Mimi Meacham
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? Ohhh... such a good question—I’ve actually been thinking about this a lot lately. I think I’m torn between Carmel-by-the-Sea and Montecito, California.
What are three words to describe your style?
Inviting
Colorful
Unexpected
Tell us about your childhood bedroom?
Well, we moved around a lot, and my mother is a creative as well, so I had many memorable bedroom designs. But my most memorable would have to be the bedroom I had when we spent a few years in East Texas. It was painted light yellow and had real, 3D decoupaged, kid-sized blue jeans hung all over the walls. My friends were taken aback when they first visited—that’s for sure!
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house?
The first original piece of art my husband and I bought for our home was one we saw and both immediately fell in love with. It’s a piece by artist Madeline Denaro called Shenanigans, which described the stage we were in at the time (with three very young kids) perfectly—we took it as a sign that it had to be ours. I still love that painting so much, and it hangs in the foyer of our new home now.
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be?
Summer Thornton, hands down! I love how she expresses her visions, mixing colors and unexpected print mixing.
No room is complete without art!
People think of me as a social extrovert, but I am really someone who needs her quiet, free time.
Things you omit from
A flower arrangement: Anything other than actual flowers—like fruit, pinecones,
or other “fluff-theme-y” items.
An Hour d’oeuvre platter: Seafood. I have had a life-long aversion. Sorry to my sushi-loving friends.
A bar cabinet: Any paper products or disposable party cups.
A song for
Dinner at home: Strawberry Wine by Deana Carter
Working at your desk: Sitting, Waiting, Wishing by Jack Johnson
Going for a run: Thunder by Imagine Dragon
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy?
Coffee table books and styling accessories—can’t ever have enough!
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? Yes, mostly with lots of colors and prints, but sometimes I get in an understated, neutral-colors phase, and it feels good to have that balance in my style.
Who is your star crush? Brad Pitt or Liam Hemsworth
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it? Tile countertops
What design book do you find yourself going back to again and again? Summer Thornton’s Wonderland
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? The homey, welcoming feeling it evokes.
Your Favorite:
Movie: Tie between Grease and The Sandlot
Book: The Giver
Scent: Jo Malone Poppy
The fabric you always come back to: Ticking stripe linen
Dream project: Historic remodel anywhere!
Meal: Hawaiian pizza and a glass of white wine
Drink: Coconut milk flat white
Hotel: Ritz Carlton Kapula
Travel Destination: Carmel-by-the-sea, Maui
Artist: Gwen Hardie
A cause near and dear to me: Foster children and agencies that support them
Thing to collect obsessively: Beautiful coffee table books
Era in the history of design: Surrealism
Museum: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Benjamin Moore Paint Color: Peau de Soie AF-60
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: Establish Design and Jenkins Interiors
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? Dogs! Fluffy ones
