At Home with Leila of In The Tweeds
Posted on | November 13, 2009 | 7 Comments
Join me today as Leila, of In the Tweeds, takes us on a tour of her 1967 townhouse while sharing her current DIY home project, the designers she admires, and her favorite possession of all (it’s quite sweet!) Leila is an awesome interior designer and student living out her design dreams with her husband through various house projects, a little DIY, and the design blogosphere. Enjoy!
If you could give your personal style a name, what would it be? I think I’d call my style "traditional with a twist," if that makes sense. I absolutely love antiques and pieces with a history and patina, but like to mix them with more contemporary items. My style has definitely evolved A LOT over the past few years, and I’m beginning to figure out exactly what I like, even though my home doesn’t reflect that quite yet!!!
Do you have a favorite designer who you admire? I am a huge fan of the accessible and classy design of Eddie Ross. He coined the phrase "granny chic" to describe his style while on Top Design, and I really think that’s what my own style is evolving to be. He makes it look so effortless, using flea market finds and interspersing them with high design for a major impact. I love how he uses antiques to make spaces feel so warm and lived in. And to top it all off, he is one of the most wonderful people in person too!
I also love Daryl Carter. I first saw one of his projects in House Beautiful last year and was so amazed with his use of white, clean spaces contrasted with rustic and antique pieces. I think that was a real "Aha!" moment for me where I realized white is an acceptable wall color and how to mix old and new just so.
Both of these fellas were self-taught, so that gives hope to me as I take some foundational interior design courses and piece together my own style/look as I try to move into the design world!
Have you tackled any home/DIY projects recently? I am in the middle of stripping the paint from a late 1800s fireplace mantle (which I plan to mount on my living room wall with the TV hung above). The mantle is covered in about 15 layers of paint and has been a beast of a project so far…maybe a little more difficult than I had expected! I’m on my second brand of paint stripper trying to get rid of the mint green paint, and not making a ton of progress! But I will press on! Once the old paint is stripped, I’ll see what the wood underneath is like, and then either stain or paint it. I’ll probably have to do some work on the wood, but hope to have it all done by Thanksgiving. It will become a fun architectural feature in my living room, and, most importantly, a place I can hang stockings at Christmas! (My husband and neighbor friends think I’m kind of crazy for wanting to do this project, but I reallyreallyreally think it will turn out well!)
Please tell us about your blog! 
I started In the Tweeds about a year and a half ago after much prompting and prodding by my husband. I am the queen of ideas and he felt like other design – and home-obsessed people on the ol’ intraweb might enjoy my design chatter more than he would! Don’t get me wrong, he loves to hear my ideas and is so excited I am finding and pursuing my passion in life, but sometimes they scare him with how frequently my ideas change and the magnitude of potential projects. So, instead, I share them with all of my lovely readers. I write about my own home projects, help on friends’ homes, and any other design-related things that strike my fancy. I feel like I’m still trying to "find my voice," but it’s been a lot of fun to document my projects and ideas through my blog.
What kind of home do you live in? My husband and I bought our first home together two and a half years ago, a 2-level 1967 brick townhouse (with a basement). We feel so very blessed to have our own home with so much space (compared to previous apartments!) and a postage stamp of grass in the DC area. Although it’s an older home, the previous owners luckily did a decent amount of work, like totally re-doing the kitchen and (we think) exposing the original hardwoods from carpet, as well doing less exciting (but expensive) things like the roof, HVAC, water heater, etc. We have since replaced the kitchen appliances with stainless steel, landscaped the overgrown front and back yard, painted pretty much every room, and turned the basement into a media room. High on my list is gutting the blue 1960s master bath, yellow 1960s guest bath, putting crown moulding throughout, and replacing our teeny tiny deck with a bigger patio, but that won’t happen in the very near future!
My home style is… classic and comfortable.
My fabric tastes… is all over the place. I love the geometric prints everywhere right now, but also love florals, stripes, and big patterns. Texture is everything, so I especially love linens, velvets, and interesting weaves.
I’m fascinated by… the design process. It truly amazes me how some people are able to just throw a room together and it looks so fantastic. I hope to be able to truly do that some day!
My favorite local shop is… Valerianne on Historic Church St. in Vienna, VA. It’s a luxury linen and home store near me and it is full of fantastic goodies. I love stopping in to see what new things they have (always amazing!). The gals who work there are the best and so talented!
My favorite piece is… my camelback Restoration Hardware sofa. It’s a perfect napping couch for two, really comfy, and has great lines. It’ll be a keeper for a looooong time, and I’m kind of getting excited to reupholster it one of these days.
My most treasured possession is… my box of letters my husband and I exchanged when we were camp pen-pals in middle/high school. I love our history together and am still amazed to this day that we got married.
My interior’s nightmare is… lighting. There are almost no overhead lights in living spaces, not enough windows, and lots of trees around our house, so it’s hard to make everything feel light and bright!
My biggest design pet peeve is… everything being matchy-matchy. Not everything has to be from a set or the same store! I love mixing things, styles, and textures.
My best tip is… go with what you love. If you buy something just because you saw that a magazine or store said it was "in style" and not because you truly love it, it’ll be a waste of money and just won’t feel right!
My biggest source of inspiration is… other blogs! Blogs have quickly replaced some of my favorite magazines that have folded (the usual suspects – Cottage Living, Domino, Southern Accents), but even still, it’s not the same. 
However, I am truly impressed with the caliber of design bloggers out there (like you, Kristin), and draw a huge amount of inspiration from them!
If my house caught on fire, I would grab my MacBook on my way out the door. It houses all of my pictures since 2003 on and I couldn’t live without those memories!
Thanks again, Leila, for allowing me to pick your brain a little and tour your lovely home. I just adore the vignette you created in the first image and your bedroom, too! (The blues and quatrefoil pattern in your rug keep catching my eye.) And thank you, so much, for the kind words about my blog. You’re too kind!
[All images from Leila of In the Tweeds]
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Hello!
My name is Kristin and, if the blog name didn't give it away, I'm an interior designer. I'm also a self - proclaimed nerd, a grad student at SCAD-Atlanta, and a big fan of architecture, photography, travel, and iced chais. In a nutshell: I'm a lover of good design of all kinds.
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November 13th, 2009 @ 1:08 pm
[...] by LeilaMac under {blog love} | Tags: {blog love} | Leave a Comment …over at the blog Discover: Interior Design [...]
November 13th, 2009 @ 2:15 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kara , Kristin. Kristin said: At Home with Leila of In The Tweeds @inthetweeds http://bit.ly/4wfqO2 #interiordesign #hometour #interview [...]
November 13th, 2009 @ 2:26 pm
It was great to meet Leila! I’m also from the DC are and LOVE Valerianne in Vienna. Leila, your house looks great!
November 13th, 2009 @ 2:55 pm
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by DiscoverID: At Home with Leila of In The Tweeds @inthetweeds http://bit.ly/4wfqO2 #interiordesign #hometour #interview…
November 13th, 2009 @ 3:33 pm
Hooray Leila! Wonderful feature!
Jeannine @ Small & Chic´s last blog ..Do you close your drapes?
November 13th, 2009 @ 3:36 pm
Thanks for including me, Kristin! Ahh I was so nervous!
Kristin – the rug is actually from Urban Outfitters (about 2 years ago). It was the perfect punch of color & pattern for the room!
Flavia – Thanks for your kind words! I know, isn’t Valerianne the best?!
LeilaMac´s last blog ..{blog love} you can find me…
November 13th, 2009 @ 3:41 pm
Great post! I love seeing more of Leiha’s house. It has so much personality. I can’t wait to see how the mantle turns out!