Talk Shop: Ursula Carmona // Home Made by Carmona
Photo by Michael Cavotta
ABOUT URSULA
Ursula Carmona is the creative mind behind the DIY and design blog Home Made by Carmona. When she isn’t sharing her expertise on decorating, DIY, and organizing, she’s homeschooling her three dynamic daughters (hello, mama who does it all!) or playing board games with her husband.
Ursula’s design work and innovative ideas have been featured in several noteworthy magazines (Better Homes & Gardens, Real Simple, Hello!Fashion, HGTV, Good Housekeeping, etc.), on television (Hallmark’s Home & Family TV Show), and she has had the privilege of touring as a featured speaker alongside several HGTV stars including as Chip & Joanna Gaines, Matt Muenster, and others.
She is honored to have been selected as a Better Homes & Gardens Stylemaker, nominated for Domino’s Design Blog Awards, and runner up for Home + Garden Trendsetter of the year. Ursula has had the privilege of contributing as an author to prestigious websites such as The Home Depot Blog, Better Homes & Gardens Style Spotter blog, iHeart Organizing, and Remodelaholic.
Her mission in life is to make home a haven, and help others do the same, which is why we love her business’s ethos! We sat down with the DIY-er and tastemaker – check it out below:
Describe your style in three words or less:
Classic Glam
What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:
Thomas O’Brien, Nate Berkus, and Sarah Richardson in my early days.
How did you start your company, and/or what is your favorite thing about what you do:
As a homeschooling mom to three young girls, I needed a creative outlet. So I decided to turn the things I love into a business! It was amazing, I could get paid to decorate my home, and still be home with my girls.
Do you have a mentor in your career, and if so, how have they helped to shape your trajectory:
I haven’t been lucky enough to have a business mentor. However I learned a long time ago to surround yourself with people just as driven with wisdom to share. The fellow bloggers in my life have given me great insights, inspiration, and as well as aspiration.
What does your home say about you:
I’m a woman on a journey. I’m not perfect, but I believe in the joys of doing the little things to improve yourself, and your surroundings for others. Like my home, I’m a myriad of bite-sized projects.
Where do you find inspiration:
If you cultivate an artistic eye, you can find inspiration anywhere. My dad is an artist, and growing up I watched him take seemingly boring pictures of landscapes and transform them into a painting that looked like something out of a dream! If you have the eye to see beauty in the mundane, anything can be an inspiration to create beauty.
Who are your style icons:
Jeremiah Brent, Diane Keaton
What are your key ingredients for entertaining:
A cozy space, a great drink, and international food starts off a fun gathering.
Do you collect anything:
I would say no, but I’m discovering that my propensity for gold frames has become somewhat of a collection at this point. Haha!
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration:
@paigekontrafouris, @bradytolbert, @jeanstofferdesign, @beginninginthemiddle.
What design “rule” do you always follow, and which is made to be broken:
I really resonate with the rule that touch of black will help ground every room. I love breaking an aesthetic by adding an item not in its design style. It’s just a fun little eclectic touch...
What are you working on right now:
I’m in the process of remodeling a bathroom in my house, one of the few rooms left to design.
Wardrobe staples:
A blazer.
Favorite fabric/wallpaper:
Woodland birds by Milton & King. It is a showstopper in my closet!
Best interior advice you ever received:
It’s not about what everyone else loves, it’s about curating what you love
Best career advice you ever received:
Set yourself up so that when you get a lucky break, you are ready for it
Your greatest extravagance:
I’m incredibly frugal, but I will splurge on a great mirror or an amazing piece of art.
Favorite places to shop for home:
Antique shops, and I’m lucky enough to have thrift shops that get samples from High Point Market near me. So thrifting is where it’s at!
Most prized possession and why:
My kids are always my most prized possessions. No item in my home can ever compare to my family
Your interiors motto:
Style your space for the lifestyle you want to live
Your life motto:
Ever upward
Advice for someone looking to define their own interior style:
It’s a process and a journey… you develop your look and your eye only by practice and patience. So don’t sweat it, just bring things you love together, and see what you get.
Take Ten: My Favorite…
Food: Ravioli
Drink: Caribbean Sorrel drink
Film: The Intern for it’s interior design, The Martian for it’s clever intelligence
Hotel: 1 Hotel near the Brooklyn Bridge in NY, for the views and amazing design. The plant wall is pretty fantastic.
City: New York City
Bedding: Silk
Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): Herbal tea, peppermint
Playlist: Musicals
Weekend Activity: Woodworking
Design Book: American Modern by Thomas O’Brien, one of my first design book purchases
