Talk Shop: Heather Strommen // Sweet Shady Lane
Photo by Ashley Sullivan
ABOUT HEATHER
Heather Strommen was only nine years old when she first caught the decorating bug: Her mother would come home from a day at work to find that Heather had rearranged the the big brass bed in her bedroom, or sometimes, the entire living room! It's still this same fascination with transformative yet simple details that fuels this self-taught designer’s passion for making a house a home.
Her motto? It doesn’t matter if that special something is uncovered in a custom showroom, a flea market, or your very own basement; Heather believes that those finds speak the truth of who you and your family are, leading to what kind of design story you want to tell.
Lucky for Heather, that truth has translated, time and time again, into homes that tell a story of lived-in love. Heather started Sweet Shady Lane originally as a blog about the restoration of her beloved 1937 lake home (one of AO’s favorite accounts on Instagram!). The lake house, named “Mona Bina” by its original owners, means “Home For All”—which it continues to be.
Heather has since expanded into interior design, and has developed a curated a shop full of antiques and her famous Vignette Boxes. We loved chatting with Heather, and hope you do too!
Describe your style in three words or less:
Personal, inviting, and livable.
What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:
Trips to Nantucket, studying home decor magazines (like it was my job,) and the desire to create a real home for my family.
How did you start your company, and/or what is your favorite thing about what you do:
I taught yoga and fitness classes for 10 years, and I loved it. During that time, my previous home was featured in Better Homes and Gardens and Midwest Living. Decorating was always something I loved. When we purchased Mona Bina, (Home For All) I started a blog about the restoration process. I also wrote and finished a novel, and my writing mentor said that publishers want to know who you are...So, I started my Instagram @sweetshadylane, which led to creating The Vignette Box, which led to designing homes for others. It’s funny how things fall into place. Looking back I see that I needed to let go of teaching to make room for design and writing. I’m currently searching for an agent for my novel, and I hope to create my own coffee table book about Mona Bina in the future.
My favorite thing about what I do is inspiring others to create-be it in their homes or their lives. I thought I was a yoga teacher and that was it, turns out there was a lot more that I hadn’t tapped into yet.
Do you have a mentor in your career, and if so, how have they helped to shape your trajectory:
I do not have a design mentor, but I do have two wonderful writing mentors, Julie B. Burton and Nina Badzin that lead The Moderwell Writing Studio group that I’ve been a part of for years. My whole writing group has my back. Shout out to my Thursday girls!
What does your home say about you:
Hopefully that I’m here to put you at ease. Go ahead and keep your shoes and feel free to put your feet up. Mona Bina, although classic in appearance, is more than a big white house. She’s a home; nurturing, comfortable and accessible.
Where do you find inspiration:
It used to be home decor magazines (I hoarded them,) and now it’s Instagram and Coffee table books; Mark D. Sikes’s Beautiful books, G.P Schaefer, An Affair With A House, The Well Adorned Home, One Man’s Folly, to name a few.
Who are your style icons:
I’m obsessed with Rita Konig. I took her class on decorating and caught myself smiling so many times. Rita definitely speaks my love language when it comes to decorating, and I could easily move right into her English Country home.
What are your key ingredients for entertaining:
I love the little touches added to a table that evoke seasonal charm. My Dining Room Vignette Box has special elements that people may not already own. Pretty napkins, bespoke votives and scalloped clay pots for seasonal plants or flowers. I love sweet embellishments that bring a table to life.
Do you collect anything:
I love collecting Nantucket baskets, Mary McGuire art (I have a slight obsession with the colors she uses,) and vintage clippership art.
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration:
@ritakonig, @katierosenfeld, @markdsikes_interiors, @andrewjhow, @jamestfarmer, @mcgrath2, @libbycamronllc, and of course @arielokin. Ariel always shares accounts that I may not have found on my own. I love that!
What design “rule” do you always follow, and which is made to be broken:
If you love it, buy it! You will make it work somewhere. I’m sure I break a lot of so-called design rules, and I’m totally okay with it.
What are you working on right now:
A beautiful living room in Nantucket, a grand millennial bedroom and sitting room in Maryland, and my own home is always a work in progress.
Wardrobe staples:
Worn-in Levis, a pretty shirt (I love Ulla Johnson,) and a pair of flip flops, or Common Project tennis shoes. Years ago, my husband gave me a Cartier Love Bracelet, and I think that elevates every outfit I wear.
Favorite fabric/wallpaper:
That’s like asking, who is your favorite child! I’m a big fan of fabrics!I love Sister Parish for their old-school pattern play, Schumacher for their classic checks, and Bennison for their jaw-dropping florals. Also, Lisa Fine, Peter Dunham, Heather Chadduck, Anna Spiro, Ferrick Mason, and the list goes on.
Best interior advice you ever received:
Honestly, I gave it to myself. Trust your gut!
Best career advice you ever received:
Go for it!
Types of home purchases you invest in, and save on:
Invest in good quality furniture. Years later when your sofa is still comfortable— you’ll thank me. Splurge on English pine and anything that brings you joy. Save on lighting. For example, I have two Ralph Lauren lamps that I bought at HomeGoods and upgraded with custom Fermoie lampshades. I love embellishing a good find. Also, my bamboo dining room chairs are from a consignment shop and just needed new fabric on the seats. I love saying, “Oh I found that at HomeGoods, a garage sale, or a consignment shop!
Your greatest extravagance:
My living room chairs by A. Rudin are worth every penny. Comfort and style go a long way and can last a lifetime.
Favorite places to shop for home:
When I travel, I love finding special things for Mona Bina. In Atlanta; I love Peachtree Battle Antiques, The Nicholson Gallery, Dearing Antiques. In LA, I love The Mart Collective. In Minneapolis; it’s A Rare Bird Antiques, H & B Gallery, and the furniture showrooms at International Market Square.
Most prized possession and why:
Hands down, my favorite piece of furniture is my English Pine Desk that sits behind my living room sofa. The desk was my first writing desk (where I started my novel over twenty years ago) from a store that no longer exists. I cried the day that store closed. Looking back, I see that old English Pine really shaped my early decorating.
Your interiors motto:
Keep it personal, make it inviting and never stop being inspired.
Your life motto:
Fear is a liar. You can do what you love. I promise.
Advice for someone looking to define their own interior style:
Start layering a room with personal items; photos, art that actually speaks to you, blankets over an armchair that make you want to curl up with a book. Find your favorite color and then buy books in that color. Bring flowers home from the grocery store. Invest in good pillows that can elevate a tired sofa. Buy an antique. Start building what you love, one layer at a time.
Take Ten: My Favorite…
Food: Cheeseburger or a good salad. I can do both.
Drink: Diet Coke or Green Iced Tea
Film: The Color Purple
Hotel: The Soho in London or Shutters in Santa Monica
City: Nantucket
Bedding: I’m sure there is something fancy and lovely out there, but I love my Pottery Barn sheets.
Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): Trenta. Green, Iced. No Sweetner. EVERYDAY!
Playlist: John Mayer is on repeat, but I also love Beyonce, Justin Bieber and good Christian music.
Weekend Activity: Working out, making soup and binging a show with my husband.
Design Book: One Man’s Folly