Blue Crab Interiors
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Portfolio
  • Contact

Champagne Taste on a Beer Budget

 

As we continue on this adventure of trying to add character to a cookie cutter home I want to show you one of my latest projects! When we moved into our house 3 ½ years ago I began making a list of the things I wanted to do in order for our new build to seem more established and less builder basic; adding built-ins in specific areas quickly was added. When I looked into how much built-ins would cost to install on either side of our stone fireplace I was floored by the prices I was seeing… Anywhere from $5,000-$8,000! Whelp; sit tight because that isn’t happening anytime soon. So there I sat at my kitchen island glaring at the blank white space on either side of my fireplace growing exceedingly annoyed that I hadn’t hit the lottery yet. One day, while staring at this blank space and browsing through design magazines, inspiration hit and a workable alternative was born. Hallelujah! I didn’t need to quell my patience any longer! I mean it! I immediately called my husband with my idea and convinced him to bring home my alternative that evening.

What was my solution to this costly project? Bookcases and one of a kind art pieces! My in-laws have a few sets of these beautiful lawyer barrister bookcases with character galore (check!). When I measured them I knew they would fit perfectly and add the visual interest I was looking for. Aside from some simplified styling I was well on my way. Now here is where it gets fun. I started scouring the internet looking for bold art pieces that would tie in with my accent color I continue to utilize on my first floor, cobalt blue and took my inspiration to the next level. A friend of mine, Vanessa Durrant, is talented and not only has photography as a side business but she is also an amazing artist. I sent her some prints that I was eyeing on Pottery Barn to give her a framework and let her run with it. She used complimentary patterns in the same colors and even snuck in some extra love by including significant dates within our family into the pattern. The finished project is better then I imagined and has so much more meaning now. Sometimes just shifting your expectations can work out for the better. Those pricey built-ins may have just been crossed off the list for good! What do you think?

Happy Fall

Happy 1st week of fall! The last few days have been in the 90’s here in Maryland so not quite fall weather but the mornings and evenings have given way to cooler temps. Despite the heat, the trees have started to change and the first few leaves have begun to fall. Fall is a season of slowing down, becoming more mindful, and showing gratitude after the busyness of the summer season.

I am a big fan of decorating my home for the seasons. It helps reflect the changes going on around you, brings a little of the outside in, and switches up your environment. Here are some examples of ways I incorporate the fall season into my decor. I went with versatile items such as pumpkins, leaves, and owls as opposed to specific Halloween decor to last me through the next few months. Pairing things in groups of 3 helps ground the space and showcase your decor in a way that doesn’t appear too random or cluttered. For fireplaces and mantels, I like to draw the eye in a triangle. Place your groups on either side of your hearth and draw the eye upward to your mantel with a larger showpiece. Add in personal touches with photos or a little metallic tone to mix it up and you are set! Don’t feel you need to be restricted to the specific colors of the season either. If they don’t really mesh well with what you currently have, go for more natural forms or metallics.

For outside inspiration, set the tone with a festive wreath. Add in more color with seasonal flowers in pots such as mums, pansies, and petunias (*note how much sun your entry gets; mums and pansies will fry in the sun before you even get to enjoy them). Go all out and add a scarecrow or pumpkin or keep it simple with the wreath and flowers.

Have fun with it. There really are no hard and fast rules with home decor. If it makes you happy and exudes a sense of comfort and pride, go with it! You have to live in the space after all.

Happy Fall Y’all (I had to…) go out and enjoy all things pumpkin spice and soak up this beautiful colorful season.

Your Happy Place

My design aesthetic tends to lean in the traditional, coastal, and shabby chic styles all rolled into one. In thinking back to my motto of design therapy I feel like the combination of those styles creates a calming, relaxed, and clean space. My aim throughout my house as I work to put each room together is make you want to kick back, snuggle under a throw blanket, and stay awhile. I tend to gravitate toward whites, grays, and pops of dark blue. Have I mentioned blue is my favorite color? If not, I think you will slowly start to pick up on that as I invite you into my latest house projects and inspirations. No matter what space I focus on, blue always seems to creep in there somehow. It gives a home a sense of cohesion when the same pops of color are noted throughout. Bonus, if you get bored with accents or artwork in one room you can move it to another!

 

I grew up in a waterfront home and was spoiled with spending my summers at the beach. I draw a lot of inspiration from those two places because it evokes calm happy memories. The five senses run deep with our connection to memories so if you can incorporate those into your décor you are setting yourself up to be instantly taken back to that place or memory with little effort. When you think about putting a room together with this theory in mind envision your happy place and try to incorporate those colors, textures, and scents. Are you imagining your favorite hiking trail? Incorporate earth tones, dark wood accents, furniture with clean lines, and hints of sandalwood. A beach or lake? Include variations of blues, greens, and whites with natural accents such as a woven rug or jute baskets, and add a scent of sea salt. Paying close attention to the small details such as the texture and layering of fabrics and you are well on your way to creating your happy place inside your very own home!

 

The Cookie Cutter Conundrum

Blue Crab Interiors

3 ½ years ago my husband and I were fortunate enough to dive into the world of building a home. It was a dream of mine that I never knew I wanted until the opportunity was presented. The neighborhood that we chose only had 1 builder in the mix at that time, Ryan Homes. I had heard good things about them so I was excited to get started. I don’t think the Ryan Home people had ever come across a client quite like me. I think I was told on several occasions that they aren’t “a custom home builder”. Well damn it, why can’t you make my entryway look like the front page of Pottery Barn magazine? It was quite an overwhelming experience but so fun at the same time. Choosing layouts, picking finishes, and trying to imagine what the finished product would look like. The day we went for our design appointment was like Christmas morning! So many choices and possibilities, it was like being on my own HGTV show.

The hardest part was waiting for it all to come together. For those of you that don’t know me well, to say I am not a patient person is an understatement… I tend to be a bit impulsive and when I get an idea or vision in my head I feel this sense of urgency to make it happen immediately. Well, in the world of house building and design it doesn’t just all come together that quickly. Our poor project manager probably wanted to pull his hair out when I would drop in unexpectedly to check on progress or send him the 12th email of the week to ask about changing something.

In the end, I am happy with the overall design and finished product of our home. My mission since we moved in and part of the journey that I will invite you on is working to create character in an otherwise cookie cutter builder home. I was spoiled in the fact that our last 2 homes were built in the early 1900’s and were just oozing with traditional charm.

You would be amazed how a space can transform by adding crown molding, changing a light fixture and painting over those builder beige walls. Oh, the builder beige walls…they are the bane of my existence currently. If you don’t know, typically a builder will have you wait to paint your home for a full year in order to be able to assess for settlement cracks, nail pops, and any potential issues with the foundation. Most house settlement occurs within the first year, so they like you to wait to paint so you aren’t masking any potential issues. So I waited, not so patiently for a year, and then I was ready to go with my HGTV whole home color palette only to discover how crazy expensive it is to hire a painter…like thousands of dollars expensive.

A year after we moved into our home we had a 4-month-old, so spending that kind of money on paint just didn’t seem like a smart move or a priority at the time. I mean hell, I had just figured out how to keep another human alive, function on 4 hours of sleep at a time, and make spit up covered clothes seem cool. (Okay, maybe not cool but certainly not as repulsive as I had found it to be before having children of my own) Painting was not high on my list of To Dos. Fast-forward almost 2 years later and still the only room painted in our home is our sons Calvin and Hobbes themed nursery (Check my portfolio for some photos!).

I have decided that things in our life have finally calmed down enough that it is time for me to dive into my endless list of house projects. So I took the plunge and painted our master bedroom and I must say I am quite happy with the end result. The color is HGTV Sherwin Williams Stone Eagle. I love it because it is a gray blue tone. Depending on the way the light is shining in the windows the color either looks to be a light gray or light blue. I highly recommend when picking paint colors that you get a sample and paint a portion of one of your walls. Be sure to get a feel for it at all different times of the day and under different lights. It can really change the overall feel and aesthetic of the room. Check out the before and after pictures and stay tuned for my blog post on styling our master bedroom walls and adding décor pieces. Until next time, be inspired and go create your own design therapy space!

 

Hi, I’m new here.


Hello! Thanks for checking out my site, blog, and portfolio. My name is Meghan and interior decorating has become my passion over the past 10 years. Moving between dorms, apartments, and homes has really helped me learn how to put a room together that is both inviting and esthetically pleasing. If I really think back though, 10 years ago was not the beginning of my journey and love for a beautiful space. I remember during my childhood driving my mom crazy because every few years I would announce that yet again I would like to re-decorate my bedroom. Luckily for me, I have a pretty amazing mom that would get excited right along with me and indulge my ideas for a new theme. Why when I went to college it didn’t dawn on me that interior design should be my path in life escapes me but here we are… I recently turned 30 and for some reason I had a sudden life crisis and I decided I needed to find a way to mix things up. In the past 5 years I have really branched out and started helping friends and family create or re-imagine spaces in their homes. I take pictures for myself and they end up sitting on my iPhone or computer never to be seen again. So I thought why not share my journey and my passion with others? Get my name out there? Show all of you what I can do and what I am proud of? Who knows, it may just lead me down a path that right now in this moment cannot be defined.

For those that don’t know me, I am a psychotherapist by day, which to some may seem completely unrelated to the décor and design world, but I think of it as Design Therapy. I like to look at a space and figure out the best way I can capture an emotion or feel through colors, textures, and patterns. Have you ever walked into a room and immediately felt relaxed or inspired? The way a space is put together can have a huge impact on the way it makes you feel. Think about it next time you are in a new place…Take in the colors, patterns, smells even…

Design Therapy,  people it’s real.

So welcome to my blog! Welcome to my page! It means so much to me that you have taken the time out of your day to get a sneak peak into my brain ☺ Buckle up and I hope you get creative and are inspired right along with me.

Meet Meghan

Gillette Portrait Arts

A working mom with a passion for interior decorating/design and helping others tap into their own design therapy.

Stay up to date!

We'll send you a monthly newsletter and promise we won't ever sell your information (we don't even know how!)

Featured Posts

Archives

Stay up to date!

We'll send you a monthly newsletter and promise we won't ever sell your information (we don't even know how!)

Copyright 2023 Blue Crab Interiors | Made with love by Brave + Beautiful Designs