Welcome to the new series - "How a Disnerd Decorates". Let me first tell you a little about me, if you didn't already know...
After graduating with a bachelor's in interior design (a lifelong dream—seriously, I used to draw castle floor plans on grid paper when I was six), I spent about 14 years in the field. Like many, post-COVID burnout hit hard. Clients became more impatient, and it felt like we were constantly battling supply chain issues. People think interior design is all about picking colors and fabrics, but that’s only a small part of the job.
The breaking point came during a trip to Disney World. I was in line for the Winnie the Pooh ride when an angry client called, demanding the exact height of a wall sconce, despite me preparing for time off with my family. That was the moment I knew I was done.
But stepping away from the industry didn’t mean stepping away from design altogether. I still love designing my own home, and it was during that same trip I realized how much I missed creating just for me.
At the beginning of the summer, you might remember that a house popped up on the market that we quickly jumped on.
Unfortunately, due to structural issues (and many many more that I won't get into here), the sale fell through.
But fate stepped in (or perhaps Tinkerbell spread a little extra pixie dust) and another house fell into our laps (not even on the market!). And it was PERFECT. LIKE EVEN BETTER THAN ANYTHING WE COULD HAVE IMAGINED.
After a bit of back and forth with the amazing owners, we have agreed to terms and a private sale is happening! We won't be moving in until spring (we want to make sure the girls can finish this school year in our current home and the sellers need to take care of a few things such as a daughter getting married!! Eek!)
But until then, what's an Interior Designer, Artist, and Disnerd to do?
Come up with new ideas to design the home of course!
If you haven't noticed yet, I have a mix of retro and vintage style (yes, there's a difference!). I’m obsessed with vintage art, frames, and pretty much anything with that classic vibe. But I also love adding quirky twists to those beautiful pieces.
The entryway of this 1890s Queen Anne home is practically begging for art that has that timeless feel.
However, there are a few challenges:
First, art is pricey—especially the antique pieces I tend to gravitate towards (I do have expensive taste!).
And it’s tough to find quirky pieces that fit my style. You can see some examples of what I’ve found over the years below, but it’s been a long search to gather just the right pieces...
So now that I have some time before we move in, I started thinking about new art that I want to hang.
And it dawned on me.
Let's do a twist on some classics.
(And yes, I painted the ears and magic band using digital oil paints - if you want to see some awesome videos of me doing them...
follow on Instagram! I'll post some here and there! And before anyone asks...yes I own commercial rights to the original art! I promise I like to be legit!)
So the first one I'll introduce is part of "The Ears Collection".
I liked the ease of this one and the simplicity. It deserved some plain ole' classic Minnie ears. Of course, all of my art is done digitally. But I do it in different mediums to match the style of the art piece. Therefore, this one was done with a combination of pencil and charcoal. She's just perfect :-)
More to come...including a very awesome pirate :-P
So there you go - a little bit of foray into some "hobbies"!!!
Love,
K
