Simplifying Fabulous! with Marcy Michaud of Stylesson
ABOUT Marcy Michaud recently started Stylesson as a site to highlight design bloggers. She keeps her finger on the pulse of what is happening with design blogs and manages an ever-growing resource of bloggers. (Talk about inspiration!!) Marcy lives in Connecticut with her husband and son, and their Westie, Kinn. 
Robin Baron: You’ve worked in fashion merchandising, in magazines and pr, traveled as a television spokesperson, were a boutique store manager and now a blogger! What do you love about your newest venture? Marcy Michaud: I adore reading blogs. I designed Stylesson just so that I could indulge that passion! I had been following so many blogs (and discovering more every day!) that I thought I’d make a list of them. And better yet, why not share them so that others could find fabulous bloggers too. And bloggers are some of the nicest people – it makes me happy to be able to share their work. 
RB: Design blogs are an obvious source of inspiration for you. Where else do you draw inspiration for your daily life? MM: I always have my eyes open! For design, there are influences everywhere. I’ve always been a magazine reader. But today it is magazines, blogs, the internet, twitter, stores – inspiration is everywhere. For my personal inspiration, it is my faith and my family and friends that keep me happy. RB: Do any parts of your blog illustrate Simplifying Fabulous motto that “Confidence Begins at Home!”? MM: Home is where we all begin. It is meant to be a safe place that is warm and accepting, where we can be ourselves. That acceptance can give us the confidence to reach out and try new things. It allows us to have a jumping off point to try – and a welcoming place to return to. It seems appropriate that home is my place to work on my website, and I hope that the designs that I show offer inspiration to others to create a home that will be uniquely their own. RB: What do you love most about your home and why? MM: We have a small home, a “cottage”, but it is just the right size for our family. We use all of it and it keeps us close. It has lots of living spaces – a large kitchen island to sit and talk with the person who is cooking – a comfy couch to settle into and read – a dining table that sits in front of the fireplace for cozy, evening dinners in the fall and winter – and a delightful screened-in porch where we have our meals during the summer. 
RB: Do you have any special organizational tips/tricks? MM: I love clean surfaces! I love the simplicity and the organization of putting things away. When piles accumulate, at least we’ll group similar items together and that seems to help. Magazines go in a pile, mail gets thrown in a basket by the front door, tables and counters are cleared – it makes everything look more orderly. And I love having flowers in my home. Whether it is a small grouping that I’ve picked from the garden or something from the store, it just makes you feel special by bringing a touch of nature inside.
RB: Does your family have any unique decorating traditions with the home? MM: I married a collector! He has lots of interesting things that he collects and we enjoy the same types of things, like folk art. Finding pieces to go in our home is a lot of fun. 
RB: What design elements in your home have you personalized? MM: We’ve put our touch on a lot of it, but what I especially like are the mementos that have been passed down from our families. I love both their vintage or antique quality and also the remembrances that they hold. It could be something simple, like my grandfather’s wire-rimmed glasses, or grand, like my mother-in-law’s clock. All of them are special because of the people that they remind me of. RB: What is special about your home? MM: One addition to our home that has made us all happy is our Westie, Kinn. He has a funny personality and brings us such joy. He keeps us laughing! 
