I am always impressed with the fun ideas and inspiration that One Pretty Thing has to share on a daily basis! Rachel scours over 4,000 (yes, 4,000!) craft forums, blogs and sites each week to pull together the best tutorials and DIY projects from around the internet.
Each morning she posts a roundup of her favorites, in the afternoon a compilation of DIY projects from the blogosphere and on the weekends reader projects from OPT’s Flickr community. There is never a shortage of crafty inspiration!
Rachel began the site after searching for an all-in-one blog that shared links to many different tutorials. Her solution was an easy to search and navigate site – Rachel has sorted out various projects by category and holiday so you’re always bound to find something to fit your style or theme.
Pepper has been fortunate enough to have a few projects shared on the site. It’s always an honor to be featured with such wonderful crafters (plus Rachel’s the sweetest! You’ve never met a kinder blogger). Now to get to know Rachel and OPT a bit more… let’s dive right into the interview and images!
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{PDB Interview with Rachel of One Pretty Thing}
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What inspires your design style?
I’m lucky to live in an artistic California town nestled between the redwoods and the sea. The unique natural area where I live is my biggest design style influence. My love of bright colors and art comes a close second. If you could mix a cheerful art gallery with a redwood gift shop- that would be my dream home! I live with bright wall colors, lots of art and I try and tie it together with natural elements throughout- stump tables, ferns, driftwood, lots and lots of greenery. It’s a little different, a little quirky, but it totally works for me. I probably combine more colors than most people but I move things around so much that what looks crazy one week will be more calm the next.
A peak at a colorful corner of a bedroom in Rachel’s home.
Inspirational rooms: Canadian House & Home, Holly Dyment Design
What do you love most about what you do?
I love that I spend all day long looking at IDEAS. A day doesn’t go by where I don’t find something I have to make, something I need to bake, a vignette I need to create or an altered clothing idea to get started on. At the end of the day my head is swimming with ideas and I’ve added lots of projects to my to-do list!
What are your favorite design trends?
The DIY movement is my favorite design trend! I love that more and more people are creating new out of old, revamping existing pieces for a new life and learning how to make, build and sew it themselves. It’s so inspiring and encouraging! Not only are people learning how to do it themselves, they’re sharing what they’ve learned and created online. It’s amazing!
The obsessively organized part of me loves that more attention is being paid to drawers, shelves and areas that aren’t traditionally decorated and styled. I call it, “out of sight but not out of mind.” I take so much pleasure from opening a drawer and finding a well designed space for everything, or opening a cabinet and finding a shelf where thought was paid to the layout. Containers and storage aren’t just plastic bins anymore. They’re well thought out and beautiful to look at. That combination of elegant storage and attention to behind the scenes details make me so happy. When I’m arranging shelves I like to use clean, uniform storage with one special, artistic element. In my pantry cabinet it’s a handmade piece of pottery that holds my tea bags, in my fridge it’s sea glass bud vase to hold fresh herbs.
Matching jars house spices and herbs in Rachel’s pantry.
I also love the trend of moving away from the trends themselves and doing what you love! I can flip open just about any shelter magazine today and see a mix of styles that reflect an inhabitants personality, not just what happens to be the in trend of the moment. Design blogs showcase a variety of styles and personalities as well. You see less and less catalog and more thought-out and lived in. I have a more eclectic design scheme so I really appreciate seeing a range.
Inspirational rooms: Apartment Therapy, Martensen Jones Interiors
What are three design suggestions that you would like to offer our readers?
{1.} If you’re a reader of blogs and shelter magazines like I am, create a desktop folder for each room in your house. I immediately label and save all the inspiration pictures I find online and scan all the magazine clippings I love as well. This year I’ve redecorated our bedroom and guest room and we’re in the middle of a much needed kitchen renovation as well. The first place I started with these big projects? The folders on my desktop labeled, “bedroom, guest room and kitchen!”
{2.} I’m an art lover with a starving artist budget. I reconcile this by using one frame color throughout my house (silver) and buying lots of prints on Etsy! Swappable frames and inexpensive prints means I can constantly change my collection with the seasons or my whims and I can move frames from one room to the other. I also have a variety of monochromatic painted canvases that I use to layer art. These are useful for giving groupings height, creating a faux makeshift frame or just bringing color to a corner.
Rachel’s beloved cat, Lil B, on her colorful porch.
{3.} Use mother natures palette and décor- she knows what she’s doing! We’re repainting our interior right now and I looked outside for my color inspiration. All of the bright wall colors I’ve used in my house reflect a different natural element. I have green grass walls, sky blue walls, orange river rock walls and a wild flower yellow kitchen. Around here Mother Nature accents with driftwood, sea glass and fiery flowers. I bring it all indoors. What natural elements unique to your area can you use? I’ve found that my local touristy gift shops and independent art boutiques are full of creative ideas.
Beth Janson’s Home Tour on Apartment Therapy
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If you loved this interview, check out more great spotlights {and tips & tricks!} from fantastic bloggers!
Great site iwth great info, love it
Thanks so much to Pepper Designs for having me, this was a blast! I loved sitting down and putting some thought into my decorating style. It got me so excited about my home! And these kind comments have made my night!
Rachel is a lovely girl…i like her personality..she is a friendly person…so cute as well…
a big thanks to rachel for all her hard work over at one pretty thing!! we love to be featured over there!!
jen
Love love love Rachel and OPT! Great feature.