Home Decor Interview:

Cindy from "My Romantic Home"

1.  Hi Cindy, thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview with us.  Please take a moment to introduce yourself and tell us about your blog.

I'm a single mom with a son in college and a 16 year old daughter still at home. I started my blog in 2005 when I got hooked on reading, knitting, and cooking blogs. 

I also loved decorating so I named my blog "Romantic Home" (I later changed it to "My Romantic Home"). 

I didn't do much with my blog until I discovered other decorating blogs and then I suddenly became more excited about blogging and started updating mine more often and leaving comments on others. 

It's been such a great experience and I've met so many wonderful women who share the same passions I do. 

2.  Let’s talk about a very exciting moment for you, and that is your appearance on HGTV’s “Rate My Space.”  Please tell us how this came about and when our readers can expect to see your episode? 

I was contacted by HGTV last Spring about being an "inspiration room" for their Rate my Space show.  They came to my home and  filmed it last May and it first aired last fall.  It's now in reruns and can be seen the following times:
 

February 04, 2009

8:30 PM e/p

    
February 04, 2009

12:30 AM e/p

    
February 28, 2009

11:00 PM e/p

    
February 28, 2009

3:00 AM e/p

    
March 14, 2009

5:30 PM e/p 

It was such a fun experience and I felt so honored to be chosen. 

3.  A lot of our readers who don’t live in the California Bay Area like we do may not be able to truly comprehend the astronomical cost of living out here. 

Owning a home is extremely expensive, and you mention on your blog that you currently rent. 

As someone who loves decorating, do you ever run into problems with your landlord regarding changing the way your rental looks?  And when you buy your own place one day, will you feel more liberated to make more changes without checking with someone first?

I've been very fortunate to have landlords that allow me to make changes. They have been very grateful that I take care of my place and treat it as if it was my own home. It will be a wonderful feeling one day to fix up my own home and not be limited to what I can do!  I always remind myself that I'm very fortunate to have a nice home, even if it is a rented apartment.  There are so many people less fortunate.
 

4.  You did an amazing job turning an inexpensive chair you bought at a flea market into a decorative chair that could pass for one that sells for $300. 

Where did you learn these kinds of skills, and is it as difficult as it looks? 

I grew up with my mom and dad fixing things up my whole life.  My parents would buy fixer upper houses and turn them into the best house on the block and then sell them and start over.  

My parents made it look easy and I learned that you could get a lot of beautiful things with little money if you did it yourself. 

When I have a question about a project I'm working on, the first person I call is my dad!


5.  You’ve also been known to hunt down bargains at discount department stores like Marshalls and Ross.  For you, is seeking bargain accessories a frustrating challenge or a thrilling treasure hunt? 

Shopping for home decor items is ALWAYS fun for me!  It's shopping for clothes that I find a frustrating challenge! 

6.  On your blog you talked about your top 10 projects from 2008. 

What are the one or two biggest projects you’re planning for 2009? 

I plan to wallpaper my downstairs bathroom this year. It's something I've been putting off for awhile because I've never wallpapered by myself before. 

I tried to put up a wallpaper border in my bathroom in the 1980s and it all fell down so that's probably why I'm afraid to tackle this project.  Another big project that I would like to get done this year is fixing up a bergere chair that I bought off of craigslist. 

I plan to paint it white and have it reupholstered.  I'm having a hard time choosing  which fabric to use. I would love to do it in white linen but I know that with a dog and teenagers hanging out at my home that it's probably not the most practical choice.  I have a number of smaller projects planned for this year too! 

Of course I will be sharing them all on my blog!

7.  As a Campbell, CA resident, you are down the street from the eBay headquarters.  Do you shop for décor a lot on eBay, and if so, what have been your best finds? 

eBay is so close to me and I often think I should try to get a job there so I wouldn't have to commute 30 minutes in my car every day!  I love eBay! 

Most of the things I've bought on ebay have been vintage linen and lace such as table runners and napkins.  I've also bought some chintz china on there to add to my collection.

8.  Cindy, we know you’re busy and we thank you so much for your time today.  For the last question, we always ask about what first got people interested in home décor.  For you, what was it that first made you interested in the subject?  Were you a young child or was it something you developed later in life? 

I have always been into decorating as long as I can remember.  Between the ages of 10-14,  I would come home from school and rearrange my parent's furniture in the living room and family room.  On other days I would polish their furniture.  I loved to make everything look pretty even at a young age. 

My parents had a lot to do with my love of decorating!  My dad worked all day at his regular job and then in the evenings and weekends he would design and build the interior rooms for Ethan Allen and other furniture stores in our area.  Rather than be paid in cash he was given furniture.  I grew up in homes that my mom and dad remodeled and filled with beautiful Ethan Allen furniture.

My parents didn't have a lot of money but you couldn't tell that by looking at our home! It was beautiful!  I try to achieve the same results in my apartment.

Thanks so much to Cindy for opening up her living space to us and allowing us to get to know her.  Be sure to visit "My Romantic Home" today to learn more about Cindy and her decorating sense.