Meet Emily - Designer & Small Business Owner
Meet Emily, an interior designer, small business owner, and mother of four with a lot of heart and hustle! We had a chance to connect with her virtually to talk about her style, design process, and some of her favorite RoomMates products.
RM: Tell us a little bit about yourself!
EM: I am the owner of Milwaukee and Beyond Interior Design. I am married to my husband, Josh. We've been married almost thirteen years, and we have four boys. So my world is everything boy at home. I started my interior design business about three and a half years ago, and it has blossomed into more than I could have ever imagined.
RM: Do you prefer coffee or tea?
EM: So, that's a funny one. I actually don't drink either. I don't drink any caffeine, which I know is, like, a crazy thing for some people. But I mostly just drink water and La Croix. I'm kind of boring.
RM: Are you a morning bird or night owl?
EM: So unfortunately, probably not the best, but I'm a little bit of both. My heart leans that I want to be an early bird, but when you have four crazy kids, and they go to bed, it's too tempting to want to stay up a little bit more.
RM: Can you describe your style in three words?
EM: OK, so my style in three words... I would say timeless, transitional, and a little bit of modern.
RM: How did you first get interested in home decor?
EM: So, I feel like for as long as I can remember, I was always fairly interested in the world around me in that way. I always found myself walking into a building, and the first thing I noticed was the pattern of the tiles on the floor. But I actually dove in three and a half years ago with a friend of mine. We started this business together, and now I do it on my own. It all really stemmed from the two of us wanting to be able o create an income in our own way while still being able to be at home with our kids. We knew we both loved everything design, and we just went for it.
RM: What has been your favorite design project of the past year?
EM: Right before Christmas time, I had the opportunity to work with a family who had lost their house in a house fire. They were rebuilding their house again on the same lot that they lost it the first time. Not only did I love the cathedral ceilings and each element of the space that I helped design, I also loved feeling like one piece of the puzzle for moving in for that was completely ready to go. I mean, they moved in just days before Christmas, so It all just felt so magical and it was really special to me.
RM: What is your favorite RoomMates Product?
EM: Okay, so I feel like every time I sorta start to love something, like that's my very favorite, RoomMates comes out with something else so good! But I tend to lean toward the geometric patterns and then I always crush on anything botanical that comes out too. It makes me feel girly - there's something about that that always gets me too.
Perplexing Peel and Stick Wallpaper | Batik Jacobean Peel and Stick Wallpaper
RM: What is your #1 decorating hack?
EM: The power of paint is amazing. If you are tight on money, if you don't have a whole lot of budget to spend, always, always, always do paint first.
RM: What would you tell an aspiring home designer?
EM: I would say that if you are feeling a nudge in any way to go for it. Some of you may not know that I don't have any formal training in interior design. I just was a girl who had heart and hustle and who wanted something for herself. Don't be afraid. Don't compare yourself to others. Just go for it. If it's something that you feel driven and passionate about, and you feel like you have a niche for it, go for it. Be bold. Be brave. And don't be afraid of failing, because there's plenty of times in the last thee and a half years that I've had to learn things and had to try new things. In the end, this season that I'm in, this place that I'm in, I'm so glad I was daring enough to just jump and go for it, so that I can still be here, doing what I love every day.
Watch our full interview with Emily!
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