I'm Kelly, a girl passionate about interior styling & design
I can remember being around 9 years old and enjoying dusting the house. LOL why would a 9 year old enjoy that? To me, dusting meant taking all of the accessories off the furniture and putting them back in different places and in different configurations and changing their placement around the house. As I got older, my mom let me pick out my own bedding and accessories. Black, white and red bedding and accessories were the cool thing in your room at about 11 years old. Along with a dresser and a vanity, I would move furniture around my room and place art and accessories in different places every few weeks because I enjoyed it. I'd create new things out of old. I remember my favorite design being a plain mirror that I painted with black, white and red paint. It hung on the wall and I was so proud that I made it and no one else had it and it was unique.
Fast forward to my first apartment with my husband Joel. The whole space was mine and I could buy my own furniture and design what I pleased. A black cord sofa and loves seat with a metal and glass black dining table was my first purchase. I must have liked contemporary furnishings at the time. I enjoyed adding artwork and accessories throughout the apartment and I was so proud to call the space my own. In 1998 Joel and I bought our first home. Three bedrooms and 2 baths to decorate with my own style. We lived there 5 years and it was a never ending project. Each room was probably painted and redesigned twice. In 1999 I went back to school and started my interior design degree at Seminole State College. School was not work for me, it was enjoyable and classes came with ease because I was learning something I was passionate about.
It's now 2004 and we moved again, this time to a 4 bedroom two story house. I graduated from Seminole State College with an AS degree in interior design this year and was elated that I had a degree in something I loved. We lived in this next house 10 years and the design and decor completely changed from the day we moved in until the day we moved out in October 2014.
2015 has arrived and our home has been sold and we are waiting for a new one to be built. This is our third home we have built and this one, I took a basic floor plan and designed it how I wanted. This is where the architecture classes came in handy. Adding rooms, doors, windows and changing living areas was tons of fun and I made this home a one of a kind. My confidence has grown since our first home and the finishes I picked are perfect. We have only been here since April 2015 and we started fresh with everything. It is a work in process and many of my projects I have put on my Facebook page and will now feature on the ongoing blog part of Love Thy Room.
I decided to take a chance at the end of 2014 and that is when Love Thy Room was born. I want to provide affordable design advice and to everyone so they can enjoy their homes as much as I have. I also work with realtors and help homeowners style and stage their houses to visually look the best they can with furniture placement and accessories while they are listed for sale. To me, its always been how these items are grouped and placed, not the cost of the items. A home can look as beautiful with thrift store finds as it can as if you spent top dollar on furniture and finishes. I live to create visually beautiful spaces, its not my hobby, its my way of life. I continue to educate myself in new trends and designs and one day I hope to rehab a home that is from the early 1900's. My absolute favorite show is Rehab Addict and I learn so much from watching the pros on TV. I like to design spaces and use materials that are unique and make a statement.
Now to the personal part. I have been married to Joel for 25 years. He is a wonderful husband and father to our daughters Kaitlyn, 18 and Jordyn 14. He supports everything I do and agrees with anything I desire to do to the house. I have also been a classroom teacher for 26 years which has been a wonderful experience and has allowed me to spend quality time with my daughters. I live in Avalon Park which is an amazing neighborhood in Orlando, Florida.