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June 16, 2021

Let's Meet the Queen of Pink Aileen Grodzinsky

June 16, 2021/ Meryl

This interview has been well over a year in the making friends! I’m tickled pink to introduce my dear friend - Aileen Grodzinsky.

We met via Instagram and our friendship was born out of a shared love of home, the color pink and a sense of honesty that can only be found with another Jersey gal!

Aileen welcome tell the readers about yourself: Hi! I’m Aileen. I am 39 years old and live in Monmouth County NJ with my husband Steve, our daughter Lucy and Henry the Bunny! I grew up in the same town I live in now with my mom, dad and older sister (3 years older). I have lived in other towns across NJ, but when Steve and I were ready to settle down we found ourselves gravitating back to our hometown (yes, his hometown too). Funny enough, I now live in the same model home I grew up in! I feel like I got the chance to decorate my childhood home, SO COOL RIGHT!

My mom and dad are my favorite people in the world. My sister and I were lucky to grow up with parents that were loving, smart, hard-working, open minded, kind, and creative. Both my parents were science teachers, mostly of middle school grades, although my mom went on to work more in administration later in her career. My mother is wildly creative. So was her father, my poppy. Many of his paint by numbers are hanging in my house today.

With the move to your current home in 2018 you really embraced your love of pink - please tell us about this transition: It all started with a pink chaise! I have always loved pink, but never used it in my décor until moving to our newest home. This home felt feminine to me when we moved in. It felt like she was just dying to be dressed in pink flowery velvet dresses (aka furniture, artwork, paint). I purchased a beautiful velvet pink chaise for our family room and my love of pink décor spiraled from there. I feel like I decorated the whole family room around that chair. I think that happens sometimes with furniture pieces and artwork, they inspire you and set you on a path to create the spaces around you. It was like my muse! The family room is also open to the foyer and dining room so the pink just started to travel merrily along into all our spaces. It is the color that connects all the rooms. Also, I’m lucky to have a hubby that embraces my design ideas even when they involve A LOT of pink accents. I am also VERY inspired by real and faux flowers, floral prints, and flowery artwork, which play nicely with pink tones.

You know I love to ask all my fabulous interviews if they decorated their bedrooms while they were growing up - so tell us? I sure did, at a certain age! I think I was around 12 when I got a full bedroom makeover. I was allowed to choose wallpaper and the furniture, but I’m almost positive it was narrowed down prior to a few choices my parents would be OK with! I chose a total 90’s pastel colored zig zaggy patterned wallpaper and white Formica furniture. My favorite addition to my room was when I was 16 and obsessed with the Absolut Vodka Ads found in so many magazines at that time. I made a border on the top of my walls with the ads. I thought I was so cool! I still have those ripped out magazine pages today.

Aileen you have a degree in Interior Design - please share how that morphed into your visual design work for Nordstrom and your current work designing swag: I graduated from the New York School of Interior Design (NYSID). Going to school in NYC was an incredible experience. While I thought I would go into a career of interior design, I also had my eye on a position at Nordstrom. I had worked for Nordstrom, in sales, on and off from the age of 18 and all through my college years. I ALWAYS wanted a spot on the Visual Merchandising team, but the required M-F 7-4 job hours and my full time/commuting to NYC college education did not go hand in hand, so I stuck with sales (a much more flexible schedule). When I graduated, I expressed my desire to the Visual Manager to join her team when there was an opening…and just my luck a few months later, she came to me with an offer to join the team. I was thrilled! I transitioned onto the team 2 weeks later and stayed in the Visual Merch world with Nordstrom for 10+ years. This job was my dream job. Working on every aspect from merchandising product, floor/fixture sets, window displays, event sets, fashion, store sets/lighting, you name it - my team and I did it! I experienced a lot of growth, many promotions into management positions across all the NJ Nordstrom stores, and I have so many relationships that came from this time, including my 2 best friends. To say it was the best would be an understatement. And while this wasn’t the same as residential Interior Design, SO many of my skills learned in school could be applied to my job in Visual. I took a totally different turn as our daughter Lucy was getting older and starting to attend school. I wanted to be home in the morning for her (the visual job had me leaving the house at 6am). I wanted to be there to help her get ready and know her day was off to a good start. I wanted to work locally (the visual job was 1 hour away). AND I wanted to get out of that retail life, working some weekends, overnights, and holidays. I was SO lucky to be able to transition to my job at Creative Solutions. My title is “swag specialist”. We create amazing branded product for some heavy hitter companies! Its super fun! Maybe one day I will do what I went to school for, but for now, I’m happy with where my path has taken me! AND I really love sharing my design and home projects on Instagram.

During the height of the Stay Home order you designed this wonderful area for Lucy to attend remote school and I so love the office space you created in your guest room for yourself. Both are colorful, fun and pretty. Please share your design philosophy with us – your Grandmillenial Granny Chic vibe: I love old/vintage pieces and any and all floral patterns! I always say my style is a mix of granny chic and romantic eclectic. I don’t think I am quite as traditional as the grandmillenial décor trend tends to lean. I love a good mix of floral patterns, velvet tufted chairs, embroidered artwork, and brass accents!

Let’s continue on the topic of your design philosophy - I know you are big fan of Thrifting and Facebook Marketplace - tell us why: My most favorite way to create my spaces is with the mix of old and new. A little bit classic with a little bit of trendy accents. I am the friend everyone calls when their grandma is downsizing to assisted living and all her belongings won’t fit in the new place. I have gorgeous pieces from my great aunt and grandmother’s homes. I treasure those pieces the most. Weekends, before Covid, I would be popping in and out of thrift stores looking for special pieces to layer into my home. Now I find myself endlessly scrolling facebook marketplace. I have found some real treasures on there and I find that most people selling on marketplace don’t know how good the piece they are selling is, so the prices are amazing! I TRULY feel thrifting is a key element when designing any home. Antique and Thrift Stores, Estate Sales and Facebook Marketplace are filled with unique well-made items that have withstood the test of time! I think it is what sets apart a truly curated home and space. I love the character, stories and soul these pieces bring to any home.

I think it’s so cool how your Mom Barbara is your design partner: My mother is a powerhouse. My girlfriends and I have a saying, “what would Barbara do?” and it applies to everything from life advice to designing. She is always ready to jump into any project with me. She is the person holding up the new artwork in all the spaces around the house that I want to envision it. She is the one painting my furniture in the garage while I work my 9-5. She is the one that comes on all my thrifting adventures. I’m beyond lucky, to have my design partner with me every step of the way. My daughter jumps in the mix too. She is 8 and a powerhouse too. She is ready to be my little design assistant every chance she gets. Her eyes light up when there is something that needs to be built! She is an engineer at heart. She’s been using a hammer and a learning her way around a drill since she was little. We are quite the design trio.

Last spring you created this amazing scallop detail around your family room entry. This detail created quite a wonderful stir on social media - the designer Emily Henderson took notice and started following you on Instagram. At the time you shared: I used a bowl from the cupboard, a pencil for tracing, some Valspar paint “dust bunny” and a small paintbrush to create this scallop detail.

Then Apartment Therapy shared your image in their feed garnering 44,793 likes and 278 comments. How has this share impacted your brand: It was really mind-blowing. I was so excited they even saw me and then to be shared - OH MY it was CRAZY!!!! And on top of that… they started following me. I mean you know this is so beyond in the amazing Instagram world to have such large inspirational companies and persons following you. I love Instagram ALOT I am excited to share more brand collaborations, easy diys, affordable decorating options and small shops that are producing some amazing products.

You have also been featured:

How to Paint a Scalloped Door Frame

“I’m so excited with the encouragement of family and friends to put my art out there! I’ve always doodled and painted - it’s just a natural extension of my creativity!”

— Aileen Grodzinsky

Plans for 2021: My next project is sharing my art. I have been working on building my inventory and I’m really looking forward to sharing it! I’ll give you one guess what I paint…that’s right, FLOWERS. They bring me so much joy, in my home, in a vase, in real life and still life and I can’t wait to bring joy to people’s homes and walls. It started with my daily doodles and I’m excited to take it to the next level. I would also love to continue inspiring my lovely followers!

Aileen launched her first collection Flirty Girls Floral Collection May 18, 2021 and her 12 original works sold out in 60 minutes through her Instagram stories!

Aileen thank you my sweet friend for letting me share you with my readers!

I really love how you aren’t afraid - with your training and a clear vision of what you want you go for it - in everything you create. You inspire me and so many around you!

You can find Aileen on Instagram.

Til next time friends be well!

Images: Aileen Grodzinsky

April 28, 2021

Let's Meet Natalie Papier

April 28, 2021/ Meryl

Natalie Papier of HOME EC. is incredibly talented - She is a trained painter and uses her amazing eye in the spaces she creates for clients and in her own remarkable home.

She announced last week she’s one of the designers participating in this spring’s One Room Challenge. I’m thrilled to follow along and witness her creative process.

Natalie - her husband Alan, son Kellen, daughter Maddie, dog Billie and cat Boots moved to Charlotte, NC last year from Oak Park, IL and her work transforming what she has coined the #charlottechateau is simply mind-blowing friends.

Natalie holding Billie, with husband Alan, Maddie and Kellen in front of the Charlotte Chateau

Natalie I understand art is your first passion but, tell me did you decorate your bedroom growing up? Ohhhh yes. I liked to display all my treasures (books, decor, pictures, art supplies). I was actively taking art lessons from age 5 on and had a very large drafting table in my room where I spent many hours creating. Reading and drawing/painting were my true loves. You asked if I had any anecdotes - when I was five I found a dead bird that I used feathers from to make an art project of a realistic bird. My mom even laminated it and kept it - gross as that was!

What and Where did you study? I took private lessons from my high school and small town college art teachers from age 5. In HS and college I would have these same teachers! I went to a small community college for visual arts and went on to study/practice pottery, screen printing, photography and watercolor in my 20’s.

I know you were on an episode of House Hunters - that’s super cool - how did that happen? I sent an audition tape in when we started looking to move from our condo in the city to a house in the suburbs. Our realtor was a dapper and charming guy from Chicago, Don Friedman, and it was super fun although exhausting filming 4, 8 hour days in total.

So the home you and Alan found in Oak Park, IL. How did the transformation of it go? The Oak Park house was a slow, steady curation as it was a much larger home from what we had and we were house broke for awhile. That’s when my love for thrifting really kicked in. And where I started experimenting (a lot) with paint and covering the walls and ceilings with it. I pulled from the beautiful pattern mixing and the variety of design aesthetics I fell in love with during the time we lived in London. We lived there for a year and a half for Alan’s job - Kellen was only 1 and I would walk around the city with him all day admiring the beauty and architecture.

This ties in with my next question - I know you and Kim Daunis started with a vintage business - tell us about the creation of your business: Kim and I were friends that started a vintage pop up business together with another friend. After a couple years, I started designing under Home Ec. for friends and acquaintances with the encouragement of my book club. After a year, I was so busy, I asked for Kim to help with a project. We worked so well together, we decided to partner up and take on the interior world full-time. It continued to evolve and gain momentum from day one.

HOME EC. CLIENT WORK

The move to Charlotte was based on Alan’s career but, please share what it’s been like creating the Charlotte Chateau. How neat was a blank slate? We had the opportunity move for Alan’s job to Charlotte but actually turned it down. We are both originally from Illinois. My husband from the NW suburbs of Chicago and I’m from a very small town two hours south west of Chicago. After another brutal Chicago winter, we were like what are we doing??? So we took the plunge! Kim and I separated the business with me continuing it in Charlotte while Kim decided not to continue. Alan and I looked at 30 houses in 3 days! We turned down so many “new” houses because I wanted to create my own design but, the process was daunting not knowing the neighborhoods well. I fell in love with the Charlotte Chateau on site but, it needed ALOT a of love. Still does...ha! But the vibes felt right, the school district is great and it was the right choice for us. I started the design process from Oak Park and we stayed in temp housing for 8 weeks in Charlotte while the kitchen and other areas of the house got fully renovated.

Charlotte Chateau views from the Kitchen Island toward the sunrise Room

Talk about your design philosophy – your brand is colorful with an infusion of art, funk and the unexpected: I just design with pieces that inspire joy. I have a healthy love for color (which I attribute to my art background), art, vintage, whimsy.... I strongly value original art in my home. It speaks to my soul.

Please tell me what your favorite space is in your home? The kitchen. It’s the first house we have ever lived in that I could totally renovate start to finish and pick every element. I wanted it to have a timeless Parisian feel and feel open and light but also being in a curated portrait art collection for a focal point.

“I strongly value original art in my home. It speaks to my soul.”

— Natalie Papier

Artwork in the Charlotte Chateau

How has Instagram impacted your brand? Instagram has given me a space to share my portfolio and a space for free marketing to potential clients. It’s also connected me with artists, makers, real life friends and businesses. It’s been a place for my business to get discovered by magazines and sponsorships. So truly is has made my business what it is.

Natalie you’re one of the designers for the 2021 Real Simple Home this is such an incredible project! Real Simple asked me to be part of their 4th annual Real Simple Idea Home - a home that is fully renovated in Westfield, NJ and will be in the October issue. I have never been in the house - I’m working off plans to design the livingroom and I am excited and nervous of course! I’ll be sharing updates on my Instagram feed.

And you’re part of the Apartment Therapy Small/Cool 2021 Experience this is an awesome shoppable on-line design showcase broadcast on @apartmenttherapy Instagram feed Friday June 11 - Sunday June 13. Yes you can virtually see my small and cool room starting June 11 at @apartmenttherapy Small/Cool Experience. My space will bring to life the Flexible Spaces trend - as working from home has become the new norm for so many - our spaces need to reflect this and I’m so excited all the items will be shoppable which is so - if you pardon the pun - COOL through Overstock!

Design 360 ° Award Winner - Natalie Papier

Charlotte Chateau hallway with newly installed Cole and Son wallpaper Frutto Proibito

Friends check out the linked articles below.

Oak Park, IL:

Charlotte, NC:

Plans for 2021: We’ve already talked about the big things coming up - the One Room Challenge, the 2021 Real Simple Home and the Apartment Therapy Small/Cool 2021 Experience. But I truly just want to keep creating spaces that bring joy into homes and reflect the unique personalities of the people living in them.

Natalie I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you saying Yes when I asked! I’m blown away by your designs and most especially by your creative and lovely spirit!

You can find Natalie on HOME EC., Instagram, Facebook and Houzz.

Til next time friends stay well.