Introducing: Meredith Rodday Design

drum roll please!!! today is the big day. i'm beyond proud (and also excited and little nervous!) to announce the new look for my interior design business:

meredithroddaydesign.com

image via coast to coast studio

about a month ago the lovely ladies, lucy and paige, of coast to coast studio reached out to ask if i'd be interested in working with them to create a real brand behind my work. it was exactly the kick in the pants that i needed. i created view from my heels when it was cool to name your blog back in 2010 but it doesn't really resonate with the work i'm doing anymore. i'd been toying around with the idea of creating a professional website for a while and never made it a priority. honestly i was scared to take that leap and i didn't completely believe that i was legit enough to have a professional website. it was so wonderful and empowering to hear their perspective because they saw me as a designer. not only a blogger or design enthusiast but a full fledged designer. having never had any formal education or experience in design, i've never felt completely comfortable calling myself a designer. even on instagram my profile has always read "interior design obsessed." just by reaching out and explaining the overall brand they envisioned for me, they helped me believe in myself. so really it's much more than just a new website and logo, it is complete empowerment and for that i am extremely grateful.

the process was very easy with lucy and paige. i sent inspiration images, colors, and sites and they came up with some ideas. we landed on a very clean and simple design which i think represents me to a tee. they were also incredibly patient as i changed my mind, changed it back again, and got into every detail. one of the biggest decisions was color and while it's hard to tell here, i opted to use a washed out navy (inspo was benjamin moore hale navy) as opposed to traditional black. it sounds pretty minor but i really wanted to use blue and it gives a slightly softer look than black. 

we created a new logo and lettermark which are both below. starting today, you'll start to see these logos and the new meredith rodday design brand mentioned and incorporated in my designs. my blog will stay put for now but can be accessed through the new website as well. i'm also keeping the viewfrommyheels name on instagram. i have a new email address that's up in the contact page.

as i said before, it's so nice to have a one stop shop so-to-speak of bio, portfolio, and yes even shopping! a huge thank you to coast to coast for all of their amazing work. 😘😘

New Magazine?

so while we were away our nice neighbors watered our plants and they went nuts! the herb planter is out of control - apparently it's very happy in it's spot in the backyard! we have actual tomatoes growing too!! i think i didn't quite believe it was going to happen :)

but getting to the point - have you seen/heard of/read fresh style magazine? i had never heard of it but happened to see it in the grocery store over the weekend and then took a quick flip through the pages. aaaand it came home with me :) it looks really promising!

now i just need to find the time to read it :)

Feeling Validated

o.m.g. so freaking happy it's friday. work is getting more insane by the week. i'm going to *try* to move to my new schedule next week which means 2.5 days instead of 3 days but right now i'd say i'm working close to 5 days a week - not getting paid for it of course. this can't go on! so needless to say i'm looking forward to a little down time this weekend.

have you seen the latest hgtv mag? page 74 in particular. no? well here it is.

left page, bottom right, that's my lamp!! there have been a few times where i've seen something i own in a magazine and it always makes me smile. though i have to say that i much prefer my black linen shade to the butterfly one they paired with it here. btw, big, famous magazines, i'm completely available if you'd like to feature my home on your glossy pages. ready and waiting. k?

have a wonderful and relaxing weekend! i think we might get some warmer temps which will be so welcome. the cold can get you down after a while. i want to hear birds chirping and open my sunroof!

Cook Books + Therapy

hi there! we had a great weekend and i can't believe it's monday already! this is a super busy week for me with all day meetings and i kinda wish it was thursday already because i'm anticipating some late nights.

so anyway, i got a couple of cook books for xmas (that i asked for ;)  keepers and dinner: a love story (a wonderful blog too).

now that the boys are a little older (all of 2 and 21 days!), they can entertain themselves a bit more and really play together which is awesome not only because it's awesome to watch them being best friends but also i can do a few things on my own!! say what?! :) one thing that i'm hoping to do more of is cook. my mom set a really high bar in my family - we had dinner together every single night during the week and it was always, always a home-cooked meal. i have failed miserably to follow in her footsteps. (and now that i have my own children, i feel bad for all of the times that i complained about having curry chicken again or pork chops marengo tango. i was the pickiest of picky eaters though i can't say much has changed!).

i started reading dinner: a love story (the book - it reads like a book instead of a traditional cookbook) and i immediately felt like jenny, the author, was talking directly to me. making meals for the boys can be terrifying to me. i have felt paralyzed at times and then guilty for not making something they like or that's made from scratch (i'm looking at you trader joe's frozen meatballs). for whatever reason, this part of motherhood did not come naturally to me. but in just a few pages, she relieved me of this guilty feeling and whacked me over the head with a good dose of common sense: my children are TWO. set your expectations low. really low. and don't even think about dinner as a family until three. a weight lifted - no flew - off my shoulders. i could almost physically feel it. therapy, right there in a cookbook. who knew?! so anyway, highly recommend it to anyone looking to make a change in their cooking lives.

p.s. i recently also picked up the smitten kitchen cookbook recommended by jenny from dals because i'll pretty much do whatever she says when it comes to the kitchen. my husband took one look at the cover of the smitten kitchen and said "whatever that is, i want to eat it now." so i'm excited to start trying some new recipes out from that one too.

Designer: Libby Langdon

hello sunshines! i'm feeling extra motivated and productive today - we had a jam packed weekend and got so much accomplished! first, the kitchen backsplash is in and done and we looove it! we also redid the wallpaper in the powder room - say whaaat?? so much to explain there so i will do a separate post but stripping wallpaper is not fun! we hung new sconces over the mantle and a mirror in the dining room. then of course we also did some holiday decorating and got our tree and a really pretty boxwood wreath. i can't WAIT to share everything with you! i was (still am) on a tear to get our house in tip top shape - well that might be pushing it - but at least looking as good as possible before the holidays and i can see the light at the end of the tunnel! oh AND i went on a holiday house tour in my town with a couple of friends and it was so fun. we happen to live in a spot with some pretty amazing homes and while not all were great (there's always bound to be a dud on tours like that i feel like), there were a few real stunners!

so i'll start the week off with some inspiration...my house beautiful and hgtv magazine subscriptions are still messed up which is so sooo annoying. i haven't gotten an issue since june. not cool. luckily over thanksgiving i got caught up at my parents' house with my mom's copies. i've seen the libby langdon shots floating around online but for me there is something about holding a magazine and scouring every detail up close. these rooms were featured in hb recently - it was a 24 hour make over and everything is perfection.

that wallpaper is to die for! and in the article, libby made a good point - she basically said that people are afraid to go bold like this but if you use it in a space that has a lot of doors and windows, it's not so overpowering because there are just little peeks of the pattern. i completely agree (i mean obviously, she's the real deal) and in my experience i have had success going with something very bold in small doses (like our entry in our old house). a friend of mine texted me that pic and said for her future mansion. got that filed away mh :)

all of this in a day? well however it happened, it's awesome!

Shelf Liner

this post is going to make no sense at first but i have to tell you the whole story... i had been thinking that it had been a while since i last got a copy of both house beautiful and hgtv magazine in the mail. and in fact i haven’t gotten one since july!! WTF! it turns out my account had been suspended and the website said it was at my request. no way. why would i do that? it doesn't even make any sense. has that ever happened to anyone else? so in crazy crisis mode i went on amazon and bought single issues from september and october for both mags. did you know there are sellers like that? i mean what can’t you get on the internet?!

anyway, finally getting to the point of this post (!), i was flipping through the september issue of hgtv and saw some cute shelf liners from chicshelfpaper.com.

greek key:

a pink one that would be so cute in a little girl's room:

this one reminds me of schumacher's betwixt fabric:

remember this paper that i used to line the drawers of my vintage bali hai dresser? wait, did i ever share (my memory does not function properly anymore)? it's gray and white chevron from the macbeth collection that i found on, yet again, amazon!

happy lining!

It's Baaack!

domino is back!! the first issue back hits stores this week. get yourself a copy and maybe do a little dance in the aisle - or at least if you see someone else doing that, smile don't judge :)

Pretty Great Befores & Afters

yay it's friday! i'm exhausted. and i failed at getting pics of my projects this week so they will have to wait until next week. in the meantime, you may have already seen these but in case not, check out the great before and after shots from the blog 4 men 1 lady.

HGTV Magazine

has anyone else been getting hgtv's new magazine? i have and i'm surprised by how much i like it. i haven't been turning down the corners in many other magazines (except maybe lonny but that's only virtually) like i have been with this one. some of it is a little corny but there is also some good stuff. like who knew that glass cleaner and coffee filters are the best way to get rid of fingerprints on stainless steel? but my favorite thing has to be their PAINT INDEX!!  the second to last page is a visual listing of all the paint colors that were mentioned throughout. genius! all publications need this.

have you tried it? what do you think?

Lonny Strikes Again!

the july/august issue of lonny is, yet again, fantastic. take a look through if you haven't already. i saw a couple of items that caught my eye and surprisingly they had one thing in common - they're from west elm.

love this zig zag and the collaboration with stray dog design:

(also comes in black)

and these shaggy pillow covers:

more browsing around found these:

and this ottoman:

me likey.

The Lonny Offices

i'm sure the blog world will be lighting up with these pics of the lonny offices in chelsea. but imagine if you walked into this office everyday? it would make work a lot cooler that's for sure.

i love how they've mixed high end with not-so-high end. for instance, the chair fabric goes for a cool $212/yard but the pendant and the frames are from ikea. and of course i love the ballard chairs!

conference room:

michelle adams's office:

big statement lamps mixed with lots of west elm pieces:

all images via lonnymag

i wonder what property management would say if i installed some floral drapes on the window behind my desk?

TradHome

tradhome, a collaboration between lonny and traditional home, just launched it's first issue. i think i'll reserve my opinions and you can decide for yourself! i'd love to know what you think. but in the meantime, i'll leave you with one of my favorite images from lonny.

there is sooo much to look at in this space and take in. first of all, the walls! more zebra :) i love the roman shades, the lucite bamboo coffee table, the turquoise pouf, and the rug with those pale lavender criss crosses. but most of all i love the mix of colors. this is not the place for the design-shy that's for sure!

via lonny magazine

Dreaming of Warmer Weather

it was a gross, cold day here in the arctic north. last night my copy of coastal living came and the photos reeeaaaalllly made me pine for warmer weather and bright, fresh colors. like in all of these spaces...

via architectural digest

all images via coastal living except where noted

yum, i feel better already. i hope these fresh interiors and exteriors brighten your day! any good vacations planned? i'm trying to convince my other half that the caribbean is calling our names :)

What's New

a couple more online life/style/design mags have launched this year and since i can't remember which ones i've already mentioned, here's a repository of them all:

• lonny - you know and love
• rue - blogged about it here
• anthology
• piper & ivy - from 2 aussies
• adore home magazine - also from down under
• matchbook - new this year and check out their cool tumblr site
• high gloss - just launched today and one of the editors is the author of a blog that i first started reading 2.5 years ago and really set this whole blogging thing into motion. here's an apartment in boston that was featured in the mag. i love how the colors all work together - very feminine but not overtly so.

switching gears, i saw a new shopping site on a blog i read, chinoiserie chic... i know, i know, another discount shopping site to add to your list but this one promises to be on the same lines of one king's lane. it's called joss & main and here are a few things that are for sale right now as of yesterday when i wrote this!!

trina turk greek key coasters and rug:

sign up by clicking here: http://www.jossandmain.com/store/myinvite/5aE

i'm taking an early weekend so i hope you all enjoy yours. i also have two more "client" meetings this weekend that i can't wait to tell you all about!

February House Beautiful

this month's house beautiful is one of those issues that had me drooling beginning to end. one of those where you don't want it to end. and i know i'll be going back to it again and again. don't you love that?

the cover alone had me at hello. it's of a home in venice, ca that looks like light, bright, airy perfection. i think now that winter is fully upon us in the arctic north, i am particularly drawn to this summery space.

image via google

i absolutely love how the trim is painted out blue against the white walls.

onto another house - how about this green kitchen? love the lighting, the plates, the cabinetry, and of course the ceiling. ceilings are so easy to forget but it really is the 5th wall. if we didn't have textured ceilings (one step up from popcorn!) i would totally paint one of our ceilings a pale blue.

and in the same house were these gorgeous drapes:

they are starting a new series with one of the HB editors on the makeover of her home. this is the living room. gotta love that carleton v wallpaper - how fresh.

image via house beautiful

and finally, this bathroom was featured as bath of the month. stunning. and what i really love is the tan with lavender color palette. our upstairs hall bath is in need of a full gut and redo and those are the colors i was thinking of using! i feel so cool. :)

all images scanned by moi except where noted

if you don't already subscribe to house beautiful and are looking for a new magazine to read, i highly recommend it - and no one is paying me to say that!!

p.s. go ducks!!!