I am very excited today to be featuring my first Thursday re-style here at m.o.i. designs. After sending a call out to all my local friends and acquaintances and after an overwhelming response (thank you!), I finally completed my first project and can't wait to share. I've realized over the course of this past year since starting my own business, it's tough to find work without trust. Trust is a building block to the top of your expertise and I am so very grateful to the ones who have trusted me with small parts in their homes. Whether it be choosing color or taking a stack of books and nick nacks from the floor and arranging them nicely on the mantle, each and every project has kept me busy creatively and that's exactly what I need right now! I look forward to showing new projects as they are completed, but for now please take a peek at my wonderful friend Annie's new mantle arrangement (and we swapped a couple of chairs too) and thank you, thank you Annie, I had so much fun (and could you make me those pancakes again? Mine didn't turn out so good!). Enjoy!

Have a wonderful day!

The first time I went to Annie's house, I never noticed anything out of place. Her home she shares with her husband Josh and daughter Maggie, is full of personality and artifacts that create a timeline of her journeys from family to work and friends. It's a very welcoming space, but I have to say, once I got my hands on her mantle, which can be seen upon entering the home, I was obsessed at straightening and organizing while keeping that fun personality in check. 

Annie is an amazing photographer and has had her work featured numerous times. Her latest project is breathtaking and details her volunteer work at the Sarvey Wildlife Center in Arlington Washington through images of beautiful and caring animals. Her story is so real and mesmerizing and you can find her latest project and other works on her website here. 

Now to the project! OnceI finally got to work on her mantle (after delicious pancakes and lots of chatter) I found myself replacing disheveled books with neat and organized books and placing personal mementos where they could be seen everyday. I had a blast with this project but it was mostly thanks to Annie for letting me come in and placing anything I wanted, wherever I wanted!

what was done:

1. Total book control-stacked books for easy viewing, vertical and       horizontal to keep it casual.
2. I chose a larger print for the center of the mantle to give the area some balance ( Annie had tons of prints in her attic that needed to be seen).
3.  Annie has quite the collection of old cards which were wedged in between books. I wanted to create a space to place them nicely so they could be seen and have a place of their own. Annie found a neat napkin holder which worked perfect for holding them and I found a spot for them on her bookshelf (a small detail, but the nonetheless important).
4. I browsed her home for interesting, yet personal items to place on various shelves. I found that after I placed the books there was quite a bit of room to fill!
5. I created an area for her daughters books on the lower shelf with a cute basket and within easy reach for a 2 year old.
6. We swapped out the large love seat which was placed in front of the bookshelf with a smaller and very cool chair she originally had at her dining table. The space is more open now and all the shelves are accessible.
7. I kept one shelf empty for her to fill with whatever she finds.

With a few small tweaks and some swift book movement, this mantle is now a clean and organized space that can be enjoyed from all angles of the room. Annie texted me later in the day and told me how much she loved how her mantle looked and that she had no idea what a difference it could make in how she felt about her space. I always say, it's the small things that make the biggest impact and that goes for life and interior design!