A Chat with Emily of Willow & Pearls
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Emily
Friends I’m so happy to welcome my friend Emily to the Chalet for a chat. Hi Emily thank you for joining me can you please share a bit about yourself.
Hi I’m Emily, also known as Willow & Pearls on Instagram. I live with my family - husband Doug, son Liam, daughter Abby Grace and our pups Max and Lexi on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, in Southern Alabama. We are a former Air Force family who are finally making a house a home. I’ve shared our renovation and highlights from our life over the last 6 years as well as created an online store that offers curated vintage home decor.
Willow & Pearls was created out of necessity and turned into something I could have never imagined. When we left the Air Force my husband, a pilot, began working for the airlines. This all lined up perfectly with the COVID-19 pandemic which all but brought air travel to a standstill. We found ourselves with a new home, two small children and no income. My husband ended up flying for the military again this time as a contractor. I decided to take the plunge and turn my passion for decor into a business. My husband deployed twice and I slowly built Willow & Pearls one vintage find at a time.
What I never expected to happen, was to form treasured friendships with my clients and fellow Instagram creators. I will forever be grateful to those who have been here since the beginning when our lives were so turned upside down.
the nerve center of Willow & Pearls - Emily’s Studio
Today, thankfully, all has settled and my husband is a captain with American Airlines. But back then, in the thick of it all Willow & Pearls was such a bright spot in the darkness for me. So it’s definitely more than just a business it’s a true lifeline.
Click the Logo to visit Emily’s Website
What motivates you? I find myself motivated by inability to relax - I have zero chill according to those who know me best! My mind is always spinning and dreaming up new projects. Our home is an older 1960s Cape Cod which had sat empty for a few years. She has good bones but has required a lot of TLC. So you’ll always find me painting something or tackling a DIY project. After years of Washington DC apartment dwelling then years as a military spouse I have absolutely treasured being settled and having the freedom to truly personalize a space.
Who or What has been the biggest influence on you? I would say that it is combination of Mario Buatta who I have adored since childhood and my time living in Europe. Mario Buatta also used a lot of European antiques and style in his decor. And living in Germany on the French border I was heavily influenced by European style.
SOME OF THE WONDERFUL ITEMS EMILY OFFERS ON HER SITE
Your Happy place – where is it? My happy place is truly our home. Our daughter, Abby Grace, was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum a little over 3 years ago. The road to the diagnosis was long and to be frank gut wrenching. The road after the diagnosis has been difficult but our brave girl has made so much progress. With the diagnosis we realized our lives would look drastically different than we had always planned in so many ways. One big one being that we would not travel as we had always dreamed of, as it’s very difficult for Abby Grace. So my husband and I came to the decision we would just pour everything into our home and make it a place we loved to be. And now, home truly is my favorite place to be.
What’s your personal style? I am a child of the 80s and I think that is very much reflected in my personal style. I’ve never met a bow I didn’t love. As mentioned - I have been a lifelong admirer of The Prince of Chintz, Mario Buatta. I’d say he definitely had the biggest impact on my personal style. I adore vintage chintz fabrics and tend to hoard them. Wallpaper makes my heart race, gallery walls are my love language and I’ve never met a good chair I didn’t want to be in a long term relationship with!
Emily’s Foyer and gorgeous Gallery Wall
What is your home aesthetic? I think I’d best describe our home as a patchwork quilt. It truly tells the story of our lives. The places we’ve lived, the things we love and our past. I’m often asked how did I create our home or how did you buy all the random stuff and have it all go together!? And the truth is, I never purchased an item thinking oh this will go with this etc, I have just always purchased items I love and somehow it’s all worked. Well in my opinion it has. I think people get too scared of decorating their spaces. There are no rules just buy what you love!
The Green Lady surrounded by her pups - is not a family relative - but an extraordinary find!
Emily just finished living through her largest home project to date. Her fully redesigned kitchen. Every bit of the space is custom and Emily designed it all. Her uncle is her go to contractor and made her dream a reality! The french blue and the lattice! It’s stunning!
Would you say your stunning kitchen is your favorite space in your home? Yes, my kitchen is my favorite spot in the house and I enjoy cooking. It's one of my favorite things to do besides gardening and decorating. So I do enjoy spending a lot of time in there. Also the kitchen gets the best light in the house so that kind of plays into it too. I really love the light in the kitchen.
I had the great blessing, of being stationed in Germany for 3 years which has also had a major impact on my decorating style. I ended up selling all my American furniture to the Germans then I took the money to France and purchased countless French antiques! We arrived in Germany with 10,000 pounds of household goods and left with 14,000. We were allowed 14,500 and those 500 pounds I didn’t use still haunt me to this day!
Emily has featured her grandfather Art and his hand-made creations: he has crafted churches, Halloween decor and beautiful crosses.
emily took her laundry room next level with the combination of the sign and french ribbon
What is something you try and do every day? Something I try to do everyday….thats a hard question to answer as most days I’m solo parenting, homeschooling, constantly cleaning something, working on one of my 10 million unfinished home projects and trying not to look like the complete hot mess that I am on Willow & Pearls! I feel like I am in a season of life where it’s hard to structure and to be honest I struggle with that a lot. But everyday, I show up and try to do my best does that count?!
What’s your guilty pleasure? Guilty pleasure, hmmmmm probably online shopping late at night when I should be seeping! I love to search online for vintage fabrics and wallpapers! Nothing thrills me more than beautiful textiles!
Emily thank you so much for taking the time from your very busy schedule to chat with me. I am in awe of the brand you’ve created with your wonderful discerning eye and a lot of very hard work! I’m so happy we connected through the world of Instagram my dear!
Follow Emily: @willowandpearls and her website Willow & Pearls. If you’re local Emily has a booth at the Daphne Antique Galleria.
Til next time be well and I’ll see you over on the Gram!
