Welcome to the Velvet & Shag Home blog.  I’m Julie, an obsessed interior design addict who is always on the hunt for inspiration that I can use to decorate my own home, as well as, ideas for styling and staging other people’s homes.  I also have a couple of other jobs.  I’m a civil engineer by day working at a private firm in Tacoma, Washington with a main focus on designing residential developments for single and multi-family homes.  My most important job, though, is being a devoted wife to my husband, Neil.  We’ve been married for five years and together a total of nine.  I was super lucky to marry into the family I did because along with an amazing husband, I also got two wonderful step kids, Tre and Ashley, who are currently 12 and 18. We live in a house in a large residential development in Olympia, Washington, which is about 60 miles south of the Seattle metropolis.  Our house is definitely a builder-grade home so it has been a nice basic jumping off point for us to take it mainly as it is and customize it to fit our own style, which is perfect for a person like me who loves styling so much.  Want to know more about me?  Check out my Q&A below…

How would you describe the style of your own home?  
Craftsman, mid century modern, boho, northwest coastal. 

What are your favorite interior design styles? 
My all-time favorite has to be mid century modern.  My husband and I went to Modernism Week in Palm Springs February 2020 (pre-Covid lockdown!) and let me tell you, it was pure heaven. If you haven’t been, you can start down the rabbit hole by clicking here.  Being in Palm Springs for the first time also really piqued my interest in the Old Hollywood sixties, seventies aspect of the mid century vibe so I’ve been slowly adding that to my aesthetic as well.

As far as interior design styles go, I will say that I love most varieties.  As long as it’s done well, I can appreciate it.

What are your favorite places to travel?  
Travel is such an amazing source of creative inspiration. My husband and I love going to Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands up here in Washington, or as we sometimes like to call it, the Upper Left.  Rosario Resort is our favorite place there because of the historic, luxurious, and relaxing setting it provides, making it our perfect dreamy PNW getaway.  As mentioned above, we went to Palm Springs in early 2020 and it has definitely made it to my list of favorites.  I dream everyday about going back again.  Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is also one of our go-to favorites for completely unwinding.  It is a place where we literally spend everyday drinking pina coladas, eating excessive amounts of food, and reading books by the pool.  One not-so-relaxing place we like to frequent...Disneyland!  Believe it or not, the Disney Parks can also provide many sources of creative inspiration for your home.  There are so many other places that I have not seen yet that I want to go, as well.  Post-Covid, of course! I daydream about them daily.  Costa Rica, Morocco, Greece, Italy, Paris, Austin, Santa Fe, Chicago, etc., etc., etc.

What is the DIY home project you are most proud of?
We have completed quite a few projects in the last couple of years.  By far the hardest and most satisfying was ripping out all of the shabby builder-grade carpet and linoleum in our entire downstairs (minus the laundry room and half-bath), stairs, and upstairs hallway and office and replacing it with beautiful wood laminate.  Needless to say, it was A LOT OF WORK, but it changed the style of the whole house and was so worth it.    Right now we are working on some backyard improvements, which when done, will hopefully be our next proudest moment.

What are some of the projects that you still want to tackle at your house?
  • Paint all of the wood trim white.
  • Paint/redecorate the master bedroom and bathroom.
  • Make a family photo wall in our upstairs hallway.
  • Tile the kitchen backsplash.
  • Paint the entire exterior of the house.
  • Replace the exterior house lights.
  • Replace the front door hardware.
  • Revamp the front porch decor.
  • Replace the fence in our backyard.
  • Re-landscape the front and backyards.
  • Redecorate Tre’s room.
  • Redecorate Ashley’s room.
  • Paint or replace all interior door knobs and hinges.
  • Paint and decorate the laundry room.

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