Design Crush: Meggie H. Interiors

Instagram is such an amazing resource for networking and meeting like minded individuals, and lately I have been discovering some incredible talent. Over the next few weeks, I am going to feature some of my fabulous new Instagram friends, starting with Meg Hosler, founder of Meggie H. Interiors.

Meg lives in Wenham, Massachusetts, a tiny New England town north of Boston, in a beautiful home built in 1850.  Her interest in decorating began at a very young age. As a child she was obsessed with Barbie… not the doll so much as her furniture.  She had a huge box filled with Barbie furniture and would spend hours making Barbie houses. And as a teen, Meg was far more interested her mother’s Colonial Home magazines than Vogue or Seventeen.  She founded Meggie H. Interiors in 2008 as a part time job after decorating five homes of her own and helping numerous friends with theirs. Eight years later, with her first born setting off to college and her baby about to get his driver’s license, Meg is able to pursue her passion full time.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is traditional with a bit of the unexpected.  I love using family heirlooms, colonial furnishings, classic cabinetry, things that won’t be out of style in the next 10 years.  However, I love to dress them up in bold prints and big colors.  Designing a home is expensive and should be looked at as an investment.  I like to keep the permanent things classic because they are the most costly, such as cabinets, counters, mantles.  But then I will go bananas with paint and wall coverings, as they are easy and much more affordable to change. Same goes for furnishings, I prefer to purchase quality classic pieces, but have fun with upholstery.

Q: Who or what inspires you?

A:  Everything!  It may be a swatch of fabric or paint color that inspires me to redecorate an entire room. A random towel that I see at the beach on the sand may give me a new idea on what to do with a family room. Illustrations in Beatrix Potter and Kate Greenaway children’s books have inspired many dining rooms for me. Sometimes it is seeing a space desperate for a makeover that gets my imagination working. Living in New England, visits to Bermuda and Florida, my Nana’s old house in Long Island – all inspirational. Really, it is everything and anything!

Q: Who are your favorite decorators?

A:  Dan Carithers, Bunny Williams, Joseph Paul Davis, Anthony Baratta and William Diamond, Mary McDonald, John Loecke and Jason Oliver Nixon, and Miles Redd.  There is so much talent and every decorator has their own view.  That is what makes it all so interesting.

Q: What is your design background?

A:  My background in design is predominately from renovating and decorating my own homes over the last 25 years.  I will say that I learned the most from my mistakes.  The biggest mistake being playing it safe.  Now I believe do what you love, never settle, and if it doesn’t work change it.