melissa welsh design studio

Hi! I’m Melissa.

If I traveled back in time today, to tell my 10-year-old self that I’m an Interior Designer, she would NEVER believe me. Because that little thrill-seeker has her heart set on being an astronaut.

In fact, my first career path was in Aerospace Engineering, and trust me when I tell you that designing and decorating my home was NOT a natural talent I was born with either. So, how does an engineer who struggles with home decorating become an interior designer?

Well, it’s kind of an interesting story…

When my husband (Andrew) and I bought our first house, it was really dated and needed a lot of work. We didn’t have a lot of money, so we entered the world of DIY home improvement…and we got pretty good at it! We actually enjoyed the challenge of transforming our home ourselves.

For me, power tools, coming up with furniture designs, installing tile, changing light fixtures…not scary at all. But picking out fabrics for a pillow combination or picking a paint color for my living room was downright terrifying. When it came to decorating, I just didn’t know where to start, or what I needed to do to make my home look good.

Meanwhile, after 15 years working as an engineer, I was ready for a new challenge. I’ve always been passionate about learning new things, and I was excited about the idea of a complete career overhaul. I thought maybe I’d try to do some kind of work in the home improvement field. What I really loved was creating floor plans, and I thought if I could create floor plans for people and show them the potential of their home, and help them with remodeling, that would be a great next career for me.

I learned interior designers can do that, and in no time, I was enrolled in a Master’s degree program for Interior Architecture & Design. Now, I distinctly remember saying to myself, “I’m just going to focus on creating floor plans, and I really hope they’re not going to try and teach me about fabrics and paint colors and those kind of things, because I’ll never be able to do that.” 

Imagine how happy I was to learn that Interior Design had some real science behind it. There was a process with defined steps, and tips and tricks that you could learn, and once you knew them…anyone could be good at home decorating!  

Fast forward a couple of years, and I started my very own interior design business. Even though I really enjoyed working with clients, and helping to create beautiful homes for them, I kept hearing this nagging little voice in my head…”You know, if you teach them what you know, they could totally do this themselves.”

And that’s what brought me to today, where I love creating courses, guides, ebooks, and sharing content on my website to help homeowners learn everything they need to know about home decorating. 

Other random facts about me:

  • I have two teenagers who have lived through a ton of DIY projects and too many trips to Home Depot to count. I’m doubtful they’ll follow in our DIY footsteps because of it.
  • My dog, Boomer, is a counter-surfing, shoe-stealing, naughty pup with a bark that could wake the dead. But, he’s super snuggly, so he’s a keeper.
  • My superpower is remembering song lyrics – especially 80’s pop and 90’s hip hop. I even remember a song about prepositions that I learned in 4th grade. I haven’t found any practical use for this skill…yet.
  • My favorite movies and TV shows involve aliens, space, superheroes, magic, or intense action. You won’t find me binge-watching Hallmark movies at the holidays, and anything in the ‘drama’ genre is usually a non-starter. 
  • I LOVE roller coasters and drop-towers. Tower of Terror? Yes, please!
  • My favorite holiday is Halloween, and I have a LOT of yard decorations. Yep, we’re THAT house.
  • I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 2022. Cancer sucks in every possible way. Surgery, chemo, radiation, infection, more surgeries, not to mention the mental effects…I’ve been through it all. Today, I’m thankful for every moment of my life, and a business that allows me to work anywhere and anytime.

Ready to start loving the look of your home?

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