One strand of greenery wrapped around the stair railing. By the middle of January, the halls at the Brehm house have been undecked… save one strand of greenery wrapped around the stair railing that is only up because neither the hubs nor I have taken it down. Christmas, New Years, Epiphany… I bid you, adieu.
And the cupboards are bare. Okay. Not the cupboards. But everything else feels a little bit blah. Maybe it’s just the Nebraska winter palate consisting of various shades of greige. Or perhaps it’s because the Holidays are all packed up for another year. Regardless of the cause, I always feel like our decor needs a little shot in the arm at this time of the year. Like, it’s not quite time for springyness. But I also don’t want to go Snowman crazy. Do you feel me?
After the stockings come down from the mantel, I often find myself scratching my head and saying, “what next?!”
Soooo… I called in the pros. Because an interior design guru, I am NOT. I really love good design. I am just not good at making my vision come to life. Heck, I’m barely good at having a vision. And the mantle! It’s a centerpiece in the home, right? A focal point! A place that screams, “do me up right!”
Enter the pros…
Brianne Wilhelm & Linsey Lisowyj
Yes. Brianne and Linsey are friends of mine. But they also happen to be insanely talented professional interior designers. And so, I asked if I could feature them in a blog post.
{Also… if I ever send you an email with the words, “I have an idea…” at the beginning, run away. If, on the other hand, you email me with an idea, I’m almost always hip to that game.}
Luckily Brianne and Linsey were not aware of that little piece of advice so when I called on them a couple of months ago and said, “…maybe could you possibly team up with me for a fun blog feature?!” And neither of them hesitated. Peaches. That’s what these ladies are.
…
I met with the two of them in person, in my space. I asked them each a million questions. I asked them if they felt like people question paying for design. They both agreed that people don’t always see the value in a professional designer until they work with one and see the finished product. We talked what to spend money on for your home and what to find on a deal. Brianne said she would always spend money on classic items that will be staples in your home. Linsey said big art is a great investment because you know you are the only one who will have that piece. And we talked where to shop. They both agreed — anywhere and everywhere. From custom stores to Nebraska Furniture Mart to TJ Maxx… there is room for all items and prices on a bookshelf or in a room.
Oh… and I asked them, “Do you only do full house design projects?” Nope. Both of these talented ladies are available for hire on anything from picking paint colors to doing a room by room house re-design. Big or small, they put the same amount of love and care into any project. And they use their expertise to curate a space that is the owner’s style… not their own.
And then we talked, Mama Brehm’s Crazy Blog request… Would each of them be willing to style my mantel without seeing what the other was doing?
And they said, yes! Sooooo… tune in all this week to see Mama Brehm’s Mantel Two Different Ways.
It feels like you can’t throw a virtual rock on Social Media without seeing a vignette of someone’s effortless mantel yet when I see many in real life, I know there are a lot of people like me, scratching their heads saying, “hmmmmmmm?” when it comes to dressing up the area.
So, I hope you’ll tune in all week as we play a little game of one mantel, two ways.
Here is the blank slate:
I mean, it might as well be blank. And yes, that is an impeccable use of a yellow post-it on the fireplace screen. Thank you for asking.
So I think we can all agree that the above situation could look all sorts of better.
And so, tomorrow I will bring you… Brianne’s rockin’ revamp! Wednesday, Linsey’s magnificent makeover! And more fun than a barrel of monkeys allllll week long.
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