About

Hi, I’m Laurel, interior designer, DIY-enthusiast, petter of dogs, and lover of chocolate. I live in Portland, OR with a whole bunch of pets. I started this blog in September 2015 to share my adventures in DIY, sustainable living, design, home renovation, and everything in between. I share the good, the bad, and a whole lot of the not so pretty side of DIY. As I like to say, this is a real life blog; let’s get ugly! But don’t worry, I have plenty of pretty reveal shots too!

I grew up in the Bay Area and after four years at Tufts University in Boston, I moved back to the Bay to live in a charming house in Berkeley, CA and work as an interior designer in Oakland. After a few years, I realized I wanted to explore some new digs. I packed up my car and moved to Portland, OR in June 2016 with my 16 year old cat Malary to work for a luxury residential firm. I leased a Duplex apartment with a friend and lived there (adopting another cat named Jackson) until I bought my own place, which I named Berrybrier after the bramble filled yard which provided me with raspberries and blackberries when first toured.

As a home built in 1909 and somewhat neglected, Berrybrier was quite a project to take on as a single woman in her mid-twenties! It’s been a huge adventure that wouldn’t have been possible without blogs. After years of reading DIY blogs, big projects like completely gutting and renovating a bathroom didn’t feel daunting at all since I’d read all about it on the internet! I want to return the favor to any of you thinking about getting your own place and climbing aboard the DIY train. Every project is a journey and you always end up just left of where you thought you would, but that’s the fun in it, right?

I’ve been continuing the journey of updating Berrybrier and slowly transforming it into the home I want it to be here in the most prolific year of blogging on Land of Laurel. I’ve shared lots of big steps like painting the exterior a coral pink and refinishing hardwood floors covered in two layers of sheet vinyl. Reveals of so many of the spaces are coming at ya soon! You can check out the befores and all the progress on the House Tour page here.

In the midst of renovations, I’ve also begun sharing more inspiration images and design advice. As an interior designer, my friends and family are constantly asking for my help! One of my favorite parts of working as an interior designer is how it’s such a natural part of everyone’s daily lives. We all brush up against interior design each and every day (unless you’re camping in the woods, in which case I’m jealous, because I love camping too)!

You can follow me on facebook or instagram to keep tabs on whats going on in the Land of Laurel and catch some really great inspiration images! If you’re interested in saying more than just hi, head over here to learn how to best contact me.