Steps lined with potted plants mark the entrance to Meghan Daniel’s Capital Heights cottage. They’re the first hint at the maximalist, lively space inside.
Past the front door is a world full of thrifted furniture, prickly cacti, offbeat art and barking dogs.
Daniel shares her colorful two-bedroom with her 3-year-old daughter, three dogs, boyfriend and several businesses she runs from home. And though she and her family have only lived here two years, they’ve left their footprint all over it.
Not everything in the house is vintage, but it all looks like it could be. Daniel has an eye for unique pieces: a midcentury sideboard, a pink donkey-shaped planter, patterned rugs, bird-themed pieces for her daughter’s bedroom. She loves to dig through shops like Here Today Gone Tomorrow, America’s Thrift Stores and Goodwill.
For her bedroom, Daniel gravitated toward a romantic color palette with shades of peach, pink and red. The chair is from Tuesday Morning and the bedding is from Urban Outfitters. She found the dresser on the side of the road and the tropical art print at American Thrift.
On left: Shelving just off the kitchen is dedicated to funky plants, barware and glassware in a rainbow of colors.
On right: After a five-month renovation of Daniel’s only bathroom left her brushing her teeth in the kitchen for weeks, she was nervous to upgrade the kitchen. Luckily, that renovation was done in less than a month. She gutted the space and hired contractors to install the countertops, cabinetry with extra drawers, a pantry and a gas stove. The backsplash is from Floor & Decor. Counters and cabinets are from 90 Degree Cabinets & Countertop.
But when she doesn’t encounter what she’s looking for secondhand, she’s particularly good at finding items that still look one-of-a-kind but are sold by larger retailers, like cool ceramics and glassware from Target, retro-style posters from Urban Outfitters, a pink chair from discount store Tuesday Morning and ’70s-inspired wallpaper she bought online.
“I like comfortable things, too,” Daniel adds, gesturing to the seagrass-green loveseat she’s occupying in her living room this afternoon. “When I look at leather couches, I think: That looks cool, but can I nap on it?” She cocks her head to the side pensively.
Comfort was especially key in the living room, because it’s where most things in the house happen: movie watching, coloring, fort making, record listening on those windows-open days. They don’t have a dining room, so the coffee table is the spot where Daniel’s daughter, Alice, drizzles syrup on her waffles each morning and digs a fork into her pasta dinner at night.
Daniel went for a bird theme in her daughter Alice’s bedroom. Parrots, roosters and flamingos make appearances in the bedding, textile art and even string lights. Hooks on one wall serve as a dressup station, holding boas, capes and princess costumes. On the opposite side of the room, a play kitchen provides hours of entertainment.
Working in an office off the living room, Daniel creates embroidery hoops and gifts for her main company, Crybaby Stitch. She’ll listen to true crime podcasts while she works. If she gets too into the zone, her Apple Watch will remind her when it’s time to stand up. She supplements that business with a part-time job at FW Gallery and a gig as a consultant for skincare brand Beautycounter.
Today is a Friday, one of Daniel’s “off” days—reserved for errands, Yoglates and working on pieces for Crybaby Stitch. She’s dressed in gym clothes, her dark hair freshly showered. Later, she’ll pick Alice up from school. They’ll cook risotto for dinner—or Daniel will cook, and Alice will help stir. Other nights, they might bike a few blocks over and get pizza from White Star Market.
Perhaps because she knows all about the hustle of being a working mom and artist, Daniel has a great appreciation for Baton Rouge’s creatives. Her walls are decorated with pieces by makers like Sweet Olive Heirloom, Zoë Robison, Samara Thomas and Thomas Wimberly.
Daniel’s living room walls are covered in artwork, most of which she had framed locally at FW Gallery. She estimates she has more than 30 plants scattered around the house. Since she has a young daughter and three dogs, Daniel opts for budget-friendly rugs. This distressed pink area rug is from Well Woven Rugs. The green loveseat is by Article.
Her knack for curating gallery walls and marrying color palettes in her own space has her friends often telling her she should be an interior designer.
“But I say no—this is the one [fun] thing I have left,” she says with a laugh, thinking about all the other hobbies she’s turned into businesses.
Not so fast, though—it turns out she’s just launched a vintage resale business with her boyfriend. They’ll be salvaging thrifted goods and reselling them.
When she’s buying pieces for her newest endeavor, she’ll likely follow the same guidelines she lives by when decorating her own home:
“Just buy what you like,” she says. “If it’s all your style, it will come together.”
This article was originally published in the 225 Extra: 2019 Spaces & Places issue. Click here to read more articles from this issue.
