Behind the Scenes Style: Colette Wright

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I am so excited to introduce you to this lovely lady! Interior design blogger by day, labor and delivery nurse by night, not to mention being a wife and momma--Colette Wright over at Restyle It Wright may be fresh to the blogging scene, but she's taking it by storm! 

I absolutely adore her style, practical tips, and of course, our shared love of gold spray paint! As my wee one grows, she also should not be surprised if I flood her inbox with desperate pleas to spill her secrets for how she manages to do everything she does. (Don't say I didn't warn you!)

Keep reading for a behind-the-scenes answers about why Colette started blogging, her go-to sources, as well as a peek at her gorgeous, down-to-earth home!

Being a labor and delivery nurse and blogging about interior design seem like very different passions--what made you decide to start blogging?

Ha! Great questions. These two worlds couldn’t be any more different right? I’ve known since high school that I wanted to be a nurse and that was the career path I chose and pursued for 10 years. In nursing school I realized my passion for Labor and Delivery and fought hard to land my dream job and now here I am, welcoming babies to the world weekly!

When my husband and I bought our first house together in 2007 we were young and broke. We needed to make our family our 4 function in a 1300 sq ft space in a ‘work with what ya have’ way. This is when my creative juices started flowing and turned into my passion for home décor and DIY. Friends and family were excited with how our projects turned out and started asking me for help with their own spaces. This is when I realized I had something to offer the ‘ol interwebs and decided to create a space to share our tips, tricks, and inspiration.

What is your favorite room in your new home?

My favorite room currently is our living room because it’s the most complete. I love everything about it from the handmade console table behind the couch, the Ikea hacked coffee table, and our oversized perfect-for-cuddling couch. Once the front (formal) living room is complete I suspect it will be new favorite room. I love the natural light pouring in from that room along with the vaulted ceilings.

What space in your last home were you the most sad to leave behind?

Oh don’t make me cry Sarah! I miss everything about that home and the memories created there. I’m a sentimental sap. The space I most miss has to be our living room. It’s where we spent the most time as a family. The view from the picture window was home to my favorite tree, a flowering crabapple that looked gorgeous in the Spring.

You mentioned loving gold, do you have a favorite gold spray paint project?

Boy do I! I keep a stash of about 5 cans of gold spray on hand at all times, you know, just in case the mood strikes me.  I didn’t do a post about it (pre-blogging), but you can see the Ikea Vittsjo shelves in my daughter’s current room were spray painted gold. I also love to spray paint furniture knobs and picture frames for an instant glam effect. My next spray paint project will be some furniture feet for our bedside nightstand. That will be a post for sure!

Who are three of your favorite design bloggers?

So many great ones to choose from! My all-time favorite blogger is Jennifer Jones from I Heart Organizing. I love her style and organization tips. She also has amazing photography skills!

John and Sherry Petersik from Young House Love are another favorite of mine. I love their sense of humor and no-nonsense approach to decorating. They mix thrift finds, DIY, and splurge pieces to really make a room look polished.

Another great décor blogger I love is Cassie from Hi Sugarplum! Her bedroom is swoooon worthy. She makes bold color decisions that would intimidate the heck out of me but she makes them work beautifully. I admire her decorating courage and eclectic style.

Where are three of your favorite places to shop for home goods?

It’s no secret I love Ikea. The price and versatility of their pieces can’t be beat. It’s rare I buy something from there and leave it alone…I just can’t help myself!

Home Goods and TJ Maxx are great places to look for décor accessories for bookshelf styling and the like. They also have great prices on baskets and bins.

West Elm and Anthropologie tie in my book.  I love the modern style of West Elm and the bohemian style of Anthropologie. Those are two places I will save my pennies and splurge! My anthro curtains in my bedroom are heavenly and I love my West Elm duvet. I stalk those places like crazy for sales and then swoop in!

What current design trend are you loving?

I’m currently loving a mix of metals and wood with pops of color and white.  I love the glam of the metal and the rustic nature of the wood. The pops of color bring it all together for a chic style I absolutely adore.

How would you describe your design style?

This is a tough one! I’ve often asked myself this very question. It’s sometimes easier for me to identify with what I’m not. I know my style isn’t country or farmhouse and isn’t all together modern or bohemian.  I would describe my style as glam and chic. Bright pops of color, light walls, black and white accents, a mix of metals, and a touch of rustic are all my jam.

When you aren't working or blogging, what are your favorite activities?

Between the two there is hardly free time it seems! I love going to support my kids in their sporting events and musical competitions.

I also love thrifting and working on projects around the house. Finding that diamond in the rough and fixing it up to give it new life is so rewarding.

Finally, spending quality time with good food, family, and friends is what life is really about and I enjoy every second of doing that.

What is your biggest source of inspiration?

My biggest inspiration are all the beautiful blogs I read daily like yours Sarah! I love seeing photographs of how others decorate their spaces. It inspires to look at my own space in a new way!

I also find inspiration in home décor books and magazines like Domino and HGTV.

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You can see more of Colette's home projects, chic design sense, and warm personality by following her on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. 

Our Name: an Origin Story

I've had quite a few people ask where the name "5 O'Clock Design Co" came from so I thought it would be fun to tell you a little bit of the meaning behind it and why we settled on it as the name for the business and blog. I'm also excited about the opportunity to show you a little bit of who we are and why we do what we do.

Naming a business is no easy task! It was important to us that the name had meaning and conveyed a sense of our values and design philosophy. It also needed to indicate what our business does while leaving us room to grow into future ambitions. Some designers, whose work I greatly admire, have gone the route of using their own name as their brand. I like this, but it didn't really tell the story I was hoping to.

We want to help you tell your story, not ours. 

We really hope that you love your job and your co-workers--that if your profession requires you to put on real pants and walk outside your front door every morning, you are passionate about what you do and derive great pleasure and satisfaction from doing it. BUT, even if you are working in your dream career, we would bet that you still look forward to coming home each evening. 

Because we all know there is something special about coming home. 

Maybe children clamor for kisses when you walk in the door, maybe your furry friends are waiting by the window, perhaps dinner is already sizzling on the stove, or maybe your favorite chair is waiting with open arms--whatever welcomes you when you walk in the door, home is the place where you are loved and accepted for your truest self. 

We understand that not everyone starts work at 9am and heads home at 5pm, but even if you've never been caught in rush-hour traffic, we're sure you'll understand the metaphor. 5 O'Clock--the time you exhale whatever the rest of the day may have held and let yourself relax.

Your home should be your retreat, a place of rejuvenation and inspiration. When things are cluttered, chaotic, or just "not you" it's hard to get excited about spending time there. We love helping you identify how your home best suits you and how you can create a place you can't wait to come back to.

We design spaces that celebrate all the reasons you love coming home. 

A few ways we accomplish this are:

• We really listen when you tell us what is important to you and then make sure the finished design reflects your priorities.
• We set the desired mood and tone of your home by choosing appropriate colors, scaling furniture and accessories accordingly, and then layering just the right number of details.
• We remain true to our design philosophy: People Matter Most.

Because we think having a place to call home (and really feeling like you fit there) is so important, we've also made it a part of your mission to give back to the community in ways that directly impact this idea. You can read more about how we do this on our community page. 

So there you have it--while there are no silly stories about scratching the business name on a cocktail napkin while sipping happy hour specials, (yes, someone asked that) we were pretty excited when the inspiration struck, and we're pretty proud of what it stands for. 

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If you need help making your home your happy place, we'd love to chat!
We offer a variety of In-Person services, and our E-Design options are a convenient way to access custom design solutions no matter where you are located. 

How Looking Back Impacts Moving Forward

We recently crossed the six month mark of this little blog-venture. I've been having so much fun sharing projects, DIYs, and decorating inspiration with you! You are all so encouraging and friendly and I am grateful for the opportunity to share my passion with you. Some of my favorite posts were also your favorites (this Nursery was a huge crowd pleaser, and the Striped Entryway seemed to be a big hit as well) and it is fun to see you share them on Facebook and Pinterest--thanks!

Perhaps it is the New Year, or maybe reading the book, For The Love, where author Jen Hatmaker gently reminds that "we need to quit trying to be awesome, and instead be wise". Perhaps it is simply where my mind wandered in a quiet moment... anyway, It happened rather unintentionally. I found myself painstakingly analyzing the last six months--the successes, where I could do better, what brought the most joy, what caused stress--and honestly, I was surprised at some of the answers. 

I love people. I crave deep friendships, authentic relationships, and to make a difference in people's lives. I also love design--the pretty, the functional, the innovative, and the creative--it lights me up and gives me energy. One of the dreams behind 5 O'Clock Design Co. was to marry these two passions and help people design spaces that inspire, nurture, and celebrate their own unique style and lifestyle. 

The plan has always been to use this blog as a launch pad for the custom design services I would offer with the goal being to begin that next phase in January 2016. While writing and tackling projects for the blog, I've also been learning everything I can about being a solopreneur. Business plan, target audience, social media, licensing, privacy policy disclosures, SEO... whew! I didn't know how much I didn't know! In this time I also took on a few "trial run" projects for family and friends. Attempting to write weekly blog posts that provide meaningful content, getting the business part up and running, and taking on client work, I quickly realized I was going to need to dedicate MOUNTAINS more time to this endeavor! (yes, I just made up that metric) So the hubby and I began strategizing where this time would come from. I typically work during the baby's nap times, but since he's not such a baby anymore those are getting fewer and shorter. When I am with him I want to be truly present, but I often found myself trying to check my email, craft a few sentences, etc. while he was distracted. Either that, or I was frequently checking  the clock to see if it was nap time yet and crossing my fingers that it would be a good/long one. This is not how I want my time with this precious babe to be spent! I also know that keeping most evenings open for family and husband-wife time is important for my soul health. 

So we explored the possibility of sending the wee one to daycare a few days a week. I thought separating out "work time" and "mom time" could be a good solution, and truthfully, he would probably love it. But my heart just cannot be talked into giving up this time with him. So... what's a sappy momma/business gal to do? That, my friends, has been the million dollar question bouncing around my head the last few weeks.

You see, there's a not-so-little part of me that is strong and independent and fiercely feminist. I want to wear heels and lipstick to design meetings (translated: wearing put together clothes = feeling strong and important), earn a real income, give back to my community, and grow this little business with the hard work and long hours I know it demands. I love the sense of self and confidence this part of me brings. I want my little guy to grow up seeing that: watching me pursue my dreams and passions. I want my husband to see the all-business-lady side of me that comes out when I'm in full on project mode. It makes me feel competent and valuable when he thinks I'm a rockstar. BUT, more than anything, I want what is best for my sweet little family. I've spent countless hours trying to decide where the things listed above fall on the good to great spectrum. Because in and of themselves they are pretty awesome and potentially great, not only for me, but for our family. The only thing is, there are other things that are really good for us too: home cooked dinners, trips to the playground, playdates with friends, morning snuggles, a clean house, just-for-fun projects, going to bed at the same time, a non-weary momma/wife... and sometimes the things from the first list are in direct competition with the things on the second list. 

Because I've tried to give up black and white thinking, I'm embracing that what is best for us probably lies somewhere in the middle. I'm going to hold off on launching the next phase of the business plan and instead focus on the parts that bring me the most joy. I'm not going to worry quite so much about posting new content every week with a Thursday morning deadline, but rather take my time with projects and ideas that I think will be the most helpful and exciting to you. I'm going to try some new recipes (as soon as this kitchen renovation is done anyway!) and I'm going to let most evenings be filled with tickles and stories, conversations and early bedtimes so that there is energy for the mornings. The business will grow if it's meant to, my wee one will grow whether I want him to or not, and I will grow in the process of both. 

Thanks for joining us on this journey. Here's to many more six month milestones!

Note: Let me just throw out there how incredibly grateful I am to my husband. Without his gracious support I wouldn't have the luxury of this dilemma. Also, this is merely an honest glimpse into my heart and home--it is not meant to be a lecture on what is the "right" thing to do. There are so many factors that make that answer different for each of us and I think it's super-important to celebrate and encourage each other's choices in this area. xoxo

Dressember

There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest."  - Elie Wiesel 

Last week, I was invited to join a circle of amazing women. These women gathered to share dessert, a glass of wine, and most importantly: their hearts. Their hearts that are broken for the injustice that is human trafficking, a global issue that exists in every city in the world. 

People are being sold for labor, sex, and other unfathomable ends. How is this still happening? Human beings are not currency or  commodities. This is not okay. We cannot (will not!)  sit on the sidelines while our mothers, daughters, children, and friends suffer such injustices. What can we do? I'm glad you asked!

The group of women I mentioned above, introduced me to an even larger circle of women (and men) who are making a difference by making a choice about how they dress for the month of December. By choosing to wear a dress (men are encouraged to wear bowties, but if you're a guy and you want to rock the dress, more power to you!) you are embracing a symbol of femininity and and declaring that you will stand up for the dignity of all women. 

I know, wearing a dress in and of itself isn't going to change a lot. BUT it's not just about a dress--it is about the conversations you have when someone comments on your dress. It is about acknowledging that everyday we have choices about what to wear, where to go, and how we present ourselves to the world and that not all women have these choices. It is about standing in solidarity for the inherent dignity of all women. It is about being part of a community that is committing to raise awareness about this issue, raise money to fund rescues, and raise our voices in a call to end this tragedy. 

I have decided to participate in Dressember by committing to wear a dress every weekend, all weekend, for the month of December. I already own two or three dresses and couldn't see purchasing more when that money could go instead toward my fundraising goal. (I am also raising money for a local team participating in the Dressember challenge.) How will you participate in Dressember?

Wear a dress. 
Have a conversation.
Make a donation. (You can donate to my team here or start one of your own!)

Together, we can make a difference!

Want to know more? Check out the Dressember Foundation and International Justice Mission 

Let's Do Coffee

We would really love to be able to sit down and share coffee and scones with each one of you, (after which you give us a complete home tour of course!) but since that isn't possible, we thought it would be fun to put together a few questions that will help us get to know you better. Not only are we looking forward to reading your responses, your answers will help us know what type of content you'd like to see more of. Thanks in advance for your answers!

Also, as a thank you for your time, one participant will receive a cozy coffee care package! The winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email for a shipping address.

**The contest is now closed, (congratulations, Sarah B!) but we always love reading your responses and appreciate the feedback!