Mel, the queen of bold, artistic and moody style

Mel Shaver-Durham, aka @melmitchia, is a curriculum director in a public school district in Pennsylvania by day and an interior designer by night and weekend. I came across her amazing Insta page, and I fell in love with it instantly. She is the queen of bold, artistic and moody style.

The story of their home, Melmitchia, is a second chance at love, a happily ever after kind of story. She moved into this townhome 12 years ago when she went through a tough divorce. Her children were in middle school at the time, and she wanted to buy the nicest three-bedroom house she could afford so that her kids would be comfortable when they were at her home. It was a big empty white and beige box when she moved in, but she knew it had great potential!

 

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When Mitch and Mel started dating, she knew it would be tough for them to accept someone new, especially for his son. So Mitch and she went to counselling to learn how they could best introduce him to her kids, and the counsellor advised that he start by coming over to do a handyman type project across several days. That is when Mel realised how talented Mitch is! This began a long journey of home improvement projects-Mitch says she is the designer, and he is the do-er.

They have put a lot of time, energy, and money into their home, and they are both really proud of it. Mitch framed, drywalled, wired, and painted the entire basement himself. He redid all three bathrooms and their kitchen. He has done every bit of the tile work, installed their wood floors, laid the patio tiles himself, and on and on. He often says, “You want me to do what???” But then he does it. It really does amazes her every time she thinks about it.

Her experience designing their home from top to bottom has made her realise how much interior design is her passion and brings her so much joy. People repeatedly said to Mel, “You should start your own business!” or, “Can I hire you to design my home?” So in September of 2020, she finally took the plunge and launched her e-design business, Melmitchia Interiors, which you can learn more about at www.melmitchia.com.

 

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Mel: The first design project I worked on in our home was with my daughter. Since we moved into this home due to a divorce, I wanted to give Lucy the opportunity to make her new room feel like home. I allowed her to choose the colour palette and design, so we ended up splatter painting the bedroom wall with orange, purple and red with the help of my now hubby Mitch, who I was dating at the time.

We were all covered with paint from head to toe in the end, and Lucy was smiling from ear to ear, so I knew I had made the right decision. Of course, Lucy’s room has undergone a complete makeover since then, but it is a fond memory of our early days together and the joys and challenges of starting life all over again at age 40.

Mel: I find Pamela Moell’s page, @stiltje.se, incredibly inspiring. She has also been kind enough to feature me on her beautiful page several times. What an honour!

 

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What inspires you?

Mel: Art is without a doubt my greatest inspiration and my greatest indulgence. My entire first-floor colour palette and design was inspired by the painting that hangs over our fireplace, Head of a Woman by Gustav Klimt. Our basement design was inspired by our coffee table, which was designed by ceramics artist Lubna Chowdhary.

I designed our kitchen specifically to allow art to be the central element of the design, and it has evolved into a rotating art gallery over time.  I change my art around frequently, often for the seasons, and sometimes just because I find a new piece that I like that I can’t resist! I love many styles of art, but I have a genuine love for the modern masters. “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” ~Pablo Picasso

What’s the favourite part of your home?

Mel: My favourite room in our home is our fireplace room, where we now have our Modigliani gallery wall. It’s my favourite place to sit on Saturday mornings, enjoying the silence as I sip my coffee while the sun comes up. When my realtor showed me all sorts of homes to choose from, that room with its two-story ceiling and enormous windows had such a peaceful vibe that it sold me on buying the house!

The arrangement of furniture invites conversations over cups of coffee or glasses of wine. Friends and family gather in there while dinner is being cooked, and there is a beautiful view of the kitchen. The Klimt painting over the mantel is my absolute favourite piece of art of all time. I adore my fabulous faux fiddle leaf fig tree, and the bookshelves Mitch built make me smile because I know how hard he worked to make them just the way I wanted them.

He also built the enormous ceiling light fixture from conduit piping after falling in love with a similar one I saw on an interior design competition show. Finally, when Mitch plays the guitar in that room, the music floats up to the second floor and into our bedroom in such a lovely way. It’s my happy place!

 

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Can you describe your style?

Mel: I have a small typographic print hanging in our family room that says, “Inhale, Exhale.” That is because I want our home to be a place where you feel calm, relaxed and welcome the instant you walk in. I also want it to be unique, eclectic and memorable, and to represent who we are as a couple.

I have been asked many times what my style is. It has been described by others as bold, modern, eclectic, artistic, moody, or maximalist. It’s clear that my taste doesn’t align with current American design trends-our home has been shared far more times by European designers than American ones.

I don’t know what you call it exactly, other than mine. I have difficulty accepting the word moody, as I am such a positive person, but I can understand why that word is used since my colour palette and art choices are primarily dark and moody. On the other hand, I can tell you that I love bold art, particularly weird portrait art and abstract art.

Mitch always says, “Oh great, another portrait to stare at me.” Ha. I love incorporating vintage items into our home, but I despise thrift shopping, so I rely on Etsy or eBay for those finds. I love the mid-century vibe, so there is a fair amount of that influence throughout our home as well. Overall, I think bold, artistic, and moody are the top three words I would choose.

How does your family relate to your passion for design? Do they support it?

Mel: I have been incredibly blessed with a highly talented, hard-working, and supportive husband who has literally made every single one of my design dreams come true in our home. My kids have both shown their support in their own unique ways as well. Lucy (who is now 22) and I share a love of art, and I have many of Lucy’s original art pieces displayed throughout our home.

Recently, my son Joey (who is now 24) has started discussing art with me as well, and he gifted me a print of “Mother and Son by Fritz Zuber-Buhler for Mother’s Day. How sweet is that?

 

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I know you are a colour lover, but what’s your favourite?

Mel: I love blue, and I can never seem to stop buying new (or new to me) blue items! Of course, inky blues are my favourite, but I also have shades of cobalt, teal, turquoise, cerulean, cornflower, aqua, steel, denim, navy and sky blue all throughout our home.

What was your design faux pas you did? 

Mel: When we first moved into our home, I only owned one piece of furniture, a grandfather clock. Therefore, I had to start from scratch in purchasing furnishings. I took my kids to the furniture store and let them select the sofa they wanted, a vast brown chenille sectional. Eek!

It was indeed a comfortable piece, but not at all my colour or style. I have since donated it and replaced it with a rounded armless retro-style one that I LOVE!  Letting your middle school-aged children choose your family room sofa is a design faux pas for sure!

Do you have a favourite designer (or more)? 

Mel: Leanne Ford, Nate Berkus, and Kelly Wearstler are my three favourite designers.

 

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Is there any design style you don’t like and why?

I honestly appreciate all types of interior design, and I love the inspiration I gain by following so many unique interior designers on Instagram. The only style I do not like is what I would describe as “soulless”-interiors void of originality. Homes filled with only items from big box stores, without an attempt to add colour, pattern, unique items or personal style, feel soulless to me, and therefore wholly uninspiring.

A huge thank you to Mel for this interview. I’m so happy that I met many talented, strong, gorgeous women during my Instagram journey. It’s not only about followers, numbers but the people who we meet and like. We may live a thousand miles away from each other, on the other side of the planet, but we are friends who support each other. 💖

What’s your favourite design style? Tell me in the comment below!

Love,
Noemi xxx

Don’t forget to follow @noemionebohostreet on Instagram for your daily boho vibes and inspiration.