habits die hard, right? Especially when you’re excited about new projects, like I have been about the shop. It was hilarious to think that I, or any of us, would be able to just hit the resume button on life, and I found myself exhausted by the go go go.
This fatigue seems to be real for many of us. On one hand, we’re so ready to stop living in our bubbles, get off our screens, and get back to tangible reality. For me, that exact feeling made spending time online unfulfilling and not really where I wanted to be – hence my absence here. On the other hand, the return to a busier schedule, seeing friends and family, and the expectation of working the way we used to is just unrealistic. So, in the last month, I’ve found myself setting new boundaries. Saying no to some hang outs. Turning down bits of work. Giving myself a bit more time to figure out what this new pace looks like. And I’ve come to some conclusions.
Anyone who is an entrepreneur knows the joys (sarcasm) of playing the role of CEO, COO, CFO, Marketing Director, Email Returner, Book Balancer… everything down to Errand Runner. I have been operating this blog and this business mostly on my own for 14 years (our anniversary was in May!), and during that time I’ve explored so much more than simply creating content here. I’ve been a market editor, merchandiser, and interior designer. I’ve collaborated on supper clubs, ran co-working spaces (still do!), and styled product on sets for the likes of Amazon and Starbucks. I’ve thrown so many events that I’ve lost track, and I’ve done all of it while also running this beautiful online space.
Looking at this very full list makes me simultaneously proud and completely exhausted! I’m so glad I took the opportunities that came my way when they did, while exploring a variety of creative careers. Each one of them helped me to clarify my path, and made me who I am today. Along with that, this past year or so finally provided the space I needed to take a step back and refocus on the future of this blog and this business. While I’ve known for a while now that changes needed to happen, I’ve finally started taking steps in the direction of those changes, many of which you’ll see coming to fruition this fall! So what lies ahead? Here’s a quick peek, which much more to come…
New Branding & Website: The biggest news I have to share is that I’ve started working on a completely new look and feel for not only the blog but the overall brand. We’ll be combining this site with the shop and my services to create a more cohesive experience that’s easy to explore and navigate. I’m SO incredibly excited for this on a variety of levels, and I hope it gets you excited too! The new site will feel so much more aligned with where I’m at personally and aesthetically.
The Shop: The shop will be moving into a focus a bit more, as that’s the space bringing me the most joy lately. It’s been a refreshing addition to my repertoire, and I’ve so enjoyed the thrill of treasure hunting for vintage goods, curating items from my favorite artisans, and having fun with the themed pop-up shops here in Seattle. My past experience in merchandising taught me how much I love creating experiences for people, while supporting community, and thats how I’ve approached this new space. Will we se a brick and mortar shop sometime soon, too?? Stay tuned!
The Blog: I will continue to post to the blog, but it will be taking more of a backseat in that posts will likely be only once a week. I want to be bringing more intentional, inspirational posts back to this space with mostly original content focused around the same topics we’ve always loved to share with you: interior styling, home tours, local highlights, recipes, travel, and personal posts. We will be sprinkling in some more shop content, too – sharing our favorite items, events, and more.
Styling Services: While I’ve loved the time spent with interior design clients, I’ve learned that my passion and strengths lay in the details, and not the bigger picture. A fact that should surprise no one! So, while I will be partnering with a few fellow designers around Seattle to take on larger projects here and there, the only service I’ll be offering directly to clients is interior styling. What I love about this element of the design process is that it’s where we get to tell the story of the homeowners. Adding in character through vintage finds, artwork, and finishing touches. And of course, tackling trouble spots like huge built-in bookshelves, or awkward corners. I’ll be adding more info on this soon, with more flushed out packages and offerings come fall! We’ll also be offering this service for businesses in the hospitality industry like restaurants, hotels, or wineries looking to refresh their spaces.
So there you have it friends – SO much good stuff on the horizon! I’m finally feeling re-energized and aligned with the direction that things are going around here, and I can’t wait to share more of the process with you. I hope you”ll stay along for the ride!