This week on Décor Talk, we got to chat with Rachel of @rachelkathleenhome. Rachel decorates her rental with her gorgeous DIY projects and lots and lots of plants to create the perfect boho space!
Hi Rachel! Tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi! My name is Rachel! I’m a Pennsylvania native who just moved to Florida last year and is WAY out of her element! I can’t wait to move somewhere colder soon! I work full time in healthcare and love to do anything creative in my free time. Growing up, I loved drawing and painting, decorating my dorm room with little projects, and learning new crafts like knitting and sewing. I love using my hands and trying new things! This past year I started learning how to work with wood and I love it so much!
How would you describe your décor style?
I would describe my style as a mix between neutral boho and coastal boho with a little Scandinavian in there too? It’s so hard to describe your own style--but usually people just call it boho! Basically, anything neutral with a touch of my favorite color—olive green!
Where does your décor inspo come from?
I get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest. It’s my go to place when I need ideas for a new space! Right now, I’ve been searching for all the entryway inspiration! I love that I can save everything to a specific board and it’s a great way to not only find inspo but also sources for furniture and products you like!
Aside from Pinterest, I follow a lot of talented and incredible designers on Instagram who are always inspiring me! Some of my favorite designers on the app are Christine Higgs from @_forthehome, Carla Natalia from @carlanatalia__, and Hannah from @thistle.harvest. There are so many other amazing designers that I pull inspo from, especially my fellow renters!
What are your home décor essentials?
Anything cozy lol! I absolutely love layering so I always have throw blankets everywhere and stashed away in cute baskets! I love neutral textured pillows--they just really enhance the space without being too wild for my style! I use plants in almost all of my spaces, as well as cute vases, dried florals and pampas grass! I also love linen covered books and wood bead garlands for styling almost any area!
@rachelkathleenhome
Any décor tips you can share for someone wanted to refresh their space?
When refreshing a space, I always recommend to start by “shopping” your home! Move some rugs, furniture, and décor around from different rooms in your home to create a new look with items you already own! This sounds so simple and silly, but it makes a world of difference and keeps you from spending any extra money lol. I also love the power of paint! You can paint the walls, old furniture, vases, metal accents/knobs etc. for an easy refresh—you’d be surprised at how paint can transform a space!
Describe your perfect Saturday?
My perfect Saturday would definitely be a day half full of some sort of adventure and the other half--pure relaxation! If I do too much I get stressed but If I relax too much I feel lazy lol. I love to balance it out and spend my morning going on a trip to my favorite stores, getting outdoors and being active, deep cleaning the house, or doing a DIY project! Then, I love coming home and curling up on the couch for a good movie or a few episodes of my favorite show! It makes me feel so productive while still taking time for myself—best of both worlds!
Any dream home upgrades or renos?
Unfortunately, we’re stuck in the renter world for at least the next few years so no renos for us! If I did own a home the first thing I would do is rip out the kitchen cabinets and do open shelving! And maybe try my hand at some custom bedroom built-ins! For now, I love that renting forces me to get creative! I recently made some dining room shelves to get as close as I could to that dreamy open shelf kitchen I can’t stop thinking about. I also made a pegboard for my office and a peg rail for our bathroom! In the near future, I’d love to try some more peel and stick wallpaper and even some removable countertop and backsplash for the kitchen! I love sharing renter-friendly projects!
Anything else you’d like to add?
Just want to encourage people to try new things! You can make so many temporary changes to your rental to make it feel more like “you”! You don’t have to feel stuck! Also, try different DIY projects! I just started dabbling with wood last year and learning from YouTube and Pinterest tutorials as I go! I learned so much along the way and I’m so happy I gave it a shot! Stop saying you can’t or don’t know how and just give it a try—you might end up loving it or find out you’re really great at it!
Follow Rachel on Instagram at @rachelkathleenhome
Rachel has our handspun jute rug.