Snuggery Magazine

from the

editor letter

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” This is a very popular question asked to children. Most say an astronaut, a doctor, a teacher, or even the president (never really understood that one personally). My answer to that question changed quite a bit growing up but the common theme was always creating. For the longest time I dreamed of being an interior designer; taking a space that seems hopeless and turning it into somewhere you’d never want to leave. Although I didn’t end up pursuing that career, I’ve still enjoyed dabbling with interior design and turning old furniture into something completely new. Whether you’re wanting to pursue interior design professionally, or even just as a side hobby, we at Snuggery have got you

covered. We’ve teamed up with professional designers, Realtors, artists, and hobbyists who know the ins and outs of interior design to bring to you a curated collection of all the “howto’s,” “do’s and don’ts,” and helpful tips and tricks to get you started (or even inspire you further) on your journey of interior designing. You might be thinking to yourself right now, “but Madi, interior design is so expensive; how could I ever truly follow this dream and still pay the electrical bill?” I am so glad you asked; interior design can be as expensive as you want it to be, and at the same time there are still ways to spend as little money as possible. Now that you’re on the edge of your seat, turn the page to begin your new journey into interior design.

Madi Kristeen

Madi Kristeen - Editor

Reyna Adame - Moral support

Abby Hansen - Copy-editor

Snuggery

Don't be afraid to add a splash of color to your space. My favorite way to do that is with a piece of furniture, but even something as simple as wall decor would work great. Or, if you're really feeling adventurous, try painting a wall a different color. You'd be amazed at how much of a difference some paint can make to a space.

madi kristeen

Fifty shades of too many swatches

by madi kristeen

Anyone who has ever walked into a hardware store to buy paint knows the feeling well. You walk in with confidence, thinking to yourself I know what I want. I just need to find a shade of burnt orange for the accent wall in my living room. I know there’s a million shades of white and blue and grey, but burnt orange can’t be that hard to find, right? Wrong. You may have never been more wrong in your life, as you stare at the assault of orange shades on the wall, each one suddenly demanding your attention.

You may be thinking This is impossible. How could there be so many shades of orange? What even is the difference between “the Queen’s marmalade” and

Grab a few samples

“Tuscan sunburn” and “toasted apricot”? Can you even toast an apricot? Who even names these?

Before you run out of the store in a panic or just grab the first sample you see and paint everything in sight, take a breath. It will be okay. We’ve gathered some expert advice from interior designers to help you tackle those walls of many colors and swatch books thicker than a med school textbook. Test them out

Get samples of a few different shades of your desired color, ranging from lighter than you think you want to darker. Our experts recommend at least three, but no more than seven samples of paint.

Go bigger

If there's a shade or two that you particularly like, paint a larger section. You can always go back to the hardware store and shift slightly lighter or darker, but don’t get too caught up in the minuscule shade differences.

Paint a few stripes on your wall, just large enough to get a sense of the color. Pay attention to how the shades look in different lighting. You’ll get a better sense for whether a lighter or darker shade would suit your space.

And voila!

Once you’ve settled on a color that suits your space, head back to the hardware store, bypass the wall of paint samples, and head home with your buckets of paint. You’re ready to transform your walls!

Find your green thumb

Margarita Terekhova

Snuggery

It’s a jungle out there

the top 6 best indoor plants for your home

Peace lilies are easy to take care of and can live for years. They don’t need much light so they are perfect for shaded spaces. If ingested, peace lilies can cause vomiting or tongue swelling so keep them out of reach of small children and pets

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Snake plants thrive on neglect which makes them perfect for people who forget to water plants. They can grow in any light and only needs water when the soil is dry. The snake plant is also known for removing toxins from the air over time.

Ferns grow easily but require more attention because of their need for consistently moist soil and medium to bright light. They look great hanging in baskets indoors on plant stands. Ferns also do a great job when it comes to cleaning the air.

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English ivy is great for both indoors or outdoors. They need to be watered thoroughly when the soil dries out and they grow best in direct sunlight. Indoors, the ivy can be trained to grow along a trellis or shape and work well in hanging baskets or pots.

Succulents tend to have a bad rep when it comes to keeping them alive, but they actually thrive on neglect and only need to be watered when the soil is completely dry or when they get squishy. There are so many shapes and sizes to choose from

Herbs are perfect for keeping in your kitchen for convenience and also looking cute. It is also cheaper than buying herbs from the store. Cooking with fresh herbs also tastes better and basil especially can make your kitchen smell great as well

Home is where the art is

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Snuggery

With so much art in the world, how can you possibly choose the right piece for your space? We sit down with interior designer Veronica Sanchez for an expert’s tips on filling your walls with art you’ll love.

Q So, Veronica, tell us a little bit about yourself.

A I’m an interior designer, so I decorate other people’s spaces for a living. I have a passion for art, and my favorite part is finding the right piece to really complete a space.

Q There’s so much great art in the world, do you ever get overwhelmed when trying to find a piece?

A Oh absolutely. I always need to have a pretty clear vision in mind when I go look for pieces, otherwise it’s just too much trying to find the right one and I like to be prepared.

Q What advice do you have for interior design amateurs looking for art?

A It’s definitely best to start with a plan. Some

things I like to note about a space are the major and accent colors already there and whether there’s already a lot of patterns or textures going on in the room. You’ll usually want your art pieces to follow the accent colors of the room—it really makes a space feel cohesive. For example, if you have green throw pillows on your couch, then a painting that incorporates a similar shade of green will help everything flow together. On the other hand you usually want your art to contrast with other patterns in the space. For example, if you have a busy floral pattern on your bedspread, you’ll probably want calmer art on the wall, so you don’t feel overwhelmed in the space. If you have mostly solid colors in your living room, then a lively painting on the wall could make a really great statement piece.

Q You mention statement pieces—should your art be the focus of a space?

A Not necessarily. Wall art can be a conversation starter, or it can be a quiet background accent. A lot of that has to do with how you frame it in your space. Art hung above a fireplace or on the wall opposite a couch will naturally draw more attention, while pieces tucked away beside a bookcase or on a sidewall will act more as accents.

Q Where is the best place to find art?

A I definitely love going to local artists’ markets— there’s usually such a wide selection of unique pieces, and you get to support someone’s creativity. I don’t believe in some of the “art-shaming” I sometimes see. If you find the perfect piece for your space at Ikea, then you should definitely get it! Art is so subjective, and at the end of the day, it’s your space—you should enjoy the way it’s decorated.

Q Do you have any last tips for our readers?

A I always love getting inspiration from seeing how other people have decorated their spaces— blogs, magazines, and home-design shows are some great resources. And finally, I think the most important thing is to find art that makes you want to spend time in your space.

madi issue 01 April 2023

kristeen

madi kristeen

Snuggery

by madi kristeen

hat do you do with a vintage piece of furniture that needs retouching?

We’re glad you asked, because that question is currently sparking hot debate among the DIY and refurbishing communities. Is it better to try and restore the item to its original glory or to create a completely new piece? Is it ever okay to paint a vintage dresser lime green? Is re-upholstering a chair from 1915 with complete historical accuracy really worth it if you hate the way that looks?

Here at Snuggery, we believe that spaces are meant to be lived in, furniture is meant to be used, and your home should be a place you enjoy spending time in. We may receive some passionate letters to the editor for this, but we believe there truly is beauty on both sides of the debate. Classic furniture holds a certain elegance and style that might be hard to find nowadays. Part of its allure is the history you can feel radiating off of it. That´s certainly something worth preserving.

On the other hand, why should you spend your time and energy restoring a piece to perfection when what your space really needs is a hand-painted work of art? Pouring passion and creativity into transforming a vintage item into something you will love looking at and using every day is another way of honoring the history of the furniture—this time by playing an active role in its journey.

It’s really up to you what you do with your vintage furniture. These classic pieces can enhance your space, whether that means they receive a light face-lift or a full makeover.

I accidentally built a shelf

by madi kristeen

So, how does one accidentally build a shelf, you might ask. Thea Melvin found herself asking that same exact question one frustrating Sunday afternoon while staring at the dismantled pieces of a dining room table. She wouldn't call herself a DIY expert, but Melvin has been dabbling in furniture refreshing of the do-it-yourself nature since 2015. Her YouTube channel “Thea Tries Again” has just over nine thousand subscribers and documents her journey through the trial and error of various furniture projects. Her specialty is giving new life to discarded furniture she finds on the side of the road, which is how she ended up with this whole dining room table fiasco that looked like a tornado hit it.

“I saw this table on a heap, and instantly just loved it. Its legs were broken and there was a huge part in the middle that was scratched, but I just thought the pattern of the wood was so beautiful,” Melvin says. “I took it into my shop and cut the good parts away, and then at that point it was no longer recognizable as a table. I didn’t want to waste the remaining pieces, and I think I must have rearranged them about a hundred times. I just kept

staring and staring at the pieces, completely at a loss for what to do, when suddenly I finally saw it: a bookshelf; I immediately got to work.”

This type of breakthrough is typical of Melvin’s creative style—she rarely has a plan before she brings discarded furniture home. Though her day job is in retail, Melvin grew up enjoying watching her grandparents working in their furniture repair and upholstery shop.

“I wish I had learned more technical skills from them,” Melvin recounts. “Since I’ve discovered this love of furniture, it would be nice to have more knowledge from some experts. But they did really instill in me the value of not wasting anything. They lived through the Great Depression, you know, so they really had this idea that nothing should go to waste. And that’s how I am now—I can’t stand seeing furniture that still has usable parts be sent to the landfill.”

Melvin’s workshop is full of odds and ends: scraps of wood and upholstery, miscellaneous furniture repair equipment she’s collected over the years, projects in the works, and a giant whiteboard full of scribbled ideas, test swatches of paint, magazine inspiration pictures stuck on with tape and magnets, and random doodles from when she's bored.

madi kristeen

Snuggery

“I know it’s all a bit of a mess,” Melvin laughs, “but that’s just how my brain is. Out of the chaos comes clarity; out of the junk comes a new piece of furniture.”

Her current projects include repairing an end table with a missing a leg, refreshing an armchair, and of course, the accidental bookshelf.

Melvin’s creative process begins with removing anything unsalvageable, then she sketches out some loose ideas of what she could do with the piece. Often the solution is simple: a threelegged end table could either have a fourth leg added or be disassembled and remade with four new legs. Other times the solution is less clear. It is in moments like these when Melvin likes to lean into her creativity and ability to think outside the box.

On her YouTube channel, Melvin begins her videos with shots of the original piece of furniture so her viewers can

see the whole process. She talks through them through any parts she had to scrap and explains why, then briefly overviews her brainstorming process and vision for the piece. Once she begins working on the furniture, she records the whole process and includes clips from every stage—as well as the mess-ups.

“I like to include the clips where something goes wrong, or where I get stuck,” Melvin explains. “Even if you’re trying to super careful, it’s easy to mess up, and I want my viewers to know that getting stuck or messing up doesn’t mean your project is dead.”

Most of the furniture she finds gets donated to her local thrift store.

“If I kept everything, I wouldn’t be able to walk through my house,” Melvin laughs. “Though my cats would probably enjoy more surfaces to jump on. I enjoy this enough as a hobby, and

I like knowing that something that could have been junk now has a better possibility of being reused.”

Melvin hopes that her YouTube subscribers get inspiration from her videos. She encourages people to think outside the box and try to work with what they already have.

“I know that not everyone has the time and resources to do exactly what I do— like, not everyone has a whole furniture workshop in their backyard. But a lot of what I do is pretty amateur. I hope that I can show people that you don’t have to be an expert to fix something up, I also hope that I can encourage people to take a new look at things they’re considering getting rid of. And you never know—sometimes what you think is a mess-up actually turns into something pretty cool.”