Being a Mom and Makin' Pretty

Well Guess what friends? Mr. Cool DID arrive about TEN months ago! Lee and I welcomed little Stuart into our family on December 9th of last year. This child has given us more happiness than I think either of us could have ever even imagined! I am so in love with my little blonde headed bugger I can't stand it! I did realize, however that according the thousands of pictures of him on my FB page, some of you might think that Mr. Cool is all I do these days...NOT the case! I have been blessed with great jobs, wonderful clients, and have been busier than ever. The biggest thing that being a Mother has taught me is that life is SO short and fleeting. I have been very, very fortunate throughout my (short) career as a designer on my own to have met and been able to work with the most wonderful people, and actually, every single one of my clients I now consider my dear friends. When you are a working mother and every minute that you work takes away from time with the most valuable thing in your life (your family), you gain a whole new perspective on the types of jobs you might be willing to take on, etc. I have learned a lot in the past year, but having a family made me realize that money is not at all important, but working with generous, kind people who are patient and friendly matters the most. Interior Design is very much a "people" industry, and that part I love. :)

So, here's a glimpse of a few of my projects I have worked on over the past year. When I look back, it sort of makes me dizzy because to be honest I have absolutely no idea how I have done all of this. I think if someone had told me this time last year, I would have laughed at them! This much work (and this is only a glimpse) does not happen without hours upon hours of hard work, sleepless nights, writing purchase orders until blue in the face, and then working some more. I need an assistant. Oh wait, nevermind I have one (he's apparently tired, too)

I realized that I never mentioned on this blog that My San Diego project made the cover of Decor Magazine last fall. I was THRILLED to say the least!

Luckily, I got a call last November from a woman in Tyler, Texas who saw and loved the magazine. She is now my client and this is the 8,000 square foot house that we have been working on ever since. I have loved, loved working with her, and am so excited about making this big ole house feel like their home.

View of the back of the house...


Dining room...

Main Stair Hall

Living Room...

Many more photos of the Tyler house to come....I am so excited about it and think it will be fabulous! We have purchased quite a bit of materials from Chateau Domingue in Houston, and will use Segreto for interior plaster and some specialty finishes throughout. Pumped!

In April, a good friend here in Dallas called me to help finish out the Living Room and Dining Room of their Highland Park home. She has a little boy that is about 6 months older than Stuart, so our meetings were hilarious. To be honest, it's a miracle this house got furnished after all of those A.D.D conversations, but you know what, we had fun and this gal made a mean sweet tea that kept us goin'. :)

Highland Park Living Room before....

Dining Room before...

Dining Room After:

Living room After....

I have another job in the beautiful Bluffview neighborhood of Dallas that I have been working on since last Fall that is also one of my favorites! I adore the client, and have really enjoyed seeing the tremendous change this house is going through - it's quite fun! The client, as you will see, literally did a 180 in terms of the style of their interiors - she wanted it clean, fresh, and contemporary. This one is still a work in progress, but I wanted to share a few photos anyway.

Master Sitting room before...

Master Sitting room in progress - Chaise by B&B Italia, Custom tufted ottoman (by moi), B&B Italia Tulip chair. I am loving.

Living Room Before....

Living Room in progress: Artwork by James Nares, Chairs by Rose Tarlow, custom cocktail table. Gorgeous Holly Hunt Miles sofa not shown in this photo.

When the client hired me, they were expecting their second baby, so we turned this Guest room...

Into their son's "Big Boy" Room. :)

Now, I am sad to say that one of my MOST FAVE projects in Greenway Parks in Dallas is fantastic and I am just not ready to share photos yet, because I don't think it will do the house justice. This was my first client in Dallas, and we have become good friends. I am hoping to photograph in early December or so and will share the photos then. :)

Meanwhile, THAT client called me this summer to see if I'd like to re-do their ten bedroom ranch house. Ummmm, YES m'am I WOULD! This job has been more fun for me because it is very different from anything else I have done before. I am going to have to wait to share photos on this one as well, but for now, I thought it would be fun to share the Bunk Room (will sleep ten people). Red striped pendleton blankets on order...stay tuned! This job has moved along at lightning speed and has DEFINTELY kept me busy. The install is the week before Turkey Day....
Bunk Room before

Bunk Room in progress - we re-designed the room so the beds would be built-in along each wall.

Could you die over the built in ladders?? It's so perfect for tiny people!

So there you go - a little glimpse of what's been going on in the world of Mere McB Interiors - I hope you'll stay tuned because I've got a lot more up this sleeve that I can't wait to share. What I hope people take away from my work, and my growing portfolio is that my work is very diverse, and no one job is like the other one. All of my clients are very different - some are very traditional, some are funky, some like contemporary art, and some like wicker furniture! My goal will always be to make each house feel like home to THEM.

XOX.
XOX.

Ready for Mr. Cool

We are finally ready for Mr. Cool, who could grace us with his presence any day now! I hope he likes his little room, it was done with love. :)

Coming Soon....

To my Library, and now hopefully yours... Essential Elegance by Solis Betancourt. You may pre-order here. I cannot wait to own this book, especially since many of the projects I managed over the years can be found right within these pages, including this one on the cover! Jose Solis and Paul Sherrill are true talents, not to mention two of my favorite men, whom I am fortunate to know.

Mi Casa...

es makin' me LOCO.

My recent move to Dallas led to the purchase of a new home yielding a new client: MYSELF. Might I mention that I am a self-proclaimed horrible client! Most designers would have already fired me by now - major undecisiveness is not a good client trait, but I am guilty as charged. The reality is that I need four homes: One that is very fashion-forward, Kelly Wearstler-ish, one that is soft and muted, Cote Jardin-ish, I need an Alys-Beach-esque Mediterranean that is all white, and of course a rustic, brown lakehouse a la Bobby McAlpine. So what's a girl to do when she only has ONE home? This appears to be the problem. I can do schemes for friends and clients all day long, but my house: not so easy. I thought you might enjoy some images for my McBrearty Library of Likes...as you see, they're all over the place...:)

Excited

I am thrilled to announce the launch of my new website! Many, many thanks to the most talented gal I know, Laura Randolph, for countless hours spent designing the site. I have yet to figure out what this girl can't do! Be sure to check out her own blog as well - www.redstaplerproject.com

Nurseries

I recently realized that I don't think I have yet acknowledged on this blog that I will be a MOM soon! We are having a little boy in December and I am vvvvvvvvvvery excited. I will continue to work (assuming I continue getting new clients!) and will no doubt have a few challenging years ahead of me. Hang with me, people. Let's back it up to April when my sister Emily came to visit us in Austin. I had her open a few birthday gifts and made her model the new digs (my reason for having a camera out, and the reason for her odd behavior seen below) The camera was really needed to capture her expression when she read the card.... Which, as you can see....

Was PRICELESS.

Don't worry, I continued on to be a very fun hostess all weekend - we even went to Lustre Pearl and had a hula hoop contest until 2 am. Fast forward a few more months, a move to Dallas, a few doctors visits and here we are! He even gave us a thumbs up during the 4D ultrasound. Love. love. love. This guy deserves a nursery that is nothing less than par. When I see his little picture I think: cool, funny, mostly Mere-esque. Yes, yes he'll need to sleep in style.

Images I love that remind me of Mr. Cool....... Rickshaw design pillows....

Jenna Lyons added stripes on the ceiling of her nursery.........

Jonathan Adler makes adorable letter pillows..

And lately I have been lovin' on the Oeuf Sparrow Crib...

I'm also very inspired by my wonderful friends who have such great taste! First, let's glimpse over to Birmingham for a peek into my friend Mary Catherine's nursery. MC will most-likely be bringing her little girl home to this beautiful, serene room any day now! With the help of Anne Turner Carroll of Turner Carroll Designs, she got to work - the crib is by Corsican, painting by Claire Cormany, and Mary Catherine designed the crib bedding with Once Upon a Time in Birmingham.

It's beautiful! I just want to walk in there and never leave!

My friend Natalie in Atlanta has a very chic, simple nursery for her little munchkin, Mary Martin....

And my friend Hannah in Dallas just put the finishing touches on her nursery this week!

Read more here...

Don't THINK I don't have a few ideas up my sleeve, 10 fabrics on the floor, sketches drawn for mine - I just have yet to pull the trigger on anything....
Bon Soir.