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A New Room for an Inspirational Blogger

By Cameron Filed in Interior Design, Sustainability Tagged with , , , March 29th, 2010 @ 5:37 pm

If you are a green interior design enthusiast, you have probably stumbled upon a blog called Green Your Decor.   Recently I was visiting the GYD site and came across founder and primary blogger Jennae’s very personal piece about her four year old daughter’s heartbreaking battle with leukemia.  In the article, Jennae touches on the difficulties that come along with battling a  serious disease and the tremendous strength that her beautiful daughter Ja’Naya has exerted to overcome it.

Ja’Naya is now in remission, and Jennae and her family are celebrating the good news, however, they are still moving closer to Ja’Naya’s doctors.  Uprooting your home is difficult under any circumstance, and since Ja’Naya will be spending much of her time home recovering, Jennae decided to make the most of a tough situation by surprising her daughter with a beautiful, positive and (of course!) sustainable new bedroom.

Jennae put a lot of time and effort into planning Ja’Naya’s new sanctuary and knew that she wanted a colorful, uplifting wool rug.  After doing some research, she was particularly attracted to Merida’s Letter Lines wool kids area rug in Marker because of the fun vintage chic look, and also because she felt comfortable with the natural wool rug fibers and the socially responsible choices that were made to craft the area rug.  When approached to contribute a Letter Lines kids wool area rug to Ja’Naya’s new room, Merida Home gladly accepted and we are proud to be involved in such an inspiring project.

We can’t wait to read about Ja’Naya’s reaction to her new room (how could she not love it?!) and see photos documenting how the room turns out!  To read about the design and see mock-ups of Ja’Naya’s room design, click here.

Fun Friday Find: Mod Green Pod

By Whitney Filed in Fun Friday Finds, General, Interior Design, Sustainability Tagged with , , , March 26th, 2010 @ 12:02 pm

Hi, I’m Whitney, the online marketing specialist here at Merida Home.  As the online marketing specialist, part of my job entails searching the web to find like-minded businesses that share our passion for design and sustainability.  We hope to connect with and support these companies and we hope they connect with and support us too.  In my searching I’ve come across some really great sites that I want to share with you, so I am starting a “Fun Friday Find” that will feature the most interesting site of the week. Without further ado, this week’s first-ever Fun Friday Find is the Mod Green Pod website.

I have known about Mod Green Pod for a while since I had the pleasure of working alongside Lisa in her Boston studio space a few years ago.  I love the fun whimsical fabric and wallpaper prints, but am really inspired by Mod Green Pod’s emphasis on sustainability and dedication to creating local jobs here in the US.  After seeing Mod Green Pod featured in the Urban Sherp newsletter, I decided to check out their site and see what Lisa and the gals have been up to.  That’s when I found their Room Creator…..

The Room Creator features a traditional living room set-up with basic white chairs, a couch, a lamp and curtains.  The room looks pretty drab – but here comes the fun part!  You can drag Mod Green Pod’s wallpaper prints onto the walls and use their fabric to upholster the furniture.  Watch the room come together and get inspired to take some design risks with your own décor!  Don’t like what you create?  Refresh the page and try again.

Hint, you can even decorate the family cat…

Living Room Before Transformation

Living Room Before Transformation

Living Room After Transformation

Living Room After Transformation

Now all this room needs is a matching Merida Home Pavo Thrive Lagoon wool area rug to tie the flooring into the lovely blue color scheme…..

Think you can design a better room?  Send us a screen shot of your favorite design!

Merida Home: Mission Photography

By Whitney Filed in General, Interior Design Tagged with December 14th, 2009 @ 9:44 pm

The new MeridaHome.com website has officially launched, and while the dust is still settling the Merida Team is already working on updates and improvements. Our first: Mission Photography. Mission Photography’s goal was to acquire all new new photographs to highlight the brilliant colors and textures found in our Merida area rugs. We made this a top priority for Merida Home, since a number of our online visitors have not had the opportunity to touch, see and experience the craftsmanship of our area rugs in person.

The first phase of Mission Photography was to hunt down a worthy photographer. After selecting renowned photographer Kent Dayton, we decided to get things started with a “warm-up” shoot at our local mill in Fall River, MA. At this shoot, Kent produced excellent photos of our floor mats, rug pads and cleaning kits. He also took some great candid shots of our Fall River employees hard at work, including creative director Maegan Fee brainstorming our next product line.

The Fall River shoot raised everyone’s interest. We felt charged and ready to move on to Phase Two of Mission Photography in full force. For Phase Two, with Kent’s guidance, we staked out the perfect location for our second big shoot; an old camp that was converted into a breath-taking lake home. With the location finalized, Maegan (our aforementioned super-star creative director) and Carrie (our brilliant marketing manager) took a run through of the house and selected area rugs that complemented the look and feel of each room.

As the day of the shoot rapidly approached, Maegan scrambled to pick out fabulous accessories to compliment and highlight the colors and textures of our area rugs. Finally, the big day was upon us. Maegan, Carrie, Cristina (our resident marketing intern), and I made the long (and very early!) drive up to New Hampshire to meet Kent and his team.

The shoot entailed a lot of work…moving area rugs and furniture back and forth around the house to stage the rooms just so to convey the elegant, cozy and warm feel that embodies Merida Home. And all that before the sun set! Fortunately Maegan has a wonderful creative eye and the shoot went off without a hitch. Mission Photography: complete. Here are some before and after shots; let us know what you think. Keep an eye on MeridaHome.com to see the rest of the photos shortly.

Merida Area Rug in Livingroom (before)

Merida Area Rug in Livingroom (before)

Merida Area Rug in Livingroom (after)

Merida Area Rug in Livingroom (after)

Merida Area Rug in Kids Room (before)

Merida Area Rug in Kids Room (before)

Merida Area Rug in Kids Room (after)

Merida Area Rug in Kids Room (after)

Merida Area Rug Runner (before)

Merida Area Rug Runner (before)

Merida Area Rug Runner (after)

Merida Area Rug Runner (after)

Autumnal Textures

By Molly Filed in Interior Design Tagged with , , November 2nd, 2009 @ 10:17 pm

Autumn is in the air and the seasonal changes are starting to occur. People begin stocking up on heartier foods, sundresses and sandals are exchanged for sweaters and boots, and the light and bright palette of spring is toned down to earthier shades yet warmed up with gold-tinged tones. It’s always fun to bring these seasonal switches into your home decor as well, and while color may seem like the natural way to bring Autumn in, texture is also a great way to help your home change with the seasons..

When envisioning a crisp Autumn day, I always think of enjoying the colors from the leaves while being wrapped in something warm and soft. Adding throw blankets to arm chairs, couches, and beds will instantly add some Autumn flair to your home. Instead of concentrating solely on color, focus on the fabric. Because Autumn weather is cool, not freezing, the feel of the fabric is more important than the weight. Chenille, a very soft, woven yarn, is a rich fabric in which you will immediately want to be wrapped. Flannel is also a great fabric for fall blankets–it’s extremely soft, easy to clean, and is available in more patterns than most woven-yarn throws.

Another great way to infuse the spirit of the season into your home without painting your walls Pumpkin Spice is to concentrate on flooring. While there is no doubt that a hardwood floor can look beautiful, think about the relationship between warmth and texture. Walking around on a bare floor can make the whole house feel colder. Adding a plush wool rug to your space instantly warms up your room. Also, consider other, natural materials. Jute is a soft yarn available in warm shades and woven thickly to add a “cushiony” feel to your floor.

Rich and soft textures also allow you to more liberties with your color palette. If something “feels” like fall, it can be purchased in whichever colors match your already decorated room. While pinks or blues aren’t often associated with fall, the sumptuous textures from new fabrics of matching blankets and flooring will create a fall feel that can’t be beat.

Grey is the new Black: Bringing trends from the runway into your home

By Molly Filed in Interior Design Tagged with , , , November 2nd, 2009 @ 10:16 pm

Grey is the new black, as well as the new white, beige, and brown—at least according to recent runway shows. Designers such as Armani and Balenciaga are showing lots of greys in their Fall/Winter 2009 collections. Grey offers the sleek sophistication synonymous with black and white, yet boasts a softness that can be absent in the two latter shades. Stealing the latest trends from the runway for your home is an easy and fun way to restyle your living space

First, before you decide what pieces you are replacing or transforming in your room of choice, figure out your color palette. Don’t be consumed by the old worry that grey translates into nothing more than dull and boring. Grey pairs surprisingly well with warm, bright colors, making it a fantastic backdrop for bringing new colors into your rooms.

Because grey usually has cool undertones, try to pair the elegant shade with warmer, brighter colors. Corals and yellows stand out particularly nicely against the coolness of a solid grey. Using cooler colors—blues, lilacs, sea greens—can match the grey quite well but, instead of bringing out the best in each shade, the grey will enhance the cooler, greyer tones in the other colors and you risk creating a more monotonous, colder living space.

If you do not want to bring such bright colors into your room, grey also pairs up well with beige. A warm beige pairs very well against a cool grey; it creates an interesting aesthetic without sacrificing the room’s calm palette or simplicity. And while silver is the usual choice to pair with grey, gold is also a great, yet unexpected accent color.

Perhaps the easiest way to incorporate a new color trend into a room is through accessories and accents. Grey throw pillows can be displayed on red couches and white-linen beds alike. Steel-colored curtains can bring a hint of grey into your room with out a major overhaul. Throw rugs and flooring work exceptionally well when trying to breathe new life into an older room. A rug with a grey woven pattern or border can help bring the room’s new grey accents together subtly. Wall art, lamps, and other accessories can also bring the color into your room without severely impacting your wallet.

For a stronger statement, invest in a new wall color or larger area rug, as well as bigger pieces of furniture. A grey couch and/or arm chairs are cozy yet sleek, a combination often sought after but rarely found. If you do invest in larger pieces in a sumptuous grey fabric, remember to incorporate some color as well to keep your room fresh and gorgeous.

Taking trends from the runway and implementing them in your home is a fun and creative way to update your interiors and an easy way to create a fashion-forward living space.

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