Now that 2019 is in the rear-view mirror, I decided to look back and see what I did with all my time, what I accomplished and consider what’s ahead. Have you done the same? I hope the last year was all you hoped for!
What the Heck I did with my time
For me, 2019 this was especially meaningful as I retired last December 31st from a 33-year career as a wildlife biologist. Although I started Northern Lights Home Staging and Design five years ago, I had more time to work on my design business in 2019. A big change was the decision to offer Edesign, or online Interior Design, online color and home staging consultations and virtual staging. Living in small town Alaska, I have a limited market and thought this would be a great way to expand my ability to help more people. So 2019 was a year of learning how to do Edesign and work with clients in a new way.
Colorful Projects
The year was filled with home staging, virtual staging, color consultations, local design projects and Edesign. When doing consultations or working with people taking their time to implement their design or staging, I don’t always get to see the “After” photos. Here is a video of my favorite projects where I did see the result. It was a very colorful year!
Cool Things
Some other exciting things that happened in 2019 were that:
I won the “Best of Houzz” for Customer Service again for the 4th year in a row.
I was awarded Best Interior Designs of 2018 and noted as an Interior Designer to Watch in 2019 in an article by Searchmetry.
I started creating Fractal Art for Interior Design in January and opened a store on Society 6 with art, pillows, bedding, furniture and more featuring my art.
One of my Edesigns was published in an international magazine! See the article, 5 Things You Need to Know About Edesign by JoAnne Lenart-Weary on page 50, and my design on page 55.The picture below is my design. More on how it came together in a future blog post. (shown below).
So Much Writing!
In 2019, I posted articles and tips on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest daily and wrote weekly blog posts compared to monthly in 2018. I did my best to provide information that you might find valuable on Interior Design, Color and Home Staging. I hope you will follow me and find some information helpful to you.
Here are some of my favorite blog articles which I think really tell the story of what I can do to help you.
Tell Your Story with Global Style Interior Design
Re-invent Yourself and Your Home in 2020
What Does it all Mean?
In discovering Edesign, I also discovered some things about myself.
- I LOVE color. Well, I already knew that, but Edesign gave me a chance to indulge my love of color, challenge myself and delve deeper into using the art and science of color I learned when I became a certified color strategist.
- I LOVE global style and the layering of textures, handmade and exotic art and decor, eco-friendly materials, the history and culture, magic of lighting, rich colors and so much more!!
- I LOVE eco-friendly, sustainable design. I realized how important it is to our health, well-being, and our planet and how easy it is to create beautiful and unique designs with eco-friendly elements.
- I LOVE Edesign. It’s fast, affordable, unique and opens doors to working with anyone with a computer (is there anyone without one?).
What's Next?
Now that I know more about the things that make my heart sing, and hopefully yours too, I plan to do more of the things I love! The current design trends are embracing color, global styles, eco-friendly design and new ways of doing things such as Edesign and I am ready to spread the love! Are you ready? Check out my blog article, Re-Invent Yourself and Your Home in 2020 to get inspired!
What's Your Global Design Style?
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You’ve been busy! Now I get the northern lights name, you’re in Alaska! What an adventure and the natural beauty must be fabulous!
Yes! Sometimes it’s hard to remember all that you have done throughout the year until you look back! It has been a great adventure and it is amazingly beautiful here. I picked my name because I wanted people to have the same reaction that they have when they see northern lights for the first time, when they see their final design. Most just say wow and think it is magical when they see northern lights. That’s what I am going for! Thanks for reading!
Still SO love that pink and black office :-)! Congratulations on your busy year AND your publication!
Thank you Janet! That pink and black office that is one of my favorites too! I am excited about that publication, my first edesign in a magazine!
Hi Mary Ann! It’s great to read about how you found your own *True North* – the things that make your heart sing- this past year and how all of your accomplishments are a result of following that.
Congratulations on each one of them and I can’t wait to see what the year ahead holds for you. Your edesign clients are fortunate to work with you..and I appreciate all the educating you’ve done on edesign this year, too, on your blog.
Thank you Leslie! I hope people that are interested in Edesign will find it less of a mystery and see how it might be a perfect solution to helping them find their “True North”.
Congratulations! You have certainly accomplished a lot this year and you should be proud of yourself, well done!
Thanks so much Amy. Sometimes I think we hard on ourselves, thinking we are not doing enough or going fast enough. But, often if we take the time to look back we have accomplished more than we remember:)
What a fantastic year you had Mary Ann, congrats!! I looked extensively at the e-design post and am considering that. Hearing you talk about it has put the bug in my ear of how I can help my clients style pillows. And I’m so glad you found things that make your heart sing. That’s so important in design and life.
Happy New Year! Cheers to an even better 2020.
Thank you and that makes me so happy! A pillow styling edesign package would be great for your business! Happy New Year to you!