Welcome to Amplified Apartments Star, a special edition of ForRent.com’s Amplified Apartments series, featuring all-star bloggers with trained eyes and wise words. No questions asked.
For seven years, Rhoda Vickers, the beloved personality behind Southern Hospitality, has been cultivating a community with her writing. While her passion is, definitively, interior design and apartment décor, her blog speaks to more than that. Her goal? To spark the creative potential in all her readers and, in turn, inspire them to fashion the model home they’ve been dreaming of.
Vickers’ current Atlanta home is a beaming example of doing just that. Color and fabric combine for lush, distinctive rooms, each different from the next. Still, a singular design DNA runs through every room, one that’s the blogger’s very own. A particular cozy corner Vickers uses as reading nook makes the case for her talent and passion clear. With just a wall of shelving, ornate embellishments, the right dusty coral arm chair, and some thrifted wares, she’s been able to imprint her personal taste within fiscal reason and limited space.
Hear more tips from the beloved blogger herself on clutter, function, and finding your own aesthetic vision, below.
If you could describe the room’s design concept using 5 words, what would they be?
Serene, rustic, calming, cozy, library.
What’s your process like when creating a design concept? Do you have an overarching design philosophy?
I love for my home to be comfortable as well as beautiful, so I do think about design and function when I’m designing a space. I always look for a room to have a certain feel.
What’s your theory on decoration vs. function?
Function is important, but beauty is right at the top of the list, too, so I always look at both when a room goes together. If it’s not pretty, then I haven’t accomplished my goal.
Where do you find your ornaments and accent pieces?
Many of those things I already had from years of trekking to yard sales, and the rest I collected from some sponsors I work with who have lovely accessories.
The hanging artwork is large but not overpowering. Where did you find it and how were you able to incorporate it in balance with the rest of the room?
That piece came from a yard sale years ago for just $25. It’s a map of Versailles, France, actually. I’ve held onto it because it’s so aesthetically pleasing. I thought it would anchor that wall, and it has. I’m happy it came out so well.
How do you toe the line between clutter and decor?
That’s hard for me sometimes! I’ve always been a ‘more is more’ girl, but I’m trying to keep that in check and not get too cluttery. I have to step back sometimes and look at it all with a keen eye, but I’m definitely not a minimalist.
How can ForRent.com readers develop their own interior design skills?
I think shopping second hand and thrifting is a great way to get unique things for your home that you’re not going to see everywhere. I have a classic style and have collected my furniture and accessories over time. Now, I finally have a house that I’m really proud of, that I feel that is a true reflection of my personality.
Be aware of what you love. It will help you hone in on a certain style & get the look you want.(Tweet This)
What are your go-to stores for home furnishings and decor?
For local stores, you can’t beat HomeGoods for affordable home decor. I love Ballard Designs and online shops like Wayfair.com and Joss and Main.
What’s your number one tip for solving the small space problem?
Utilize the wall space in a small area for maximum storage and organization.
Treat the space as a little jewel box to bring out the true potential. Small spaces can be so charming.(Tweet This)
Southern Hospitality provides readers a constant stream of interior treasures. Who or where do you look to for your own design inspiration?
Wow, that’s a hard one. I have so many blog friends, it would be impossible for me to name them all, but I’ll name a few bloggers who inspire me (and they also happen to be personal friends). Beneath My Heart, Thistlewood Farms, Home Stories A to Z, Thrifty Decor Chick, Centsational Girl, The Inspired Room, Just A Girl, The Lettered Cottage.
See more of Rhoda’s master skills at work on the star blogger’s site. [cf]skyword_tracking_tag[/cf]
