INTERVIEW WITH MARIA FROM DREAMY WHITES AND GIVEAWAY

Image from http://www.dreamywhites.blogspot.com/

I am certain that all of you now recognise that picture as belonging to Maria over at http://www.dreamywhites.blogspot.com/. I first spotted Maria's blog over at http://www.frugalfarmhousedesign.blogspot.com/ and was instantly captivated by the freshness and simplicty of her style and by the fact she lives with a cowboy and 5 kids and had a white house.

 

Image from http://www.dreamywhites.blogspot.com/

This photo of Maria's living room chair draped in linen seems so casual and elegant and stylish, but I am not sure I could pull this off in my own home without it looking like I was leaving my laundry about.

Being the inquisive sort, I emailed Maria and asked if I could interview her for my blog and she kindly agreed. From our e-mail conversations, Maria is as lovely as her blog, which has had wonderful success in only 6 short weeks.

Because this is a special post, I am offering a giveaway of Stephanie Hoppen's book "White on White" as well as 6 gorgeous vintage linen napkins.  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and I will enter your name.  If you are a follower, I will enter you a second time, and if I am on your blog list three times, so let me know.

And now here is my little interview with Maria:

Razmataz: Your home is so gorgeous and beautifully styled. Do you have a design background?

Dreamy Whites: Thank you, No, I do not have a design background. I have always been into art since I was a little kid. I love reading design books!

Razmataz: The white is wonderful. Has it always been white or have you gone through color phases like most of us?


Dreamy Whites : When I was in high school I worked in a small antique shop. I sanded everything down to bare wood, and stained everything. I continued this until the mid 90s when I saw a Rachel Ashwell book. That changed everything for me. I am so glad I found that book.


Razmataz: You have elements such as the tin ceiling and vintage chandeliers. At first glance I assumed you were in an old house, but reading further I see it is a modular house. I am not quite sure what that is. Can you describe the overall style of this house?


Dreamy Whites. The home we live in is a "mobile home" It was built at a factory and hauled here by a semi. It came in 3 separate pieces and put together on site. I think you can make any home feel old by the lighting you chose and by adding architectural elements.

Razmataz: What are the biggest design challenges in this house and how did you overcome them?

Dreamy Whites: The biggest design challenge for me is the room with the t.v. in it. It has odd walls. This room is open to the kitchen and our hall. This room has bugged me for so long. It is just oddly shaped. I finally put a mirror on one of the walls. This mirror faces our windows and bounces a lot of light back to that odd wall.

Razmataz: If you could invite anyone past or present to dinner at your home, who would it be?


Dreamy Whites: I think I would love to invite Rachel Ashwell to dinner. I got to meet her at a book signing this last November at Maison Reve. I was really nervous about meeting her, because I didn't want to be disappointed. By this I mean, I really admire her, and I didn't want to find out otherwise. I am so glad I went. She is an amazing person, and shared so many neat things about why she wrote what she wrote in her book. When she talked to us, she wanted to hear about YOU. I just love her.

Razmataz: Many of us live in apartments, ranch houses or "little boxes". How do we begin to create this fresh, modern country look of yours that we all love so much?


Dreamy Whites: Well I live in a mobile home. I really don't think it matters what type of home you live in. To me the structure of a house is like a canvas, you can create whatever kind of picture you want on that canvas. I think paint can make such a huge difference. I have lived in some pretty interesting places. My husband is a horse trainer, and we have lived in a barn believe it or not. Not a cute barn. But that didn't stop me from getting my paint brush out. White paint is so refreshing! If you live in a home that is limited on windows. I would maximize what windows you have with mirrors. It is amazing what a mirror can do. You can bring in so much light by strategically placing a mirror.

Razmataz: Your blog had a pretty instant impact in the blogging world. How has starting "Dreamy Whites" changed things for you.

Dreamy Whites: I never even knew about blogging until about 6 weeks ago. I came across Lori's blog. (Frugal Farmhouse Design) I decided to send her a couple of pictures because she had done a post on a mobile home she was fixing up for a client, and she too loves mantles. I told her that I loved her blog, and she wrote me back asking to post about my home, and if I had more pictures. First of all, I couldn't believe I was hearing back from her. Then she did this incredibly nice post about me and my home. That is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. She then encouraged me to start a blog. I didn't know real people had blogs, I would look at Martha Stewart's blog, and that was it. I was afraid to because I can't write and wasn't really sure how blogging works. Well am I ever grateful to Lori and all of you! I have had a really sad past couple of years and I can tell you that you have all changed my life. Its hard to express with words how special everyone is to me. I have met the nicest women in the past month. It has just been unreal. I am so inspired by all of your blogs. There is just so much encouragement and love shared between an incredible group of women. Lets just say I feel very BLESSED to be apart of your world.

SO, now you need to go on over to Dreamy Whites to visit with Maria and to enter the giveaway she is currently hosting. www.dreamywhites.blogspot.com

Thank you Maria!