November 15, 2023

Let's Meet Layla Rovira

November 15, 2023/ Meryl

Friends I’m so happy to have Layla Rovira here at the Chalet this month to share a bit about herself!

Layla welcome my dear! Welcome. Please introduce yourself - Hi Meryl thank you! I am happy to be here. I’m Layla and I have an Instagram account @casa_de_layla - I live in Northern, Va.

I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 24 year this December. We have 3 children: Eddie (21) in college, Daniella (17) a senior in high school and Marco (14) a freshman and he and I are doing homeschooling together. I am also mother to a not so mini schnauzer, Rocco who is 9 years old and a rescue cat Tito, who is almost 2 years old. They both always keep me company as I am a homemaker and spend most of my days home.

Your home is the center of your Instagram account - What architectural style is it? We live in a classic Colonial style 3 story townhouse. Virginia is full of history and it’s architecture is known for its Colonial style which I absolutely adore. Our home was built in 1993 (I was still in high school!) but we purchased it in 2006.

What attracted you to the home? You now that feeling with a wedding dress? The one that as soon as you try it on you just know? Well that is exactly what happened to me when I walked into this house. I just knew! My husband and I both knew right away that this was the house for us. Time flies, that was 17 years ago!

Tell us your favorite space in your house and why. I know it sounds crazy but my favorite place in our home is the kitchen. It is where I spent most of my day really. Kids coming in and out of the house all day and always hungry. My youngest spends time in the kitchen with me while he does his morning school work and I just love it.

I know my kids are old enough to cook something for themselves but I enjoy preparing them snacks, food, desserts, etc… and I especially love when they sit by the kitchen table while I am making something for them to eat and they tell me all about their day and what’s going on in their world. I feel like our small kitchen is the heart of our home.

Can you talk about your design philosophy. Sure! My design philosophy has always been: bring things you love into your home and your home will love you back. I do not follow trends or rules when it comes to home decor. Trust me, it makes life easier when creating your home. It’s important to say my house is not for young kids… it’s how we live now because my kids are older.

You are always thrifting. What is the best thing you’ve ever thrifted and why? Yes, I LOVE to thrift! My passion for thrifting has always been a part of me. But 20 years ago it was harder to find good thrift stores in my area. Now thrift stores are easier to find and it has become a way of living for many including myself. I love that a thrift store does not dictate what’s on trend like big box stores do.

It’s amazing the things you can find second-hand!

One of my favorite pieces I’ve found was on FB marketplace. My antique English pine dresser and it was FREE! It was listed as trash night freebie, pick up tonight after 7pm or it would go to trash. I love that piece and I am so happy I gave it a new home.

Another of my favorite finds are my collection of big framed art. We have a small entry/foyer with high ceiling which works as the perfect place to showcase my thrifted art on it. It’s a small area full of character.

I like knowing that my home is mostly thrifted. I love all the character and style my finds bring into my home.

Recently you thrifted a set of vintage Bird themed Tray-Tables. We chatted about the set after I saw your Instagram story about them. They are fabulous! Thank you so much Meryl! Would you believe me if I told you I paid $6.99 for the set?! I walked into the store, did not grab a cart because it was a quick stop but when I saw them I ran to them and put them in a cart as fast as I could!

Did you decorate your bedroom while growing up? It’s funny you asked me that because I did decorate my room all the time when growing up. I would change the wall color in my room at least twice a year. My whole family would joke that my room was 5” smaller in square feet from all the layers of paint on the walls.

I would also rearrange my bedroom furniture all the time. My mom, Lola, would not mind at all because she loves home decor as much as I do.

I know you thrifted your previous China Cupboard through FB Marketplace and revived it by DIYing and adding white paint. Can you talk a bit about this project? I don’t consider myself a DIYer but once in a while I do get an itch to create/DIY something. Most of the DIY’s I come up with my husband ends up doing them for me, LOL. But I do remember when I purchased that secondhand China cupboard for $20 and thought that I could make it work if I painted it white. It was an easy DIY and I really liked the way it turned out. After having it for a while I donated it (full circle moment) because I found the perfect China cupboard that fit better with my style and had more storage. Home takes time and it took a while until I found the perfect China cupboard for us.

Original Cupboard

Layla will you tell the readers where you grew up. I was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. My mother, Lola, is from Spain and my dad, Leo, is from Puerto Rico. I have 2 sisters younger than me, Gabriella and Laura. I grew up between Puerto Rico and Spain for most of my life. During the school year I was in Puerto Rico and summers (3 months) I would spend them with my family from Spain. Best memories ever!

When I was 10 yrs old we moved from Puerto Rico to Savannah, Georgia, where we lived for 2 years. From there we moved to Germany for 2 years (military family) and then moved to Spain for 2 years before returning back home to Puerto Rico.

I feel that my home reflects a little bit of my life in Europe. I still remember crystal clear our homes in Germany and Spain and I can see some of it in our home here in Virginia. I know my love for home decor comes from my mama.

Growing up I remember her always decorating, rearranging furniture, sewing pillows and curtain panels, sewing bed skirts for me and my sisters because she didn’t like what she found at the stores. She was and still is making her home extra cozy for everyone. When I got older we would spend weekends shopping our home to give a specific area a little makeover. She was very creative and resourceful. Keep in mind this is in the 1990’s way before IG, Pinterest, HGTV, etc.

I remember when she found 2 beautiful big stone planters and used them as a coffee table by adding a glass top on it. It turned out beautiful! We would say we were playing dollhouse and to this day I still think about that and now my home is my human size dollhouse.

Where and What you went to school for. What is your career? I went to Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, a private college in Puerto Rico. I have a degree in education. I was an elementary school teacher for 4 years until I had my first child and decided I wanted to stay home for a while. That was 21 years ago plus two more kids later and I wouldn’t change a thing. I love being a homemaker, a home-schooler, and I feel blessed that I have been able to do that for my family. I don’t take it for granted.

How has Social Media specifically Instagram impacted you? I know your account started to take off in the fall of 2021. What have you learned about your audience. Yes, my account started growing in the fall of 2021 and I honestly have no idea how or why. I keep true to myself and my home style.

People really like my pine dresser and Tito too! This image has over 17K likes, it was saved a lot - - so many times and it was shared over 1000 times. I don’t do anything special on Instagram I just share what I love and always keep my account very positive.

Layla you’re in a Book!!! You are one of the wonderful accounts featured in Erin Napier’s latest book Heirloom Rooms: Soulful Stories of Home. I’m dying to know how this happened.

During the spring of 2022 Erin Napier from the HGTV show Home Town and Laurel Mercantile Co., DM ’d me through Instagram with a very sweet message asking me if I would like to be featured in her next book Heirloom Rooms coming out in the fall of 2023. She was following me on Instagram and I had no idea!

I obviously said yes, yes, yes, and we communicated back and forth throughout the year. I must say she is really the sweetest lady and made everything very easy for me through out the whole process. It all took me by surprise since I am not an “influencer” nor a “content creator” but I am so happy I said yes to her. It was and still is a very surreal experience, I still can’t believe it!

My account and followers/friends have taught me that they are here because they share the same passion as me: Making a House a Home.

Anything upcoming for the rest of 2023 you wish to share with the readers? In 2023 I will try to focus more on reels. I miss the old days of Instagram when we would all post pictures but everything changes and change is good right? I will try to create more thrifted vs styled content for sure because I have been getting lots of requests on that. But again, keeping true to my style. I am also playing with the idea of going back to how I started my Instagram account when I had a vintage home decor shop on Etsy…. But for now I just love sharing everyday home decor inspo with all my friends.

Layla many thanks my dear for taking the time to pop by and share your story! Meryl thank you for being sweet to me and thank you for these questions I loved sharing about how our house serves us. This was so fun! I loved it!

Friends you can follow Layla on Instagram.

Images: Layla Rovira

October 18, 2023

Let's Meet Sarah of Sarah's Haven Interiors

October 18, 2023/ Meryl

I first met Sarah through the magical world of Instagram friends and I was blown away by her home and by the wonderful tutorials she shares about interior decor and design.

Sarah welcome to the Chalet. Happy to be here Meryl.

You’ve lived in your 116yr old home in a borough of Manhattan for the last decade - you share the home with your husband, two daughters and three cats. Yes, I have three cats, and to be honest if my husband wasn’t stopping me I would probably have more! Baby Jade is 10 years old; Milo is 6 years old, and Tofu (our baby!) is 2.

How do you classify your homes architecture? I would classify our home as Tudor in style; it’s brick with a gabled roof—some of the features considered Tudor in design.

What attracted you to the home? I wouldn’t necessarily say any features in particular attracted me, but when I walked into my home for the first time, I knew it was the right place. Something about it just felt like…home. So, I guess it was a feeling more than anything else.

Tell us your favorite space in your house and why. My living room has always been my favorite place to relax, but I recently finished a DIY range hood cover, and it’s completely changed how I look at my kitchen—I love being in there. It proves that minor tweaks to your living areas can impact your feelings about a space.

Do you have a favorite architectural and or design element in your home? Our sunroom/entry room is pretty special. The windows are tall and arched, and they let in so much light. Unfortunately, they were ill-maintained for decades. Around eight years in, we found a carpenter to restore them. It was such a big project, but we are thrilled with the result.

I want to touch on your fabulous couch. Did you set out to find a bold color when you purchased it in 2015? I’ve always loved touches of bold color here and there. When we were ready for a new couch I knew I wanted something that would be a showstopper, and this teal color just spoke to me. Eight years later I can say I have no regrets. Never be afraid to go bold!

Can you tell the readers about your design philosophy. I always try to make my spaces comfortable and welcoming—in fact, when someone visits my home and tells me how cozy it is it’s the ultimate compliment! Otherwise, I try to fill my home with things I love. My favorite is having items that tell a story.

My mom, Evelyn, was always into vintage pieces. I have one of her antiques—a vintage bread box—in my living room. I use it as a console table! I guess you could say that’s where I got my love of collecting.

How do you characterize your design style? I guess I would say it’s somewhere between modern vintage and modern traditional. That being said, I do love a few mid-century modern or modern pieces here and there! I actually believe one of the best ways to find your design style is by looking in your wardrobe!

You tackled redoing your half bath recently with a beautiful result. Yes, recently, I decided to redo our half bath on the first floor. I wanted to add molding—it was my first larger-scale DIY. Because it’s small, I wanted it to feel special and unique. The molding and wallpaper were manageable because the room is so tiny, and now this space has its moment—I love it!

HALF BATH

Have you always been a DIYer? Or was the process of purchasing your home in 2013 start this odyssey for you? I have not! I didn’t start DIYing until last year. I always did my own painting, but building things is relatively new. I’ve been inspired by all the incredible things I see people doing on this platform.

Tell us where did you grow up? I lived in Canada until I was 13, then moved to Connecticut.

Did you decorate your bedroom while growing up? I loved decorating my bedroom as a little girl; I still remember this light blue color I had on my walls as a 12-year-old with these frilly floral shades. I loved it! Another thing I loved as a child was dollhouses—I collected furniture (I still have some of it!). I still follow a few dollhouse accounts—maybe one of these days, I’ll get myself a grown-up version.

You started your Instagram account in Spring 2021. Your brilliant design style has been embraced by over 118K followers. What was the jumping off point for you? I started my account on a whim in 2021. We were on the tail end of Covid lock-downs, and I needed a creative outlet. I had no idea how much of an impact this would have on my life! One of the best parts about this space is connecting with people I would have never met otherwise. For this reason, I love and cherish every comment and DM.

I’ve recently started consulting work, helping people re-imagine their spaces. It’s not something I would have ever imagined doing before starting this account, never mind that I’m in my mid-40s and exploring what could become a new career. It proves there is always time to start something you’re passionate about.

Sarah you share so many fabulous tutorials. The first post of yours I ever saw was you laying garland on your mantel and I’ve been a huge fan ever since!

TUTORIALS

Anything upcoming for the rest of 2023 you wish to share with the readers? I’m hoping to finish a makeover of our office space before the end of the year; it will be my first time using real wallpaper, so stay tuned!

My website sarah’s haven, is a work in progress, but it’s also one of the things on my to-do list for this fall. I’m hoping to add some more shoppable links, photos, and information about me.

Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today Sarah.

Thanks Meryl!! This was a fun interview

Follow Sarah on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and her Website. Shop her Amazon Favorites, and her home through Like To Know It.

Til next time be well and I’ll see you on Instagram.

Images: Sarah

September 27, 2023

Let's Meet Sarah Lyon

September 27, 2023/ Meryl

Sarah Lyon

Friends I’m thrilled to share my recent interview with freelance writer and stylist Sarah Lyon.

Sarah welcome to the Chalet. Please tell the readers how long you’ve lived in NYC and what drew you to the Upper East Side? Thank you for having me. I’ve sort of had two different lives in NYC! I moved to the city right after I graduated from college—seriously, two weeks after I received my diploma, I was here—and worked in magazines, starting out as an editorial assistant at the now-defunct Meredith publication American Baby. I lived in the city for two years and then left and went to grad school at the University of Pennsylvania, where I received my master’s in higher education. After living in Philly, I moved back to the DC area (where I’m originally from) for six years. I lived in various apartments in Washington, D.C., while working in communications at a K-12 school in Virginia and then in alumni relations at George Washington University. It was during this time that I began freelance writing (more on that in a bit), and during the pandemic, I decided that I wanted to move back to New York City. I moved back to Manhattan during the summer of 2021, and I landed on the Upper East Side because of how much I’d enjoyed living here before; it feels very neighborhood-like and is a great place to live as a 30-something.

You mentioned you’re originally from the Washington DC area - please tell us a bit about growing up. I grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, which is about 10 minutes outside of Washington, D.C. I always loved to rearrange my room as a child and would spend Friday afternoons moving furniture around after school. No one in my immediate family enjoys design as much as I do, but both my grandmothers liked to decorate their homes. My paternal grandmother, Rhee (who is 91!), has always been a kindred spirit here; even to this day, we love to go thrift and vintage shopping together when I visit her in Florida. She was always frequenting garage sales when my sister and I were kids and would find dolls and dollhouse accessories for us, which she would then repurpose if needed (she is an amazing artist who paints, draws, and sculpts, and has always been full of creativity). It’s been fun having her witness my career as an interior design writer. She will read my work online—she loves the Apartment Therapy website in particular—which I love!

Any memories of all that room rearranging? I remember shopping for furniture with my parents at IKEA and picking out pieces that I loved; there was a vertical organizer I had that was designed to be used as a CD holder (hello, 1990s!) but I would instead use the small compartments mostly to display various trinkets. I always loved switching up which pieces I placed inside each area. My church had an annual rummage sale that I always looked forward to (and still like to attend when I’m able!) and I would find lots of great items there. The American Girl books for tween girls were always fun to read as a kid and had lots of decorating ideas that inspired me, too. Like most of my friends, I had an over-the-door shoe holder filled with Beanie Babies, for example! I also loved doing crafts and would decorate picture frames and other small pieces for my bedroom. I was obsessed with keeping my bedroom nice and neat; even friends’ parents would comment on how good it looked.

Oh my Sarah that wonderful!

What was the genus of your writing career - I understand for a period of time you worked in Higher Education. I went to a small liberal arts college where we didn’t have pre-professional majors like journalism or communications, so I chose sociology because it interested me and then decided to focus on being a part of the student-run newspaper as my main extracurricular. I was extremely passionate about the school newspaper in high school and had taken a journalism class my sophomore year—which I’ll still find myself referencing today—but that’s really my only formal training; everything else I learned firsthand! As a freshman in college, I started out as a news writer for our weekly paper and then worked my way up: I became an assistant editor my second semester, served as the editor of the news section my sophomore and junior years, and then became the editor-in-chief as a senior. This was an extremely rewarding experience and was something that I had been working toward since I was 18! I was fortunate to have had the chance to intern at Bethesda Magazine, a regional lifestyle publication, a couple of times when I was home throughout college, and then the summer between my junior and senior year,I lived in New York City and interned at Parade Magazine.

When I graduated from college, I worked at American Baby but didn’t feel super optimistic about the state of the print magazine world. I reflected back on my interests from college and realized how much I had enjoyed covering and studying campus issues during my time both on the newspaper and as a sociology major. I decided to apply to graduate school for my master’s in higher education and greatly enjoyed learning more about issues including college access, diversity in higher education, and more. I then worked in communications at a K-12 school for about a year before deciding that I really wanted to be in higher ed, as I had intended when I received my degree, and moved over to George Washington University. I first worked in the development and alumni relations department at the business school before moving over to the engineering school. For most of the three and a half years I worked at GW, I was also freelancing on the side to earn extra money and to enjoy a creative pursuit outside of my day job, which was fairly corporate in nature.

When did you decide to fully commit to being full-time freelance writer? What was the a-ha moment. I’m definitely not always the most rational person in my day to day life, but I was extremely practical when it came to making this decision about my career. When it came to going full-time freelance, I didn’t take my decision lightly: after all, I had a job that I liked, and we were still in the middle of the pandemic.

As background, I had started freelancing part time in 2018 and my work really began to build in 2019. During the summer of 2019, I had really hit my stride with a bunch of regular assignments, and I also applied for and received a big promotion at GW. I was very happy with how my life was looking personally, professionally, and financially—I felt very balanced and proud of what I had accomplished as a 27 year old. However, I knew that the position I was in wasn’t very sustainable: I was working portions of every weekend to keep up with freelance work, and I didn’t want to take on too much more and risk letting my day job suffer. At the same time, I felt that if I wanted to move up in my career again in another year or so, I would have to think about cutting back on my outside writing. I was pondering all of this, and then the pandemic happened. At first, I was a bit worried about the state of both industries: journalism and higher education aren’t known for being super stable! Luckily, my day job remained intact, and meanwhile, the home industry began to boom.

During the pandemic, all of my work travel and event planning of course came to a halt, freeing up more time in my schedule to take on additional freelance assignments. I began to really consider the possibility of moving into a full-time role; all I did during fall 2020 and spring 2021 was work at both of my jobs, which was extremely overwhelming. It got to the point where I knew something had to give—if I couldn’t maintain a semi-balanced life in the absence of social plans, travel, and the like, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do so once the world opened back up. I had been tracking my freelance income for about six months and it was consistently exceeding my income from my day job significantly. Once I felt confident that this would continue to be the case, I put in my one-month notice at work, and my full-time freelance career began!

I definitely took a more conservative approach than most here: I probably *could have* gone freelance two years prior but didn’t want to compromise my day-to-day standard of living or take any major risks; and as a single, childless woman in my 20s, I pushed myself to juggle both of my careers for as long as I feasibly could. I did finally feel that this was the time in my life to make a change.

What do people think you do as a Freelance Writer. I’ll get inquiries from people offering to pay me $$$ to place them or their client in an article - that is not how journalism works, even if you’re covering a fun subject matter like I am.

Switching gears let’s touch on your interior design style. You’ve spoken about adding Parisian Charm to your UES apartment - How did you find your style? I feel as though my design style is always changing and evolving a bit, but I’ve been drawn to the Parisian look for quite some time. When I lived in Washington, D.C., one of my apartments featured beautiful fireplaces (not the marble Parisian style ones, but they inspired me nonetheless). I then got into the concept of adding faux mantels to a space; I did so in my D.C. apartment after that and then again here in New York. I am constantly inspired by what I see on Pinterest, I probably use the app at least once a day! I am always saving images that speak to me and using them to inspire my next apartment upgrade.

Would you agree your favorite design element is a fireplace. Yes! I love the faux mantels that I added to my space; my current apartment is pretty cookie cutter and doesn’t have much architectural character (minus the built-ins in my living room, which I love). I am all about creatively adding charm and personality to rental spaces; knowing I can do some of this myself takes some of the pressure off when it comes to finding the “perfect” place.

What is your design philosophy? I always say that a room is never finished! I am always tweaking my space and adding in new fun finds and shifting around furniture. It keeps things interesting!

You find a lot of home décor through Facebook Marketplace – as well as flea markets - What is the best thing you’ve ever thrifted. Oh gosh, that’s hard for me to say—I am at a flea market almost every weekend and check Facebook Marketplace several times a day, so I’ve accumulated some incredible items over the years! One of my all-time favorite secondhand finds is a vintage Dior logo suitcase that I found at the Chelsea Flea; I use it as decor (and storage!) in my bedroom.

a Dior suitcase Sarah thrifted from the Chelsea Flea Market

You were featured on an episode of Homewothy. How did that happen? I actually reached out to Alison and pitched myself; we had a great time filming and it’s been nice to share a glimpse of my space with the world—many people have come to my Instagram account from that video!

Sarah’s bedroom perfectly reflects a balance of Parisian glam and contemporary elements

How has Social Media and especially Instagram impacted you and your career? I have mixed thoughts here! I began my Instagram page in 2016, back when I had a small lifestyle and design blog called DC to a T (I believe all of my posts have disappeared, sadly!). My page has grown so slowly in comparison to other creators. I don’t think it will ever really be anything big and I now sort of just use it as a portfolio to showcase some of my home projects and articles and as a means to connect with new sources to interview and follow. I will say that I truly believe I have the most supportive Instagram community ever! My followers are the kindest, most supportive people—they always have my back and lift me up. Many of them have been following along since the DC to a T days, but I’ve also met so many new, wonderful people since moving to New York. Many of my good friends in the city these days are other people with public accounts who I’ve gotten to know through Instagram.

Anything upcoming for the rest of 2023 you wish to share with the readers? I’ve had a busy travel year thus far and am not sure what the rest of 2023 will hold—I’m sure I’ll continue to take on more fun home projects and write a ton, of course!

Sarah I looked you up on Apartment Therapy it shows you’ve been published 819 times on the platform. That’s quite an accomplishment.