What Visual Merchandising Has Taught Me About Interior Design
What Visual Merchandising Has Taught Me About Interior Design

Current Title: Visual Merchandising Manager for Williams-Sonoma

Wait… what?

If you’re new to my blog and somehow stumbled upon this blog post first, welcome, but you should probably read a few posts back where I share my wicked journey of creating a life I hated and needed to recover from.

The summer months was basically a season of reflection and self-discovery and hard truths for my family and I, but especially for me. One of those hard truths —

Being an entrepreneur was not enough for me.

I’d always known that should I ever need to go get a job outside of the home, it would likely be in visual merchandising, not interior design. I can’t quite explain it, but I knew that as a designer, I wouldn’t want to do that in the traditional sense of working at a firm, even though I am perfectly fine working within the confines of an organization as a merchandiser — weird, I know, don’t judge me. 

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Business, LifestyleAlbie Knowsvisual merchandising, mompreneur, self care, vignette styling, creative entrepreneurs
From Entrepreneur to Employee... 90 Days Later
From Entrepreneur to Employee... 90 Days Later

Today — well today that I’m writing this, because who knows when I’ll publish it — marks exactly 90 days since the day I started my new job as a visual merchandising manager. Now in case you missed it, here’s the short version of how/why I went from being an entrepreneur to being an employee…

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LifestyleAlbie Knowsvisual merchandising, mompreneur, work life balance
Smart Home Made Easy With Globe Electrics
Smart Home Made Easy With Globe Electrics

Fun fact about me: I’m a tech nerd. 

Always have been. I love tinkering with all kinds of gadgets and while I am very aware of the pitfalls of technology, I just can’t help myself. As luck would have it, I married someone equally obsessed with tech & things, and even our toddler is pretty well-versed in using most of our devices without any assistance from us. Being that we rent, we knew that we couldn’t get as tech-savvy in our home as we’d like, BUT that doesn’t mean we couldn’t do a lil somethin somethin. 

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Design, Shopping, LifestyleAlbie Knowssmart home, globe electrics, breville, shopping
Fall 2019 One Room Challenge Week 2: The Makings of a New Home
Fall 2019 One Room Challenge Week 2: The Makings of a New Home

If you read my week 1 introduction to this project, then you know that we’re renovating a basement and converting a one-car garage to create, in essence, a single, split level apartment. 

Last week, I showed you some before photos and the floor plan, but what is the design plan? So glad you asked…

Each area has its own plan but it is one streamlined aesthetic. I’ve mentioned that for this project, I was keeping everything super simple because while having it look good is obviously important, the priority is making it livable, functional, and comfortable. So while a reno may seem like the perfect opportunity for me to go balls-to-the-wall creative with the design, here I really kept it super simple, focusing on keeping it feeling cozy and effortless. 

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DesignAlbie Knowsone room challenge, renovation, nyc living
Fall 2019 One Room Challenge Week 1: A Cross Country Renovation
Fall 2019 One Room Challenge Week 1: A Cross Country Renovation

This is my fourth time participating in the bi-annual design event. Designers, design bloggers, design enthusiasts, DIYers, and everyone in between all participate, completing a design project within 6 weeks. In addition to the guest participants — like myself — 20 designers are featured, documenting their projects from start to [hopefully] finish. 

This season I’ll be taking on a project that’s very personal, and very near to my heart...

A home renovation! Specifically, gonna be converting a garage into livable space and renovating a flooded basement. 

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DesignAlbie Knowsone room challenge, renovation, nyc living
Behind The Design: Organizing My Pantry
Behind The Design: Organizing My Pantry

When we moved into this condo in Spring 2017, one of the very first things we were thrilled to have was an actual pantry! Prior to this, we’d had really good storage in our kitchens — our studio apartment in NYC had WAY more cabinets than we ever used and our first apartment in WA had a tall pantry cabinet — but this was the first time we had an actual step-in pantry and we were geeked! My husband cooks, I clean, and it’s a glorious arrangement for us. With that, it meant he now had a place to hoard store all his culinary things, while for me it was a place to organize… a win-win all around. 

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Design, ShoppingAlbie Knowspantry, organization, kitchen, amazon, behind the design, shopping
She Designed A Life She Hated...I Am She
She Designed A Life She Hated...I Am She

For the past three years, I thought I was designing a life I loved… through my home, my business, my family, and just everything. I had moved across the country with my family, my husband had a great job, I was able to launch a subscription box, I was pursuing my masters, I had shed my “baby weight” by the power of nursing…I mean, life was great…right? The hard truth that I only recently had to come face-to-face with was that I had designed a life I HATED, not loved. I was only “pretending” to be this strong and happy and put-together person. This post is an introduction to, not just new content, but a new me…a real me, not by design, but by transformation. By the grace of God, I have survived a serious case of “growing pains” and while I do not know what lies ahead or what comes next — like at all — I do know that I want to share the entire wild ride with you, unapologetically, and truly loving the space I’m in. 

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LifestyleAlbie Knowsmompreneur, mental health, year in review, self care
How To...Lazy Bed Making
How To...Lazy Bed Making

It’s no secret that I love making my bed. It’s actually a rare occurrence for my bed to be unmade — and it’s usually because I wasn’t the last person in it. I’ve always found that making the bed, no matter how disheveled the rest of the space looked, instantly made the whole bedroom look put together.

But I’m not a complete maniac — there are days I am too tired, busy, or just plain ol’ lazy to make the bed. Does this mean I completely abandon the habit? Nope! It just means I had to find lazy ways to get it done.

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Lifestyle, VideoAlbie Knowsbedroom, nest bedding, brooklinen, dhp, how toComment
Decorating For The First Time: What I'd Do Differently
Decorating For The First Time: What I'd Do Differently

When we moved out west, it was a lot of firsts for us. First major life change as a new family of three. First move as husband & wife, and as parents. First time being responsible for a home we’d be creating together. That said there’s a lot I know now that I couldn’t have known before because, for us, it was all new territory. As mindful as I thought I was being when it came to furnishing our new home for our new life, there’s quite a bit a didn’t exactly get right. 

So what would I do differently?

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LifestyleAlbie Knowsmoving, west coast transplant, nyc living, reversible design, mini cribComment
Homeowner Upgrades, Renter Friendly Design: Basement Finish
Homeowner Upgrades, Renter Friendly Design: Basement Finish

I can’t believe how many of you were surprised at how much of a home renovation could be recreated for renters! The last installment, in case you missed it, my first renter-friendly version of a home renovation featured a bathroom design by my friend Morgan Molitor of construction2style and her amazing team.

So now we’re back with another fabulous reno from Morgan & Jamie, this time featuring a basement project in Delano, MN, where they were able to transform an unfinished basement into a cozy space for the entire family to enjoy — from entertaining to working out.

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DesignAlbie Knowsrenovation, construction2style, bathroom, design therapy, sponsored post, shopping, reversible designComment
Shop With Me: Decorating With Natural Weaves
Shop With Me: Decorating With Natural Weaves

Y’all know I love me some hygge right? And one of my favorite elements of hygge design is the use of natural elements to create a design that feels layered with warmth and texture and character. 

Some popular weaves and textures are raffia, rattan, and jute — elements that can be (and often are) easily mixed up with one another — and that’s just scratching the surface! When it comes to wanting to add that earthy feel to your space, you can also consider options like water hyacinth, rush, and grasscloth.

Decoding the precise differences between the different options would require a whole different post, and ain’t nobody got time for that. LOL. Today, we’re going shopping — how can you bring in these cozy elements into your home through different furnishings and decorative elements?

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ShoppingAlbie Knowshygge, decor styling, natural weaves, design therapy, shoppingComment
Batching Hack: Setting Up Canned Emails in Gmail
Batching Hack: Setting Up Canned Emails in Gmail

If you listened to the last Q & Albie episode of the season, then you know it was all about batching with e-designer and content creator, Heather Hess. After a long season of sharing insights and tips for elevating your design business, it seemed only fitting to end with an episode all about productivity.

As we addressed productivity hacks on the show, there was one that we both agreed cold save a ton of time with clients, vendors, or other partners:

Q: ARE THERE ANY BATCHING HACKS THAT YOU CAN RECOMMEND?

A: CANNED EMAILS!

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Business, ShoppingAlbie Knowsdesignpreneur, free resource, gmail, the design influence
Here’s What You Need To Know About My New Book
Here’s What You Need To Know About My New Book

In case you missed it…I wrote a book! And not like I’m thinking about writing a book. I literally wrote and published a book to be sold… to you! 

But before I jump into all the reasons you should pre-order my new book — which you totally should by the way — I wanted to share with you some fun facts about the entire project that you may not know. Some of it is behind the scenes stuff. Some of it is an invitation into my head. And some of it is just pure random fun factness. But all of it is important to understanding how we go to here — me, an author. 

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Business, DesignAlbie Knowsdesign therapy, booksComment
Homeowner Upgrades, Renter Friendly Design: Bathroom Design
Homeowner Upgrades, Renter Friendly Design: Bathroom Design

While you rent, you may not be able to make structural changes like knocking down walls and moving plumbing; but cosmetically there’s a lot you can do to achieve the look of homeowner upgrades that are still renter-friendly. One of my new fav internet friends, Morgan Molitor of construction2style, and her husband Jaime own and operate a home renovation and interior design business in Minneapolis. They let me pluck one of their designs to show you how you can achieve a similar look, even as a renter.

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DesignAlbie Knowsrenovation, construction2style, bathroom, design therapy, sponsored post, shopping, reversible designComment
Outdoor Entertaining Essentials
Outdoor Entertaining Essentials

Summer is here! And whether you own or rent, live in a small space or a large estate, it’s time for some outdoor living! So often we talk about bringing the outdoors in, but now is the season for bringing the indoors out with comfortable seating and chic accents that are reminiscent of the rest of the home you’ve created.

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ShoppingAlbie Knowsoutdoor, summertime, decor styling, shoppingComment
What To Do With That Spare Room
What To Do With That Spare Room

One of the best design problems I have the pleasure of solving for clients isn’t helping them style accessories or choose paint colors or organize odd space…it’s been helping them decide what to do with their “extra” room. Talk about a good problem to have. There are so many options that we don’t think of because it’s not what’s expected but really, when you have a spare room in your home, there are a myriad of ways that you can ensure that room serves you. Here are 10 different rooms you can put that spare room to use in ways you’ll actually use.

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LifestyleAlbie Knowsguest bedroom, gym, bedroom, bathroom, design therapyComment
Shop The Design: Brooklyn, NY Studio Makeover
Shop The Design: Brooklyn, NY Studio Makeover

Where some people tend to get overwhelming and tap out, is where I just get started. I love the research that goes into finding the right pieces to fit the parameters of any projects — size, cost, timeframe, etc. Because I enjoy digging around the interwebs for product so much, I forget how many of you actually hate the whole things — like loathe it. Needless to say, so many of you messaged me asking about where to find so many of the items from my latest One Room Challenge reveal. Over on my Instagram, I also had you guys guess what you thought the room totaled, and while majority voted correctly, a large amount of you were also about $1000 to $1500 short. That’s when I knew I had to dedicate a separate post to just the shopping list.

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Design, ShoppingAlbie Knowsone room challenge, small spaces, budget friendly, apt2b, amazon, brooklinen, sponsored post, behind the design, shopping, reversible designComment
Hygge Inspired Design Takeover
Hygge Inspired Design Takeover

It’s no secret that when it comes to the way I think about design, finding ways to incorporate Hygge inspired elements is always top of mind. Whether it’s for a client, a collaboration, or in my own home, I believe every space can benefit from having a bit more Hygge. Hygge design elements include cozy textures, warm lighting, soothing scents, natural materials, and a connection to the outdoors. Whether it’s a faux fur rug, chunky knit throw, or fiddle leaf true, my design ethos relies heavily in bringing Hygge into every home. 

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DesignAlbie Knowshygge, high point market, design bloggers tour, design therapyComment