We recently caught up with the delightful Velda (@stylingmyinterior over on the gram) to learn more about her interiors journey. It's been incredible watching Velda's home and styling evolve over the past couple of years and we've loved learning all about where it began. On our blog this month, we get some insider tips on how we too can kick home and organisation goals of our very own.
1. How did the inspiration of decorating your home begin?
I own a small online business (@almondtreedesigns) that designs and creates wall art, and I wanted to create beautiful spaces in my home to be able to showcase our frames and designs! So, a few years back, I started "styling my interior" one corner at a time… and it has slowly evolved into what it is today. Although I feel like I have far to go with decorating all our different spaces, it has been an amazing creative journey and I love being able to use my home as a canvas for my business, as well as being able to help showcase products and support other businesses in the process.
2. What is your process when starting a new decorating project?
I'm afraid I don't have much of a process when it comes to decorating, as so far, I've never embarked on a complete overhaul of a space. The changes we've made in our home have been done slowly but surely over time. They say that "your home should tell the story of who you are, and be a collection of what you love", and in our case that's absolutely true!
Our home is a real hodge podge of things we've been handed down by family, things we bought over 20 years ago when we got married, things that we've brought back from our time in London, and things that I've been swooning over after spending too much time on Instagram recently!
3. How do you know when a room is complete?
To be honest, I'm not sure if a room is ever complete because our styles and tastes are constantly changing, so there's always something to do! I think a room is 90% complete though, when you have all the large furniture items / long-term investment pieces (like a beautiful rug!) in place. But it's amazing after that, what a big difference a simple change of soft furnishings (e.g cushions, throws etc), artwork and décor can make!
4. When starting a new organisation project, what steps are involved?
Home organisation is one of those perpetual projects for me! Because I'm a bit of a hoarder, I like to maximise my storage and utilise every inch of space I possibly can. So, organisation projects will usually start with an overall inventory of the quantity and types of items I have. I then measure the length, width and height of each space and spend hours scouring the internet for baskets, boxes, trays or drawers that will fit as perfectly as possible into it.
Once you've got the right setup, then placing everything back in and labelling it all is the fun part! For me, being able to compartmentalise within a space makes organising much easier to achieve. It's also much more effective, and therefore easier to maintain too. The spaces I know that I've organised well, are the spaces I don't need to reorganise after a few months!
5. How did you choose the colour palette for your home?
I love colours that create a soothing, relaxing and cosy environment. When I first started my Instagram page, I used a lot of soft pinks, but my style has been slowly evolving and I'm finding that while I still love my soft muted pinks, I now love mixing it up with beige and neutral tones to create more of a feminine/masculine balance.
6. Where do you draw your inspiration from?
I love scrolling through Instagram, so any time I start getting ideas for new furniture or small DIY projects, it's the first place I look for inspiration. There are so many amazing interior stylists and DIY accounts, that I'm guaranteed to find styling ideas and practical tips for what I'd like to achieve!