If you follow any bloggers living in Los Angeles or New York then you have undoubtedly spotted the incredibly stylish store, The Line, pop up on their feeds at some point.

As a super-fan of their Los Angeles location {I seriously visit over twice monthly}, I had my heart set on styling our new home to match the distinctive point of view of The Line. I had no idea how I would pull this off. However, one day while I was drooling {err browsing} around the store, one of the managers shared a secret weapon that they use and her name is Martha Mulholland.

I ran, not walked, to my desk to e-mail her.

 

With our last Home Sweet Damsel house project, we did not work with an interior designer. We did, however, partner with multiple brands to furnish and decorate each room. Understanding that this house project was a part of a “flip,” we knew we would only be living in it for 5 years max and with the exception of a few key rugs the majority of our old furniture was a part of the project and left behind with the new owners.

As we moved into our new home, that is over 100 years old, the rooms definitely needed some love. Grant and I knew we wanted to work with Martha not only because of her impeccable taste, but we honestly had no idea how to embrace the homes rich history and darker walls. The home has undergone a complete historic restoration including the Batchelder fireplace, original windows and hardwood floors which have have been painstakingly restored. The formal staircase has a landing adorned with a renowned Judson stained glass window.

Grant and I have a house hold joke of “What would Martha do?” when we are hosting friends or tidying up around the house. And while we cannot seem to hit the mark on how exactly she does it, I did manage to sit Martha down and pick her brain on a few things that I thought I’d share here. {more photos from our house at the bottom of this post}

Q: Where do you turn for inspiration?

One of my favorite things to do is sit down in a cozy chair with a cup of tea and read the latest issues of World of Interiors, AD and Elle Decor. I also have a large collection of design books, vintage and new. When time doesn’t allow for that Pinterest is an incredible resource.

Q: What is one thing that every living room needs?

A tree and a lamp (ok that’s two).

Q: Top 5 Vintage Stores in Los Angeles

I can’t divulge all my secrets but I always find treasures at the Rose Bowl and Long Beach flea markets, the antique malls in Venice and Pasadena and at Pop Up Home’s warehouse.

Q: What are your top 3 things to collect?

I shop literally everywhere that I travel. My boyfriend always dreads the moment I find a flea market in a foreign city because he knows that means we’ll spend the following day wandering around carrying giant boxes of heavy old things trying to find someone to ship them back to Los Angeles. I don’t collect one thing in particular but when traveling abroad usually focus on small stuff that I can transport easily like sculptures, ceramics and art.

Q: If you could work with one person that you haven’t yet, who would it be?

I don’t know if there’s a particular person, but one project I’ve yet to do is a restaurant. I’d love to work on one!

Q: If you could work with one brand that you haven’t yet, who would it be?

Someday I’d love to design a light with Remains, a rug with Christopher Farr and a piece of furniture with any number of amazing fabricators I know.

Q: What are the top 3 home decor trends you are seeing for 2019?

I think we live in an era where anything goes and everything is in style, but I am noticing somewhat of a return to maximalism, lots of jewel tones and plush wall to wall carpets.

Here area few snapshots from rooms in our house before she came over to style. Can’t wait to share more from the shoot once we get the photos back! 

Now that we are through what we like to call “Phase One” of our house {living rooms, dining room and master bedroom}, all I am left with is an itch for Martha to continue to waver her magic wand over the rest of our house. To say that this woman is talented would be the biggest understatement I’ve ever made on my blog. She is AMAZING. You know those people who can move a vase 1 inch to the right and somehow it makes all the difference in the world because they touched it? That is Martha.

I always knew that she was talented, but it wasn’t until she came over to style our house for the final shoot {images to come soon!} that I realized her true greatness. She whisked around, room by room, seeing things no one else could see and designing shelves in a way that left my jaw on the ground. She has such a unique perspective, strong eye for style and impeccable taste. As we closed the book on the rooms we worked on together, I was left with the inspiration to mimic her style in every single corner of my life.

I cannot WAIT to share more photos of our entire reveal. I’ll be releasing them very soon!