Hello friends,
With all of the new followers to my site, I thought it would be a good idea to tell you a little bit about the "face" behind Anya's Decor.
As you've probably guessed, my name is Anya.
I grew up in the beautiful Russian city of Saint Petersburg. I never imagined how the rich culture, history and architecture (as well as my mother's influence) would sculpt me into the designer that I am today.
(This beautiful painting is my actual home that I grew up in.)
As much as I LOVE working with open floor plans, I am no stranger to figuring out how to make things beautiful and functional in charming smaller homes.
By the way, if you want lots of "how to's" for small spaces,
Brooke from Nesting with Grace is your gal. I adore her!
I grew up in a communal apartment. That means we shared our apartment with five other families. One bathroom, one toilet, one kitchen, one sink, two stoves, one oven--for everybody. To say that it took planning and organization to make dinner is an understatement. And cleaning... OK, I won't even go there. But it taught me a lot about living and working with others.
My family had one room to ourselves. It was our bedroom, dining room, TV room, library, living room and everything else.
I watched my mother constantly rearrange furniture and decorate that room to make it more functional and beautiful. I didn't even know a wall could just be painted--I assumed all walls had wallpaper. And I loved it! I'm so glad wallpaper is back in its awesome glory.
Rooms didn't have closets--we used wardrobes. I totally remember hiding in my wardrobe, behind all the heavy coats and my mom's dresses.
(No, I didn't find Narnia, though that would've been an awesome adventure.)
Today, when I create spaces, I naturally gravitate towards timeless, classy styles. But I love my design to be more then just pretty furniture. I look for ways to tell the stories of the people who live there, what they love, where life has taken them, all while maintaining style and class. It can be challenging, but I have learned that it is doable.
Take this gallery wall in my home. Most gallery walls have professional pictures, but I like mine candid. It tells a story of us, and I love that.
My client's husband loves to hunt. We were able to display his
taxidermy by bringing similar textures and colors to the rest of the house, so it looks like they belong there without feeling like a cabin.
I seem to leave a fingerprint of myself in every home that I design. It often takes the form of a floral arrangement.
My childhood dwellings may have been humble, but we always had flowers. Greenery brought happy feelings into our home.
I feel so blessed to be able to design spaces that are authentic, beautiful and functional for my clients. I want my designs to feel like their home, not mine. I'm a facilitator. My role is to help them realize their vision for the space by creating harmony and aesthetic flow, when they might not have the skills to do so on their own.
XO, Anya