Checkmate, Checkerboard is Back

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In the wise words of Justin Timberlake, “What goes around, goes around, goes around, comes all the way back around…yeah.” While I don’t think he was referring to the cyclical nature of design trends, he does describe it perfectly. From high fashion to interior design, what once was stylish and new eventually fades to outdated, only to become cool again decades later. With all of that said, I am here to happily report the return of: checkerboard. Ever since I first saw that glorious pattern in the twin’s London home in The Parent Trap, I have been obsessed. Whether it’s traditional black and white, toned down with neutrals, or spiced up with pops of color, this trend is back and I am ALL about it. But before you are haunted with flashbacks of grandma’s black and white peeling linoleum (which is now more like black and yellow), let me show you some fresh ways to add this pattern into your home and wardrobe. Depending on how you style it, checkers can be polished and sophisticated or more casual and fun. Shop these pieces and give this design trend a try!

To shop more checkerboard looks, find more ideas on my LTK page here!

The Great Tile -Wave of 2021

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The Great Tile-Wave of 2021

It all started like a tidal wave. Ok, actually a lot less water than that. More like a droplet. We had been ignoring a leak in our ceiling for more months than Curtis would like to admit because we didn’t want to fork out the extra cash when we thought it was something that we could fix on our own. Turns out, it wasn’t. When we finally swallowed our pride (and our budget) and hired out – we did not expect what would come next. We live in an early 2000’s build that is full of copper piping. These pipes have caused a few instances of grief, but none like “The Great Tile-Wave of 2021.”

When the plumber was here turning on and off the water repeatedly, he struck a cord, or more so a pin hole, with our pipes. This time it was in the kitchen.  The day after Thanksgiving Curtis and I were putting the house to bed when we heard an animal sound coming from inside the walls of the kitchen. Because it was an exterior wall he assumed that it may be wasps or bees because we have seen their nests on our house’s siding every summer. It didn’t seem like the appropriate time of year for insects, but 2020 pulled the rug out from everyone’s feet and maybe that applied to bugs too?

The next day Curtis was messing around in the kitchen when he called out my name and it was the kind of voice that I knew there was something that I didn’t want to see. Like a broken vintage, Christmas glass or smeared remnants of an omg-who-knows-what-that-is substance. What he was referring to, was the lifted flooring surrounding the dishwasher. After pulling out the dishwasher, running it and then running it again, Curtis climbing and knocking around underneath the house 3x, we determined it was coming from inside the wall. You could see water piling out of the hole that the electricity was running from. While the kids were in bed we knocked a giant hole in the wall that led us to find rising water levels inside the vapor barrier behind our drywall. And we could tell the leak was further up. Like, behind the shiplap, that was covered by shelving and all our dishes. As quickly as we could, we took down all our dishware and shelving, took off the shiplap, and with a ‘here goes nothing, cross your fingers it’s not behind the subway tile’, we took into the wall. We found it right away with the first hole that we made. Or I guess that was the second hole, first being behind the dishwasher. Luckily this was an easy fix and anyone that knows anything about plumbing would know what I mean when I said Curtis was easily able to shark bite it. THANK GOODNESS. But now we had a disaster. The floors were destroyed, our kitchen was torn apart, and all before Christmas. We were able to patch the walls and put them back together quite easily. The floors were another story. Because they had water sitting under them, mold had instantly begun to grow. Thankfully we discovered the mold on a night that the kids were sleeping at granny’s, and we were able to wash and dry the mold safely and quickly.

It took me what felt like ages to pick out new flooring. Realistically it was over a few days, but I have no chill and I like to make things happen instantaneously. When we discovered that the flooring we installed in the rest of our house was discontinued, we knew that we needed to install something completely different to look purposeful. We felt that the only remaining option (that was also within our budget) was tile. I wanted an organic look with hues that pulled from the flooring it’d butt up against and the rest of the rooms. The only flooring that I could find was an online only option and I was not able to view in person prior to purchasing. Again we pulled a ‘here goes nothing’ and bought enough tile to cover the kitchen, kitchen table and family room. And then we waited.

And waited. And waited and waited some more. Until two months passed, and our order was finally in at Home Depot. You’d be proud of me. This was the same day that Curtis’ weekend was beginning and if I’ve learned anything after being married to this man for nearly ten years, it’s that you can’t rush him. If ya want something done and you want it done with at least a half smile, ya gotta let him decide he wants to do it. I gave him a day. We picked up our order and I was able to see the tile in person for the first time. Cue angels singing. It was perfection! We took it home and got to “work, work, work, work, work.” (Thank you Rhianna.)

I had spontaneously booked family photos for the weekend coming and we had one week from start to finish to get these babies in place. If you’d like to see any tutorials about the actual tile install you can view them on my Instagram. I have saved the entire process in my highlights to a category entitled ‘Tile.’

 

Cost Breakdown:

Tile:$936.00

Cement Board:$464.10

Mortar:$50.94

Grout:$26.74

Screws:$19.00

Tape:$15.96

Wet/Tile Saw:$154.00

Total:$1666.74

We made it in time for family photos!

This is the after photo of ripping out the floors. Also my top viewed IG story in months. Misery loves company!

Here is the tile before we started. I placed it in the kitchen to decide whether to run it vertically or horizontally. Typically because of the direction of the rooms I would have placed them vertically. However, I felt that horizontally would display the tile better in each room. Especially when joined to the brick fireplace.

The first reveal photo after we completed this job! I love the way it looks with the newly finished wood ceiling.

Another view of the kitchen table into the kitchen. This view assures me that I made the right decision on the direction of the tile.

This project is not for the faint of heart. Granted, we worked at warp speed to get these installed in time for our photo session - this takes a lot of work. We wanted to make sure to be meticulous on the install because this is such a high traffic area in our home. We may do a lot of projects around here, but I don’t believe that Curtis nor I have any extra skills in the subject. As long as one is willing to follow directions and make sure they are doing the job right, I think anyone can accomplish it. And doing the install on your own helps to save lots of moolah. A key factor to tiling like a pro is making sure that you are applying an even amount of mortar on the cement boards. This helps to ensure the tiles are level and using an actual level throughout to double-check that leveling. My solo job was to grout the tiles after the mortar had dried. This was a job I took seriously and honestly, didn’t even want Curtis to help with. The method is that you use a sponge to wash off any extra grout that’s applied between the spaces of the tile and I went back over my grout lines repeatedly during the process to guarantee I was getting a smooth look. Grout lines can make or break the look and I was NOT about to let this look go awry due to my own blundering.

All in all I think that we did a really great job on this considering the scope of work and the time we did it within. But I don’t know, you tile me. Get it? :)

Xoxo, Meegan

Family Photos - Capturing the Now

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This is our last year as a family of six, all living under one roof! Jack is off to college next year and it has been an emotional reckoning the past few weeks with this knowledge sort of looming like a cartoon cloud above our house. I think it has actually put some perspective into Curtis, myself and even Jack that these are the days to cherish. We reached out to my cousin Taylor Stuck who has been killing the wedding photography game and hoped she would be interested in curating these memories for us. She came with camera and Crumbl Cookie in hand, ready to make magic happen! You’ll even see our dog, Bodhi smiling.

It seemed like this was a key time to take family photos so that we could capture what life is like right now before it all changes in a few months. I like to do interior photos because 1. the weather is just not predictable here and 2. I love the intimacy of being in our own quarters. Also, when you spend as much time as I do taking care of our home, you best believe I am going to show that off too.

It’s funny raising a teenager at the same time as raising littles. They are in such drastically different stages in life. We attempt to balance the scales which are at complete opposite ends on the parenting spectrum. On one end, you are teaching these small children life lessons when they are just starting out on the road to individuality. On the other, you have a teenager who is applying these life lessons to experiences he has already set foot in. We all remember being a teenager and thinking that we had a grasp on life. Suddenly I’m a parent to one, and realize how much I empathize with those beginning stages of mature-hood, but also how small a scope one has at that age. Heck, they all think they know it all, right? Perception is reality and even our four year old Radley thinks she runs this ship.

I always wanted a big family growing up. I used to make up these families from magazines completely influenced by the 90’s sitcoms of brothers and sisters, older and younger, getting into all kinds of shenanigans together. Often Curtis and I tell one another how blessed we are. And we tell the kids too, ‘you are so lucky to have a sister!’ ‘You are so lucky to have a brother!’ Course they don’t see it now, but one day. In the future, far, far away. We have that can and can’t wait feeling towards the future, for when our family gatherings are larger and more chaotic as our kids create their own families.

As you can imagine, Jack’s room if off limits to his siblings. It’s a special day, and boy do they ever feel special, when big brother Jack lets them hang out in there. As if you couldn’t tell, he is particular with his things; a place for everything and everything in its place. A perfect example: the shoe wall.

January might be even more particular than her older brother. NO ONE, and I mean no one, is allowed in her room. It was all the patience that she could muster to allow mom to do this bedroom makeover for her. Some days, when she is at school and Radley is home with me, Rad will sneak in there and play. Most times I don’t know about it, but the times I do - I just smile. She’s quiet and content being a part of her sister’s forbidden world.

These two, however, their mantra - all are welcome here! If friends come over, this is where they play. I get asked if they are twins, which they are not, just 17 months apart. Not planned. I repeat, not planned. Nixon is the most easy going guy and he cares for his sisters, both of them. And he looks up to Jack in the cutest way. Radley being the baby of the family plays her role well. She’s fun loving and knows how to push everyone’s buttons until they get stuck.

And Curtis. My bestie. Everyone’s bestie if we’re being honest. I have this joke that everyone likes him better than me. Which is fine, I get it. I do too. He is the most genuine person. He’s a real life, life coach always pushing us to be our best selves and loving us no matter how many fans I want to sleep with. I think it took me all of two weeks to say, ‘I love you’ and he knew we were meant to be before we even started dating. We are almost ten years into marriage and somehow it feels as if nothing has changed with time, except our strength. Ok, love gush over.

I could look at these photos for hours and point out all the details I see being their mom, but I won’t. Thanks for reading this far along and being a part of our home. I wear my heart on my sleeve and these beings are all of that. I play many roles every day; wife, mom, and Mia Interiors being my main positions. I’m grateful to you for allowing me to share my home and all the love that lives within it.

Xoxo, Meegan

Special thanks to Taylor Stuck Photography for capturing these moments.

You can shop any of our looks from these photos on my LTK page here.

Wringing In The New Year

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The month of January always brings about mixed feelings. The sense of a fresh start, the allure of what’s to come and all the possibilities of a new beginning. It also gives me dread. Here in the PNW we get little sunlight, and Curtis and I are always itching to get out of town right about yesterday. Also, after coming down from all the excitement of the holidays, it can feel like there is little to look forward to.

You’re asking yourself, “Okkkkk Debbie Downer so what is your point?

My point is that I get it. I have been ticking off the to-do list and trying to keep my head above water. I have been doing the standard rearranging décor post Christmas and that has helped to breath new life into my home. It is helping to set the stage for what is to come – the project list of 2022. These things typically come about unplanned, and my usual form of transportation is to fly by the seat of my pants. HOWEVER, I decided that with this new year I am homing in a focus of intention behind my brand. I want to be able to share with you more knowledge, more home décor, more family, more life, and to do that in a way that really gives to YOU. Yes, the day to day posts about my crazy children, messy house, latest spat between Curtis and myself – that’s still on the docket, but I want to be able to give you guys more of what you want. And in order to do that, I need structure. Hence, the to-do project list.

Gallery Wall

The Mia Interior originals that need replacing!

Now that the tile flooring is complete, I would like to move on in the same space. As we just did a mini kitchen makeover and the beams and brick in the family room – these are all connected by the tile flooring – I would like to add a gallery wall near the kitchen table between those rooms. This wall has been blank since I took down some ‘Mia Interior 11pm watching RHOBH originals’ and I want to fill the space with more life. A photo gallery is what I will be curating for this space sooner rather than later. Also, the Sputnik light fixture was cool, but I am searching for something a bit more classic, but still just as fun.

Hallway

Our upstairs hallway has been through changes and through the past two years it has sat, usually cluttered with dishes that Jack doesn’t want in his room and laundry that gets put away every 3 weeks. We have had a desk out there for years that has probably been used a total of…well too few to even count. I have dreamed of a built-in bench with extra storage, fun lighting, and possibly some wall treatments. And new rugs, always rugs.

Range Hood

If you have been around for a while, you understand this one. I have been dying to get rid of our microwave that is original to the house or waiting for it to die, but it has been the eyesore that keeps on zapping. I have even gone so far as to create a PowerPoint presentation for Curtis to convince him the lack of need for the microwave. You can tell how well that went seeing as we still have that blackhole sitting above our stovetop. I have deemed this the year of the range hood. They say miracles happen, here’s hoping!

 

 Powder Room

A peek into the powder bath. You can shop the look here.

Our downstairs bathroom has seen a lot of changes. When we first moved in, I let Curtis pick the paint color as some kind of compromise for the fact that I was doing the rest of the house. That little nicety left me with a purple bathroom. To make it worse, this was the height of wall decals and I got Cricut happy making my own elephant ones. In gold. That powder room definitely takes the gold in worst design execution. We are now to a place where it’s a moody, little space with character, but the dated faucet is, well, dated, and I want to continue the vintage art collection to cover all of the walls. I am also toying with the idea of wallpaper!



So that’s it! The list is short and sweet and is sure to be added to, but to get us started with 2022 I will be focusing on these four additions to our home. Here’s to wringing all the creative juices out of myself this New Year. Cheers!

Xoxo, Meegan