0 the olive guide : summer edition

I had the privilege of contributing to The Olive Guide, a new quarterly online magazine! This magazine is the vision of my friend Quintel and it's full of bright, fun inspiration not just for your interiors but for your whole summer.

Can you believe that the chandelier on the cover is a DIY project? Interior Designer Saudah Saleem tells you exactly how to make your own inside this issue.

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen me post my favorite photo from the issue, designed by Astral Ricks. I absolutely love the dark walls and bright artwork she used in this warm bedroom makeover.

There is so much more goodness inside this issue to see so please, check it out HERE!

0 interior design memories

My sister and I, back in the day. Yes, I know I'm missing some teeth there. :)

Some of my early memories of interior design come from my grandparents house in Mt. Airy, North Carolina. The house was small, and it was a 1960s ranch style that sat in the foothills of Pilot Mountain. It was completely unassuming from the outside, but was packed full of design details.

The front yard had fragrant bushes, and my Papa always had his truck parked beside the garage. When you walked into the front door, a small chandelier hung from the 8 foot ceiling. To the right was a formal sitting room, complete with french provincial style furniture and silk sheers that lined the entire front wall of windows. To the left was a hallway that led to two small bedrooms, a full bath and a den. The bathroom was purple from top to bottom, complete with a purple vinyl floors, tile, tub and toilet, in true 1960s fashion. I often thought "Who decided to make this bathroom purple?" It certainly wasn't my overall-wearing, cigar-smoking, grandpa!

The den was his domain. There was a TV (you know the kind that was built into a piece of furniture!) a heavy tweed chair + loveseat and a little leather footstool. My favorite part of that room was the black velvet damask wallpaper.(You can see a peek of it on the left side of the photo above!) It was so indulgent compared to the rest of the home and I can't tell you how many times I sat in there with my Papa smoking his cigar and me running my fingers across that wallpaper.

I don't have a ton of photos of that home but the memories of the interior design details are happy memories in my head. What are some of your favorite interior design memories? We all have them, and it's further proof that design matters. Your environment leaves lasting impressions on you. What impressions are being made by your current environment? Have a great weekend y'all!

1 dig a little deeper

A recent dumpster rescue that I later discovered was quite similar to the latest Veranda magazine cover.
If you follow me on Instagram, you may see me post a find or two from my thrift store adventures. A lot of people ask me, "Where did you find that?" or "How do you do it?" Well my friends, I don't have any secrets to share. All I can tell you is that I am a frequent thrift store shopper and I don't discriminate. If it says THRIFT STORE (not Goodwill (see why here), not consignment shop, not antique market), I'm in there! It doesn't matter what part of town I'm in or even what state I'm in really, I'm always looking. If there is one "tip" that I could give you, it would be frequency is key.


Another thing that I believe gets me awesome finds is looking a little deeper. One of my most favorite pieces in my apartment is this brass etagere that I found literally buried under a mess of faux flowers. The store as a whole is not an easy one to shop. They have a ton of stuff, but the organization and display is less than spectacular. However, while circling the store, I spotted this beauty that wasn't even for sale and immediately asked the owner what their price was. Not only did they sell it to me for a reasonable price, they delivered it the next day! It had all of the glass shelves still intact and the brass was in near-perfect shape. I can't wait to show you how I've styled it now. I'm using it as a mini office! The left side is perfect height to pull up a chair and use my laptop. Ironically, I'd pinned the exact piece of furniture here and here months before.

I'll post a before shot as soon as I finish styling up this corner, but this is what it looked like once I got it into the space!

What was your best thrift store find? What are your tips for getting to the good stuff?

Check out The Knight Twins talking about their thrift store finds here:

0 MEMPHIS: st. jude children's research hospital

On our second day in Memphis, Brizo brought the Blogger19 group to St. Jude Children's Reasearch Hospital. This was our chance to tour the amazing facilities set up for families and children being treated at the hospital for childhood cancer.


We had breakfast in this beautiful pavilion and learned about some of the incredible advances in treatment that the hospital is creating for children battling cancer. We also learned about Brizo's partnership with St. Jude in their Dream Home Program. They are a national sponsor for this huge fundraiser for the hospital!




Next we toured the Target House, which is where families of patients live for absolutely during their treatment at St. Jude. Target generously gifted two larger multi-family housing buildings to the hospital, and various celebrities have donated their time and design talent to filling the common spaces!




There is a wall of elephant drawings (the elephant is their "mascot") created by the 100s of celebrities that visit the hospital each year.


My favorite space in the Target House is the Shawn White lounge! He and his team created such a cool space for families to share.




The room was full of cool little details that made you want to stay in it forever.


After the Target House, we toured the actual hospital and the research facility. The team at St Jude has done an outstanding job of taking the stigma out of being in a hospital and really created a space where kids can still be kids.


I wasn't able to take very many photos out of respect to the patients and families that were receiving care, but here are some shots from the fun activities we did with the patients! Their little spirits just lit up the room. It was such a blessing to have a little time with them!





I got to do some coloring with the little lady on the left in this photo, and let me tell you, she is a future boss! haha She gave be very direct instructions on how to create the perfect masterpiece. So much fun.




We learned that it takes 1.8 Million dollars a day to operate this amazing facility. Make a donation to St Jude Children's Research Hospital now! CLICK HERE Thank you so much to Brizo for giving us this unforgettable experience!

0 design talk webisode 13: erika ward

Erika was one of the first interior designers that I met when I moved to Atlanta back in 2009. She has been such a great friend, mentor and inspiration to me since then! While I was in Atlanta a couple weeks ago I caught up with her to see what she's been up to.

For more on Erika, please check out her blog Blu Label Bungalow! And if you'd like more information on Room Service Atlanta, click here. Make sure you tell her Niki sent you! ;)

0 alicia keys manhattan penthouse

I've been meaning to share this since I first saw it on Aphrochic, and since my computer is not cooperating with me this week I can't deliver the Design Talk webisode I promised today! So instead, check out these photos of the recently sold penthouse of Alicia Keys.


The marble fireplace wall paired with the dritwood coffee table is so cool.


Baby grand + Keith Haring


Graffic printed pool table + Ali poster


And lastly this dramatic dining room with those greek key arm chairs!

What do you think? I have to say that the living room space is my favorite.

2 about high point market

When I was growing up here in North Carolina, I never really got how much of a big deal it was that High Point Furniture Market #HPMkt was less than 2 hours away from my hometown. High Point is such a small little city with absolutely nothing going on. My mother is from Mt. Airy, which is not too far from High Point (and even smaller and slower), so I just had this impression of High Point as another town to be passed through on the highway. It wasn't until I became interested in interior design that I really grasped how influential the spring and fall markets at High Point really are. They are the Mercedes Benz Fashion Weeks of furniture. With that understanding came a strong desire to be apart! #HPMkt is exclusive to those within the furniture and design industry, and I have worked hard to position myself so that I can attend market, not just as a visitor but as a participant.

This is my gratuitous "I'm so happy to be here!" bathroom shot at Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. :) Being able to attend this market was such milestone for me because I was able to do everything I have dreamed of doing. I visited exclusive showrooms, shook hands with the originators of huge brands. I was also really pleased to be a face of color in the almost completely "vanilla" market. I know it may not matter to some, but I'm always happy to represent those of us brown-skinned girls who love and work in design too.

I was able to choose from hundreds of fabric options and upholstery frames to design custom furnishings for the store. The showrooms themselves were inspiration overload! Imagine real life vignettes from Pinterest boards all jumbled together in one room.

Although I've been before, this time was significant for me because it reminded me that I'm exactly where I want to be in my career right now. I'm doing great in school, and looking forward to actually being DONE in December. I'm working for a great company that allows me to grow as well as practice the design skills I've learned over the last six years. PS - This little vignette reminded me so much of this space I did last year!


I'm so grateful to be at this point! And even though I'll always keep striving for more, it was nice to be able to just sit back and appreciate the moment. Have a great weekend y'all!

0 a neutral canvas with pops of color

I am such a fan of creating a bright neutral base and layering in bright colors. The combination of the two takes a space from any era & makes it fresh. This home is a perfect example of it!








photos via style at home by donna griffith

6 design talk webisode 12: quintel gwinn