At Home with The Everygirl
Take a peek inside the editors' gold and neutral Chicago home.
A quick highlight reel of the mega-blog The Everygirl will tell you that its co-founders, Alaina Kaczmarski and Danielle Moss, work well together. In just under four years, the pair’s career- and style-focused website has become the must-read blog for Millennial women. It’s amassed hundreds of thousands of social media followers, garnered a spot on Forbes’ “Best Websites for Women“ list, and has allowed its creators, who started The Everygirl as a side project, to turn the site into their full-time jobs.
But the blog isn’t their only successful collaboration. Late last year, faced with expiring leases and need for office space, Danielle and Alaina became roommates, setting up a stylish live/work space in a duplex apartment in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.
Though neither woman has formal interior design training, both consider decorating to be a passion (home tours are a mainstay of The Everygirl, and photos of Alaina’s previous apartment have been pinned more than 190,000 times on Pinterest), and it shows. Take a peek at their home and read our conversation with Alaina about neutral decor, happy design, and sharing space, below.
Neither you nor Danielle have any formal design training, yet your home is gorgeous! What’s your secret?
Thank you! It's been a personal interest of both of ours for years... it's amazing what you can learn through observation and a lot of trial and error over the years.
Do you share similar decorating styles?
Absolutely—decorating was easy since we like the same things!
You recently moved. Tell us about your new space and how you ended up there.
We actually moved into this place last year and found the place on Craigslist. It's a large, three-bedroom duplex so it was perfect as a home and office, and we used the third bedroom as a second living room. The rent to use this place as an office was much more affordable than getting a separate office space.
What was your design strategy for your new place? Where did you start?
Our strategy was simple: combine what we both already owned, which worked out perfectly since all of our decor is neutral and meshed perfectly together. My sofa with her chair, my coffee table with her media stand. It all worked out great!
When it comes to decorating, are you the type who plans your entire space ahead of time, or do you just fill it in as you go?
I typically plan it all ahead of time, but once things start coming into place, I'm very well to change my plan if I don't like how it's taking shape.
You decorate with a lot of white, black, and gray. What draws you to a neutral palette?
The comfort in knowing everything will always go together. I can move pieces around, from room to room, and it all works! I'm also a lot less likely to tire of an item when it's a classic style and color.
You do a lot of home tours on The Everygirl. Has that influenced or inspired your style at all?
No, if anything, our style has influenced the home tours we choose to feature.
Why is design important to you?
Design matters because my surroundings completely affect my mood. I like bright spaces filled with art and objects that inspire me. It helps get my mind in a happy place and ups my productivity.
What’s the key to creating a functional, inspiring office space?
Bright natural light, a comfy chair, a large work space, and regular access to coffee.
What are your favorite pieces in your home? Is there a story behind any of them?
My favorite piece is definitely the sofa! It's an English roll arm we (Danielle and myself) designed.
What’s your favorite room in your home?
My bedroom–I love how graphic the gallery wall looks around the simple headboard! And my bed is uber-comfortable.
