DIY Queen Melanie Lissack began writing her blog in 2016 after moving to a new home. Her blog started simply as a way to document designing her house on a tight budget, using clever DIY tricks. But as her life moved on and her love of interiors and knowledge grew and widened, Melanie now focuses less on writing about budget interiors and more about what excites her.
I have been following Melanie’s blogging journey since I started my blog and still enjoy seeing what creative DIY ideas she comes up with- the mural in her son Jaxon’s bedroom has got to be one of my favourites. So, I thought I’d share her inspirational blogging journey with you.
How did you get into interior design?
To be honest, it was a natural progression after my blog took off. I have no formal training in interior design, which is why I tend to call myself a ‘design consultant’ rather than an interior designer. I feature my home a lot on my blog and style products, including products for brands, in my home, and from that people found me, liked my style and would request that I helped them with their own home. I’m a big advocate of affordable interior design, as I had always felt that interior design was associated with the rich. Mostly, people just need a bit of help and guidance with choosing the right colours and knowing about the best place to buy great homeware then they can take it from there. It’s not all about someone coming in and totally overhauling everything.
What does a typical day look like for you?
It can vary greatly, which is why I love it so much. I usually spend half a week working on mood boards or sourcing for residential clients, then another half writing my weekly blog post and working on brand collaborations – anything from styling products or product reviews. I also usually have a load of DIY on the go at the same time. My hobby is decorating, but it fits into my day job!
How would you describe your interior style?
I also say it is very ‘old house, new home’. Our home is a period home and I love traditional features like wall panels and high ceilings, but I do like to put modern furnishings and fittings in them. I use a lot of colour, but rather than intense shades, I tend to prefer using blues, greens, pink and greys. I’m currently obsessed with using lilac which is predicted to be a big colour trend in 2020.
What made you want to start a blog?
I had just moved house and I had a ton of DIY projects on the go. The blog started as a place to document our decorative journey and I loved writing it. From there it just continued…
What is your favourite DIY project that you have worked on?
I could never pick just one, but I do love a good IKEA hack. IKEA hacks are such a budget-friendly way to get an individual piece of furniture.
Where do you look for interior inspiration?
Everywhere – Pinterest, Magazines and Instagram…but I also look a lot to nature -especially flowers. Flowers to me are so important when it comes to design. I get influenced by the colours and the way everything works together. I go to RHS Chelsea every year and it fills me with inspiration.
Do you have any top tips for someone wanting to redesign their home?
Use Pinterest to collect your favourite images and then see if there is a thread through them – are all your images similar? Do they feature a particular colour? What’s the style? This is such a simple and easy way to find your core interior style. Also, look at how you dress and the colours you are drawn to. Your home should be a reflection of you, so consider what makes you happy.
What are your top trend predictions for 2020?
I think we will see a lot of green as people start to use this shade a lot more. This could be mallard duck greens or mint greens! Japandi will be huge – Scandi styles influenced by Eastern aesthetics. Ribbed and reeded glass and furniture will also be massive as we look to texture over colour in terms of decor.
To find out more about Melanie, please check out her website here and colourful Instagram account here. I would like to thank Melanie for taking the time out of her very busy schedule to chat with me and share her design tips with us. I highly suggest you guys head over to her socials and see her awesome DIY’s and beautiful photos of her house – you’ll definitely get some inspiration!
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I hope you are all coping with the lockdown at the moment. Stay safe!
Eve x
Such an interesting interview, so many fabulous takeaways, Eve. I love browsing Pinterest for home ideas, even if I do fall down the wormhole for a few hours at a time! And I completely agree about flowers and Nature. We’re very lucky to have a garden but cutting foliage and flowers for the house is such a wonderful way to bring the outside in. I’ll have to head over to Melanie’s Instagram for some more inspiration now, thank you for sharing! X
Lisa | http://www.lisasnotebook.com
Me too, I can be on pinterest for hours upon hours- it’s bursting with design inspiration. The idea of bringing nature indoors is really popular at the moment too. Definitely, Melanie’s instagram feed is beautiful. Thanks for reading x
This is such a great interview, thanks for sharing Eve! I really love Melanie’s style, especially all those pretty flowers! It’s awesome that blogging DIY projects lead to a career in interior design, that’s really inspirational! I also agree that Pinterest is such a handy place for new ideas, thank you for sharing! <3 xx
Bexa | http://www.hellobexa.com
Thanks Bexa. Melanie’s style is really beautiful. She is truly the DIY queen, full of creative and cost effective ideas. Pinterest is a fab place to find inspiration for just about anything x
This was super interesting – love your last question about trends for 2020. I’m always so far behind on that!
Thanks Lisa, I’m glad you enjoyed this post. It’s always interesting to see what trends are coming up x