nat%2Blewis%2Bart%2Bwm.jpg — 1968 watercolor of the chalet by Nat Lewis

YES Meryl and her family really do live in a Chalet cottage - it’s an hour outside of Manhattan in Northern New Jersey. It was hand-built by craftsmen in 1924 as a vacation home - the first home on the street.

As a kiddo living in the neighborhood she rode her bike by the Chalet and rang the doorbell on Halloween always feeling a deep sense of affection for its quirkiness - with its red paint and bell-tower chimney - everyone referred to the home as the Red Schoolhouse.

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Meryl is a passionate hockey goalie mom - She’s lost her voice from too much yelling from the stands! She is obsessed with beauty and a huge fan of art, architecture, history and of course interiors. She adores all museums but, dearly loves the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

It’s gratifying to she and her husband to support artists and there are several original works in the Chalet as well as thrifted and family pieces.

Her hashtag #saynotoemptywalls encourages everyone to embrace “The Walls the Limit” and adore their spaces. Her two Instagram accounts are: @chaletmomma and @saynotoemptywalls

She is a self-confessed book junkie; avid reader and collector of books. Don’t miss the Reads section in the sidebar to find out the latest titles she’s enjoying. Meryl’s article Get Your Read On! originally published in 2019 is updated with new her knew favorite titles. She reads and listens to titles on the following apps: Hoopla, Libby and Chirp.

Ever since her husband gifted her a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers and delphiniums on their first date - fresh flowers have always been a part of their home.

Her career began as a Gift-Wrapper at a local department store at age 16 and after studying Secretarial Administration Meryl’s work has included: Consumer Relations, Marketing, Merchant, Product Design/Development, Sourcing and Styling in and around New York City for the likes of Gap, Units, Limited, Kenneth Cole Productions and a private Import firm where she oversaw a 20+million dollar business for close to 17 years delivering goods for both brick and mortar retailers and catalog clients.

Meryl is a very organized creative. A lover of spreadsheets to stay on track for clients. Chaletmomma Designs focus is Design and all it encompasses for both your Home environment and Brand partners.

She has a deep love of all things design and dedicates herself to promoting creativity and culture here on the site and through her social channels.