Designing Women - 5 Talented Bloggers who you NEED to Follow
To mark International Women’s Day, we’ve compiled a list of 5 trailblazing women who are revolutionizing the interior design biz with their creativity and go-getter mindset without ever forgetting to stay true to themselves. These ladies are not only impressive and authentic, but their blogs are bound to teach you a thing or two about how to incorporate décor into your home for a personalized look and feel. Even better, they demonstrate how killer design is accessible and attainable for all of us novices out there.
Meet the female influencers who are crushin’ it in the interior style department all while balancing successful careers and busy lives.
SEEKING ALEXI
@AlexiParry
The first thing you’ll see when you head to SeekingAlexi.com is an intro video of a woman dressed in insta-worthy jeans and ankle booties stepping out of her car with… wait for it… a scary looking cordless power saw (or at least that’s what we think it is!) and casually putting her “I mean business” work gloves on after plugging in a rechargeable battery. If that ain’t badass, we don’t know what is. But the thing that Alexi Parry wants you to know is that power tools really aren’t that intimidating, and even a self-proclaimed girly girl like herself can get stuff done. On her informative blog, the graphic -designer- turned- home- improvement- maven shows you how to split electrical wire like a pro and tackle a bathroom reno without hesitation. According to Alexi, DIY design not only leads to gorgeous results but it’s also empowering and teaches women that they are strong and can overcome any challenge… like picking up that hammer for the very first time. And her Instagram page showcases all the modern room transformations that she’s pulled off on budget with some good ole elbow grease.
GIRL AND THE WORD
Growing up, Anh Lin always had a passion for interior design but thought that it was a path that she could never follow because she didn’t have the fancy schmancy creds needed to enter that world. Everything changed when she came across several ambitious women who were paving the way for others to discover that style, design and art were never meant to be accessed by only a select few. As a person of faith, Anh created her Girl and the Word blog to illustrate how a person can be both pious and incredibly stylish – they’re not mutually exclusive! As an expert writer, she employs her skills to produce instructive content that shows readers how to achieve the perfect bohemian and airy feminine living spaces while at the same time lauding the virtues of meditation, nature and self-love, because one’s home isn’t the only interior that can be improved. Anh also shares glimpses of her room makeover prowess on her popular YouTube channel and Instagram page.
ARIANNA DANIELSON
Visit her eponymously named blog and you will see the words BOLD and ECLECTIC emblazoned on the screen, and Arianna Danielson’s aesthetic fits the bill! A maximalist at heart, she blends varying shapes, colors, patterns and textures to produce rooms that are undeniably rich and a feast for the eyes. Lush velvets and intricate silks combine with metallic accents to fashion a look that gives off a luxe vintage vibe. As a long-time stylist, Arianna has perfected her skills by finding one-of-a-kind gorge items at secondhand shops or thrift stores that add retro character to renovated spaces. A proponent of slow living, she believes that the home is where the soul resides. We should enjoy our homes to the fullest by making them the place where we want to be through design and by only including pieces into our living areas that bring us bliss. With its artfully curated interiors that reflect a unique persona, her home is the embodiment of this mantra. Take a peek at Arianna’s Instagram page to see the full scope of her design expertise.
THE HOUSE THAT LARS BUILT
Quirky, fun, and never bland, Brittany Watson Jepsen creates a colorful pastel world full of personality and artistic flair with her distinctive crafts. For goodness sake, she even won a Kentucky Derby hat contest with her paper-made rose creation – who does that? As a grad student studying interior design, she was tasked with designing a dream house as a course assignment and the title The House That Lars Built immediately came to mind. After interning with the likes of Jonathan Adler and Celerie Kemble, Brittany used her knowledge of digital print to create a blog for her school project to showcase her work to fictitious clients – and no surprise she got an A! After a stint in Copenhagen where she met her husband and a number of years writing for other digital publications, Brittany decided to devote herself to cultivating her own site and letting others into her “creative mess.” Her modern floral inspired designs and harmonizing color palettes serve as focal points to create rooms that radiate serenity and joy. And if you’re wondering who Lars is, it’s her dad (or his Hitchcock movie inspired alias to be more precise). Also check out Brittany’s Instagram page for a plethora of crafting ideas.
HOUSE ON A SUGAR HILL
When Jodi Bond moved into her dream house perched on top of a hill in one of Atlanta’s most up-and-coming suburbs a few short years back, she decided to document her journey of transforming the fixer upper into a place that she, her husband and four kids could call their very own, but she never could have imagined the blog would become such as hit. Jodi follows a simple rule when planning her DIY designs, never follow trends and follow your heart. She has exhibited her ultra-fem, lighthearted and free spirited design sense throughout every room in her beloved home and gained a bunch of fans along the way. One of Jodi’s best pieces of advice is to break down one seemingly large project into a bunch of smaller more manageable projects to not get overwhelmed with the tasks at hand. Better living simply doesn’t happen in a single day, as she can attest to. But a vital lesson that she tries to impart to her kids is that as long as you live life with “intentionality and purpose,” you cannot go wrong. A quick look at Jodi’s Instagram page reveals the stunning progression of her house into a cherished home.
Have a name that you’d like to add to the list? Share your knowledge by tagging us @realrooms because as we all know, there is no shortage of super inspiring women out there trying to help turn our design dreams into a reality, one nook and cranny at a time.
