Anne Davis is a blogger at Design Dreams By Anne, where she shares her personal journey to renovate, redecorate and landscape a 1930’s home. A self-taught DIY enthusiast she has worked on project after project buying tools, scrounging materials and yard sale'ing to completely refurbish her home on a budget. Anne always pushes herself to develop new skills from canvas painting to building furniture, all of which she writes about on her blog. So we are proud to bring you the Designer Insights of Anne Davis.
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1) In your own words describe your unique style and creative aesthetic?
My style is rather eclectic. I love character pieces – things that have been well-loved and well-worn as well as industrial style pieces. I like the way vintage pieces look when mixed with metal and wood industrial pieces. I also like a touch of shabby chic to lighten things up. I don’t believe in following “rules”, I think following your heart is a much better option. Surround yourself with the things that you truly love and you can’t go wrong!
2) When starting a new project, what is your creative process?
My creative process begins with the bones of a house. I think you need to work with what is already in place and enhance it rather than tear everything out and begin again, unless what is in place is hazardous and has to be torn down. Then I search the internet for ideas that fit the architecture or era of the home.
3) Out of the creative people you have worked with, who is it that you respect and admire the most?
I admire creative people who can think outside the box and create something that is fabulous AND sound. Nothing frustrates me more than dealing with someone who can’t see more than one way of doing something. I really admire Ana White who has created an entire website full of furniture do-it-yourself plans for furniture that is both inexpensive and easy to build.
4) When looking for inspiration is there a particular thing you do to get inspired?
I am a Pinterest junky. I cannot get enough of scrolling through the delicious images and projects that are shared on that site. I have more things saved on my to-do list than I can get to in this lifetime…
5) What has brought you to this point in your career? And what is your advice for people looking to follow in your footsteps?
My blog began as my journal to document the progress I was making on my fixer-upper home. I love imagining what a space could look like and I’ve always had more ideas than money, so finding ways to create the look I wanted without spending a lot is my favourite hobby. I also love to inspire others who want to improve their homes on a small budget. With house prices being so high these days, finding cost effective ways to decorate and renovate is the best way to having your dream home now. I’ve begun learning to use power tools as well so I also share my adventures in construction. My best advice is to ignore all the reasons why it won’t work and focus on the one reason why it will.
