A Peek Inside: indie home tours with Marisa of Creative Thursday

Today for A Peek Inside: indie home tours, I am sharing Marisa Haedike of Creative Thursday’s home with you. I’m pretty sure most of you know who Marisa is and are as enamored with her work as I am, but for those don’t know Marissa is an artist & writer. She share her paintings, prints and other goodies in her Etsy Shop, Blogs, has written a couple of children’s books, podcasts, and teaches art courses plus plenty of other stuff too!

Marisa has shared little spinets of her home before, some on her blog and on flickr, just enough to pique my interest and make me wish for more though.  So, I asked for a tour!

1. How would you describe your designing style?

Eclectic with a European influence and a splash of color! Much of my family lives in Germany and as a child I would visit there every summer. Those trips to Europe really influenced my early sense of style. Then having worked 5 years as an interior designer greatly influenced my appreciation of color and an eclectic style. My favorite homes have always been the ones where you really have to take in all the pieces, one at a time to learn the story of how they came to be.

2. Tell us about your home. Is it an apartment or house. Is it newer or a refurbished older home? Did you completely redo it or just add some new paint?

The house we live in was built in the 1940’s. While located, literally in the middle of Los Angeles, it is one of the quietest, most beautiful little tree-lined neighborhoods in the city. It belongs to the man who was raised in it since he was 2 years old so it is a very special home. We knew it the minute we walked through the doors. You know how homes just have “a feeling”? Well this one was happy and peaceful. Since we are renting we’ve done no upgrades or painting, which as a former designer ~ it is very hard not to want to start renovating something. This is probably why we’ve been re-arranging, re-organizing and seriously de-cluttering these days instead.

3. Pick a few of your treasures and share what’s the special to you. Like your fave pillow or that 22 cup?

One of my favorite pieces is the chair in my bedroom. I bought it when I was just beginning to work in interior design. It is one of those first antique pieces I bought as a young adult developing a sense of my own style. In all my many moves and clearing out, it continues to stand the test of time and I love it to this day.
And my fave pillow! Well that’s a relatively new acquisition. It is a pillow from Urban Outiftters by the wonderful illustrator Nate Williams. You know how I love animals in art? I adore the design and the colors. It inspires me every time I look at it.

The 22 cup is also a new acquisition. From Anthropologie of course. Who among us does not love going in that store? Everything is so thoughtfully and beautifully designed down to every last detail. 2 has always been my favorite number, so well 22 is double my favorite number. Whenever I see the number 22 I get this sensation that all is well and I’m right where I need to be, so I when I saw that 22 was a number on one of these cups, I knew I had to have it as a gentle reminder every day that all is truly well. Not to mention I’m a big fan of lattes and a good cup of tea served in inspiring cups, of course!

I couldn’t complete answering this question without saying how much I treasure my growing art collection, including my own pieces. Having art, especially original art in my home is so meaningful to me and has become even more so since I started making my living as an artist. Every time I look at a piece that I bought I know that in some small way I contributed to someone else’s dream of living a creative life and doing work that they love.

4. What was your favorite project in decorating and designing your house? What would you do differently?

My favorite part of decorating is coming into a new space and making it yours. This home is the first one of all the homes I’ve lived in where I have and actual “studio” space to call my own. It is a little sun room, just off our dining room. My only wish is for it to have a door I could close sometimes, on those days when I really need some quiet and uninterrupted time to focus.

5. Color seems really important to you, was that planned or did it just happen?

When I was working as an interior designer, my first boss introduced me to the designer Tricia Guild. And that was it, I was hooked. European design style with color!

6. What’s your favorite room and why?

Since I tend to rotate around to almost every room in this house, it varies from day to day. Probably my consistent favorite is my studio because it’s where I create the most and it’s just such a cozy little space.

7. Any current or upcoming home projects?

Our current project, is our newest obsession with clearing out clutter. We are contemplating a move in the future and want to be ready. We want to be lighter going forward and you just don’t realize how many “things” are weighing you down until you start letting them go. We’ve been working on this little by little over the last two months and I can’t even begin to tell you how incredible it feels. Although I’ve tried to put into words in a recent, very long, blog post I wrote about “choosing a simpler life”.  Not a new concept, I’ve known for years how simplifying and de-cluttering is so beneficial, yet for so long I’ve avoided it. For some reason, this time, I’m taking it to a whole new level and my life, how I want to live it, and the direction I’m now headed has a clarity like never before. Amazing what a little re-organizing will do!