Interior Influencers

MEDINA GRILLO @grillodesigns

Midwife turned social media star, Medina Grillo, juggles two young children with her full-time Instagram role. What started as a side hustle in between shifts has spiralled into a role in which she has amassed 213k followers, written a book, and created a video series for people who want to give their home that personal touch within the confines of renting. It’s about as far away from hospital life as you can get, but Medina is showing others how it’s done.

Building An Audience

Despite not having any creative qualifications or a background in social media, Medina has built up an impressive audience. “I don’t have any professional training. But I’ve always been quite creative. When I started, there was a huge focus on DIY, but then as the years changed, it became more about interior styling. I think it’s about having a good eye and knowing how to put certain pieces together. So, a lot of playing with different textures and colours. There’s no right and wrong; a lot of it is about how it makes you feel.

“I used to get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest. You can visualise how things would look in your home from Pinterest. But now inspiration can come from anywhere. I might go to a restaurant and decide I like the look of a chair, and that might start off a whole train of thought. During

COVID I went on a lot of walks and would be inspired by nature. My mind is always open to being inspired from wherever.”

Her content curation style has changed in a big way since having her children. With her youngest son having just turned two, Medina has to be strict with her time. “At the moment I can’t give you any advice on how to manage your time. I create my content in my son’s nap time and then do my admin in the evening. It’s a bit of a juggle. Before children, I had a bit more time, and I would have set days for making content, so I was a lot more organised and scheduled.”

Top Tips For Styling Your Home

Medina’s social media focuses on how she styles her rental, without doing anything that will upset her landlord, but her tips are useful for anyone, whether you own or rent. “Always start small. Go room by room and make sure to live in a space for a couple of months before you start changing things, so you get a feel for that space. Take your time. Start with small accessories and build up from there. Don’t get stuck on one theme – mix and match styles.

“Invest in timeless pieces that will stand the test of time. In my opinion, this is almost always vintage pieces.”