Adrienne Meachum: Unleashing the Power of Interior Design for Mental Wellbeing

Ever wondered how the right shade of blue or a well-organized room can transform your mental health? In this episode of Marketing Happy Hour, we promise you'll uncover the secrets behind creating spaces that not only look stunning but also enhance your well-being. Adrienne Meachum from Whitcross Interiors joins us to share her incredible journey from stay-at-home mom to a celebrated interior designer. She dives into how color theory and thoughtful organization can significantly reduce stress and boost daily efficiency. Adrienne also discusses the value of designing spaces that truly reflect your personality, rather than chasing fleeting social media trends, ensuring long-term happiness without constant updates.

We also tackle the real-life balance between DIY projects and professional help. I share my own experiences with hands-on projects and the joy of seeing a personal touch come to life in my home. Adrienne provides valuable insights on when it's best to roll up your sleeves and when to call in the experts. Plus, we introduce an interior design course that equips you with the skills to create magazine-worthy spaces with personalized feedback and expert advice. Wrapping up, we encourage you to live boldly in both design and life, with Adrienne's inspiring tips on pursuing your creative ideas with confidence. This episode is packed with practical advice and motivation to transform your living spaces and uplift your spirit.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome to the Marketing Happy Hour podcast, where we stir up the perfect blends of insights, strategies and trends to quench your thirst for marketing and business success. Join us every week as we pull up a chair, pour out the latest business innovations and mix in some expert advice from industry leaders. I am your host, shelby McFarlane, ceo of Shelby Company Incorporated. It's time to shake things up. Stir up your favorite boss babe, shelby. Here and today, I am joined by one of my fellow boss babes, miss Adrienne Meacham. She is an interior designer with Whitcross Interiors. She loves working with professionals and helping to make their interiors of their homes and offices reflect the success they've created for themselves. She's been an interior designer for 10 years. She spent six of those years working for other designers, two of them teaching adjuncts in the interior design department at her alma mater and, in three years, working in her own business. So welcome, adrienne. How are you?

Speaker 2: 1:06

Hey, good morning, I'm good. How are you?

Speaker 1: 1:09

Doing well. So Adrienne and I, we met each other through BNI and you guys have heard me talk about BNI before. It is our networking group. We have one person per industry in our group and Adrienne is the fantastic interior designer and we both actually have leadership experience in BNI. And myenne is the fantastic interior designer and we both actually have leadership experience in B&I and my term's almost up. Say what? What I'm so excited for that. So tell us a little bit about, like what you do as an interior designer, how you got into this field, and then a little bit more about you how you got into this field and then a little bit more about you.

Speaker 2: 1:46

Well, I was a stay-at-home mom for 13 years and I actually doweled in design a little. Actually, HGTV was just taking off and I quickly became a little obsessed with HGTV, so that will always hold a space in my heart. I'm not a huge fan these days, but, yeah, I'll always have a fondness for HGTV. So I dabbled a little bit in design, just helping friends, and like just realized that I really did have an eye and a gift for that. And so I went back to school and got my degree in interior design and since then I've been helping homes and businesses to create beautiful spaces that support, you know, their lifestyles at home and their culture and their business in offices.

Speaker 1: 2:56

Yeah, and I think interior design is something that people think, well, I can do that. I can look at Pinterest and put those pieces together, because I know, as a creative myself, I've kind of been that way Like, well, I don't need someone to come in and tell me what to do with my house, like, I want it to make it feel like me because ultimately, that's what we want, right, we want our house to feel like us, we want our office to feel like us. So kind of explain to us how interior design actually affects our mental wellbeing, like as a whole.

Speaker 2: 3:24

Uh, I mean there are lots of things about design that affect our mental well-being Color theory, for example you know. Different colors make us feel different ways and you can be really intentional about the colors that you pick and use in your space to get an emotion, to get an energy level, to get you know whatever it is that you're looking for when you're in your space.

Speaker 2: 3:47

Yeah, being organized and uncluttered helps reduce stress uh you know, um, just there are so many, and when you can use a space efficiently, like a kitchen that works really well, like it just um brings your stress levels down and helps you to to work more efficiently in your home, which creates a positive feedback loop and just makes your life in general better.

Speaker 1: 4:18

Absolutely so. You know, in social media and stuff, we always have, like these trends. You know it's like, okay, well, we want to do this dance because it's on TikTok, or we want to do this painting because you know everyone else is doing it and posting pictures. I feel like it kind of does the same thing with interior design. There's trends that go in and out. So what would you say to someone that is quote unquote, like a trend chaser, like what do you think that? You know, should they keep doing it? Should they not? Why should they hire an interior designer? Why should they, um, like, look for something you know that really more reflects themselves?

Speaker 2: 4:51

I mean what you just said something that really reflects themselves. That's the whole reason to not trace, chase trends. Um, I say I try to keep up with the trends just so I can avoid them. Because, um, I don't, I just, if you're following a trend, um, it's, it's easy. If you're following a trend, it's easy, you know that people are going to accept it because it's widely popular. But it's a missed opportunity to really know who you are and express that in your interiors, and I know that. So when you see a trend and you like a trend, you get like a dopamine hit. So you want to bring that into your home, um, and, and that will work. But it won't work for as long as if you had chosen something that truly reflected you and truly brought you joy. That's going to be more sustainable over a longer period of time. So your interiors are going to date a lot slower if you don't follow trends.

Speaker 1: 6:01

That makes sense. It also makes you happier. It kind of makes me think of all the trends and like what people are wearing these days. I just accepted that, like, women wear big t-shirts with like biker shorts. So I got you know, the balls to actually go out. I bought some biker shorts. I wear big t-shirts with like biker shorts. So I got you know the balls to actually go out. I bought some biker shorts. I got big t-shirts. I can't make this up.

Speaker 1: 6:20

Two days later, my sister-in-law, who's younger than me, cooler than me and more trendier than me, texts me and says by the way, biker shorts and big t-shirts aren't in anymore. And that was after I posted on Facebook and biker shorts and a t-shirt. And I'm like, bro, I can't even right. Like I just accepted this was like a thing. You know, I'm not wearing sparkles, I'm not wearing pink, like I'm trying to do the casual mom thing, and now it's not even in style anymore and I just yeah, I feel that way is probably about the interior design as well. It's like, you know, once you get a picture of it, you're posting it on Facebook. People are like, oh, it looks so pretty, that's so cool. And then you come home and you're just like, yeah, you know doesn't really make you happy and so you have to go back to social for that recognition and that's really never fun.

Speaker 2: 7:05

Yes, you should always wear sparkles and pink shall we, because that's who you are.

Speaker 1: 7:09

I know and I learned, learned. Yeah, I'm just gonna stay out of style. Apparently, underlining or a eyeliner under the eye has been out of style for like four years. Well, it just came back in style apparently again was just informed of this and I said yo, girl, I'm in style then because I never quit.

Speaker 2: 7:31

I'm still really good at it, so I don't have to deal with like the learning curve exactly like I had no idea.

Speaker 1: 7:38

That wasn't even style. Like got it okay, like obviously we need. I don't keep up with it either. I feel like once you're a mom, you're just like whatever. Bro, like I'm gonna wear the same clothes it is what it is like.

Speaker 2: 7:49

Nobody expects you to be cool anyway, so yeah, you just show up.

Speaker 1: 7:53

You're just like bro, this is me. I don't know. I love your style. Your style is so cute girl. You'd be popping with that B&I Like. I'd be like, okay, girl, those shoes, and we do wear the same size, which, hey, okay, just saying. But yeah, I definitely love your style. It's so great. But when I was over at your house the other day, you showed me a really cool project that you got done or that you finally finished, and it's one of your most proud things you've done at your house and I really want my listeners to hear all about y'all. It's her laundry room and she actually smiles walking into her laundry room now, like I don't think that would ever be possible for me, but please tell us how you got that and how you actually established a smile to do the worst chore in the entire house.

Speaker 2: 8:41

Well, first I've got to say people think they can't have me over because I will judge them, and the truth is is that I can't have people over because I'm afraid they'll judge me. Like they walk in my house and they're like what is it that you say?

Speaker 1: 8:52

Like yeah, and I was like wait, where's your kitchen floor, is that? Like what is that?

Speaker 2: 8:58

They're just concrete right now. Yeah, yeah, so my house is very much a case of the cobbler's children who have no shoes. Um, actually, you know, we talked. You talked about networking. Yeah, I had a HVAC guy over um to talk about a project and, um, I go to like my next networking event and I'm like talking about what an amazing designer I am, and then, like across the table sits this like this HVAC guy and I had to go to him after the meeting. Be like, like we can't talk about, like what I saw at my place, like like we don't know each other.

Speaker 1: 9:33

You don't know me.

Speaker 2: 9:36

And we all kind of lived like that to a certain degree. Right, absolutely, we move in and we put up temporary solutions and then we get busy with our work life and our kids and our just our life in general, and those temporary solutions just kind of. They kind of disappear for a little while. Like I can do laundry, it's fine, like it's not, you know but. And so my husband and I were talking about the possibility of putting our house on the market, so like what?

Speaker 2: 10:08

would we have to do to get the house sold. I came up and I was like, oh well, all of a sudden those temporary solutions and the laundry really like bubbled up to the top of the to-do list. And so you know, when you're talking about selling your course, or like you know, like how far should we take this, like we're going to put it on the market, like just what do we need to do to get it?

Speaker 1: 10:30

sold.

Speaker 2: 10:31

And then the market, you know, went a little wonky and we're like, oh, hang on, maybe it will be a couple more years before we move. And so at that point I was like, okay, well, if we're going to be here a couple more years, like you want to be happy.

Speaker 1: 10:46

How do I?

Speaker 2: 10:47

really want to live in this space. How do I want it, how do I want to feel when I'm in this space, and how can it best serve me? Um and I mean that's what I do for my clients every day.

Speaker 1: 11:00

Yeah. Um, but it's uh somehow harder to do it for myself.

Speaker 2: 11:07

Yeah, right, yeah, I mean you know, I hear social media people say that all the time, absolutely. They spend all their time working for their clients and then do social for themselves.

Speaker 1: 11:16

So I think oh, I hate it yeah. Yeah and don't do social for themselves. So I think, oh, I hate it. Yeah, Um so um, you did a couple of DIY projects in there too, Like you tile the floor. I mean that's impressive, that's super impressive.

Speaker 2: 11:30

Um, so I did. It took me, um, it took me some a minute to build up the courage to do that. I bought the supplies. I sat in my garage for like three weeks.

Speaker 1: 11:39

I'm gonna do this.

Speaker 2: 11:41

I am gonna do yeah, and it's gonna be great. Um, but yeah, I like, I do like to do things with my hands. I like to uh collage artwork. I enjoyed hanging the wallpaper in there yeah. I enjoy painting walls like that yeah not quite instant gratification, but pretty instant you know, just a big change that you can make and um.

Speaker 2: 12:06

so, yes, I do enjoy a little DIY, which I struggled with for a while, because, as a luxury interior designer, um, you kind of think that DIY is going to bring your project down and it definitely can if it's not done well, but I think that's one of the secrets of doing DIY is knowing when you can and when you can't, and when you can do it yourself and when you need to hire a professional. But I am all for the DIY project and if somebody has always wanted to try something like, go for it.

Speaker 1: 12:43

Yeah, I am not a DIYer, I am a higher outer. You know what I'm saying? No, my ADD be getting me. I mean, if I was tying a tile floor, I'd get like four of them laid down. I'd be like okay, so what else am I going to do today? Like this is fine, this is a great project. I'm like no, I'm good. Yeah, I'm such a perfection. I'll be like this is not square. This is not square. I don't know, because yours were like what's what? Uh, what shape were those tiles? They weren't square, were they? Or were they like different shapes?

Speaker 2: 13:12

no, they were hex oh god, yeah, that's impressive which I'm super impressed, which I'm realizing was probably not the best place to start. It was my first project, it wasn't that bad um yeah, but like a large format title, I think would have been easier than um that.

Speaker 1: 13:30

But it was great.

Speaker 2: 13:32

I learned a lot.

Speaker 1: 13:33

It's not perfect, but it looks fantastic and um and it upgraded the room for you. You know somewhere that you're going to be a lot of the time during the week and now it makes you happy.

Speaker 2: 13:45

And nobody's having fun in the laundry room. So, why wouldn't you make it?

Speaker 1: 13:49

I mean, unless people have fun in the laundry room. You know what I'm saying. Winky, winky, hey, you never know. Invite your hubby in there, like your hubby, and they're like let me give you a tour. You never know. So one cool thing about you you know you do have that education background. You're so great at like helping people along the process. So tell us a little bit about the course that you offer and how those people that may be DIYers or people that want to do it themselves, like how can they learn from you as a luxury interior designer?

Speaker 2: 14:19

Yeah, so, like I said a second ago, like it's, even though I have all the tools, sometimes it's still hard for me to to use them on myself. And so, um, like you said, I thought that there are probably lots of other people out there with temporary situations, who feel stuck because they're afraid they're going to make a mistake, or they're not totally confident that they're making the right choices, um, or they can't imagine that the space can work in all the ways that they need it to. Um right, and I have that knowledge, um, so I created my force to teach the rules of interior design and then to teach the process, while walking the student through that process in a room of their own and giving them feedback. Cool.

Speaker 1: 15:15

Yeah. And just helping them get that magazine worthy space of their own, so when they've always dreamed of having so when they do your course, they do get that one-on-one time with you, like at the end or like along the process. How does that work?

Speaker 2: 15:32

uh, yeah, through the process. So there's um, some feedback opportunities in the learning portion um that are, uh, through google forms, basically, yeah, um.

Speaker 1: 15:45

And then in the um back end, there's three checkpoints where we actually meet face to face cool and talk about, uh, their design one-on-one that's so cool, because a lot of the times you download courses and, just like me, I offer a course but it's downloaded and you don't really get that one-on-one time with me. It's pre-recorded. And I think that's really important for people that are taking that leap of faith to be like okay, I can change my office to whatever I want it, or I can do my laundry room however I need it, and it's kind of intimidating. You help them along the process, but then also they get that one on one time with you and I think that makes it 100% worth it, because who gets the opportunity to actually meet one on one with a luxury interior design and like get feedback like all?

Speaker 1: 16:30

I would be scared to death too, because you'd be like girl, like what? What are you thinking? Like, did you not listen to the first module? And I'm so sorry. Okay, you know that's why I just hired out, but I think that people that have the courage, it's amazing that they can actually change a room, have you there alongside them and be able to give that feedback and then have their dream like come true at the end of it. That's so cool. You've had a couple of people go through the course already. So like did you get some good feedback from them? And like do they enjoy the experience? Like what did their spaces turn out like?

Speaker 2: 17:06

So I just finished the first go round of the course. So nobody's space is finished yet. Okay, get some really great feedback and I can't wait to see, um, what they how, how everything turns out, um, and I'll, of course, share that on my social when it happens absolutely, I was about to say so.

Speaker 1: 17:26

Tell us where we can find you on social, and also my uh website is uh, wetcrossinteriorscom awesome and that's wet cross w-h-i-t-c-r-o-s-s um, not white cross, but.

Speaker 1: 17:55

I'll make sure to put it in the comments so people know for sure. But yes, I've enjoyed this today, as always. Adrienne, you're such a badass. I love our friendship. I love us getting to talk about business together, personal stuff together, and then I'm sure you'll be on the podcast again to tell us all the good things about your course and the people that have gone through it. Do you have anything else for us to leave us with? Do you have a tip? Do you have anything else for us to leave us with? Do you have a tip? Do you have anything that my listeners would like to know about design?

Speaker 2: 18:28

I'll just say if there's something that you want to do and you think it might be a little crazy, do it anyway. Live bold.

Speaker 1: 18:37

Ooh live bold, I dig it. Yes, all right, y'allall. You heard it from adrian herself. Go out and live bold today and I'll talk to you next week. Bye.