Leigh Jendrusina
Owner/Designer, Salthouse Collective Interior Design + Styling
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Instagram: @salthousecollective | salthousecollective.com
Photos: Charlotte Lea
Easy Ways to Refresh Your Space
1. Switch out your rug. There are so many great rugs out there at a variety of price points. If you are feeling uninspired by a current room, change out the rug. It will immediately change up the space.
2. Add greenery! I used to be scared of using plants in a space, and then a few years ago I started incorporating them into rooms and was hooked. Plants add so much dimension to a space; plus there are so many amazing pots and baskets to style them in. It’s an instant room changer. My three go-to plants are sansevieria, rubber plants and ZZ plants. They look good, are super low maintenance and do well in a variety of lights. I love fiddle-leaf figs as well, but they’re a little more temperamental.
3. Change up the art (or add art). I love a good gallery wall, and an evolving gallery wall is always fun because you can continue to be inspired by the new pieces you add. Or, if you have a gallery wall already and are over it, try doing a large-scale piece or two of art. It makes a big statement and is a fresh way to change up a wall. If you want to keep the art you have, but want a change to your walls, it’s also fun to play with the size of your matting on your art. I love doing large matting or off-center matting with art so the frame takes up a good chunk of a wall, but there is still lots of clean space.
Some of my Favorite Hashtags
Peel + Stick Wallpaper
I love wallpaper—it’s such a fun and (can be an) affordable way to change up a space. There are so many fun peel and stick wallpapers from places like Chasing Paper and Walls Need Love. There are also a ton of good wallpaper companies I’ve found through Instagram, like Studio Habita and Abnormals Anonymous. It’s always fun to try a bold print, especially in a small space like a bathroom.
When Designing a Space
Always start with a mood board. It’ll save you time and money in the long run. When creating a mood board, I usually do a color/ texture palette first to have a sense for where the space is directionally going; once I like the palette, I then pick one big item I can’t live without in that space and design around that. Oftentimes that one big item is the rug, but not always. In my living room, I fell in love with my media console and designed around that piece. Whereas in a nursery I just completed, I started with a really cool rug and built the space around it.
A Healthy & Productive Workflow
I’m a huge list maker. I live for my lists. That’s probably my number one tip for being productive. I also believe in clear communication and expectation setting. Ensuring clients know the process, timelines, deliverables, issues, etc. will make the overall experience for everyone smoother. I’m continuing to get better at this as I gain more experience within different facets of interior design.
Design Ideas I Love
1. I will always love a gallery wall—it’ll never go out of style.
2. I love all the panel molding designers are incorporating in homes. When done with the right balance, it really helps to make a space look modern and finished.
3. I love open shelving in kitchens when it’s done right. I think it makes a kitchen look clean, modern and more open.
4. I love a textured home: mixing woods, patterns and materials in a space. It gives the home so much more visual interest.
5. Wallpaper or a cool painted graphic detail on a ceiling is a really fun and unexpected way to make a space stand out.