knockknock

it's Gemma from Meli Melon

I (=brittni) recently had the pleasure of interviewing Gemma Antelo, who is the proud mother of two children and the owner and creator behind Meli Melon, a handmade children’s clothing line. Gemma currently lives and works in a beautiful Barcelona home, all the while balancing life as a mom and a creator and artist. Hope you enjoy the tour…

In what kind of home do you live and with whom?  

I live with my hubby and my two little princesses in an old Mediterranean style house in the mountains surrounding Barcelona.  We moved here two years ago from a small flat downtown because we needed to take a break from the city madness, and actually we still haven't finished the renovation of our home.

How has being a mom influenced or guided you as a small business owner and maker?

In everything! Before moving to this house, I was working as a freelance graphic designer.  I was very stressed and didn't have the time my family deserved, so I decided to become a stay-at-home mum. But I was a little bored, so I begin sewing my children’s clothes and this is how I eventually ended up opening my Etsy shop.

On average, about how much time per week are you able to put into creating for Meli Melon?

Maybe the average time is around 20 hours per week, but if I'm very busy, I can work up to 35 hours or more. I start working at 9:30 am and at 11:30, I take a half an hour break  and drink something on my terrace if it's sunny.  Then I keep working until lunch time and then spend the time before the children are out of school in promoting, taking photos and other "not creating" working tasks. On Fridays, I go to the flea market and to my favorite supplies shops, so it's my favorite weekday.

What has been the best advice you have received as a small business owner?  And what advice can you share/give to moms, or anyone for that matter, on getting a business started?

Once someone asked Picasso the secret of being successful, and he answered that the inspiration always has to find you working... As a stay-at-home mom, my daughters come first, so I decided to hang a big timetable and clock in my sewing room wall to be the most productive I can while they are at school. Also, my iBook is my best friend, so I make most of my promotion efforts when I'm in bed at late night.

Being organized has been the key to having fun while working and helps me keep calm when I'm very busy.  And if the inspiration finds me cooking dinner, it will have to wait until next morning.

If you had to name one item in your home as a favorite, what would it be? Where did you find it and what drew you to it initially?

I really love my almost one hundred years old sewing machine, and it's still working!

It once belonged to my great grandmother and whenever I look at it, I am always reminded of my childhood and my mother, who left us a few years ago.

As you mentioned earlier, you’ve made some changes to your home recently. What changes or additions have you made to the house so far? What parts have you decided to keep as original? 

When we bought the house, it was really ugly, so we have changed almost everything. We still haven't finished the terrace and the garden, but hope will be able to do it in the  spring. The only thing we decided to keep as original was the kitchen, that has a really country and warm look. There is an antique fuel wood cooking kitchen that my husband  restored and we often use it on cold winters.

Antique fuel wood? What a unique piece to have in your kitchen. Who is the cook of your family? And what is your favorite meal to make?

I'm usually the "home maid", but my daughters really enjoy helping me make great cakes and muffins, and on Sundays, my husband cooks "paella" for us and sometimes a few friends. I love guests!

There are bright paintings and beautiful sculptures scattered throughout your home. What do you look for when buying new art?

I studied Fine Arts, so I have lots of artist friends that help me decorating my home. I love painting too, so I have some of my own creations hanging on the walls. And one of my favorite pieces is a sculpture my sister made on hard stone that is titled

After looking through all the pictures of your home, I certainly have a favorite: the living/dining area. But what is your favorite room of your house and why?

The playing room is where all the family spends the most funny time of day.  We decorate it thinking about creating a comfortable place to be together while playing, watching a movie or listening to music. I also spend a lot of time painting a lot of flowers and butterflies on the wall, and my children love it. So, this room is always sunny, even when it's raining outside.

And my final question: Creating that mural in the playroom is a great way to inspire your children. As a creative woman and mother, how are you able to encourage creativity in your children?

I love to make big collective paintings with all the family together! I also try to spend a lot of time making crafts and playing with the toy kitchen with my girls. I think too that books are the best way to develop their creativity and actually I'm currently reading to them "The Small Prince", my favorite book.

..Visit Meli Melon on etsy..

Thanks Brittni and Gemma for this lovely interview!

it's Tania from Ninon

Today, Brittni has created another super nice Open House Tour for us and she 'visited' the home of Berlin-based creator Tania Patritti. Tania works full-time on her shop, Ninon, and has been making imaginative, one of a kind creatures and other bits and bobbins for the last four years. Her eclectic style mixes wonderfully with the light and airy space she resides in. Enjoy the tour…and big thanks to you Britnni!

1. In what kind of home do you live and with whom? I live at the ground floor of an apartment house built in 1899. It is a 96 square meters 3 room apartment. I share it with my boyfriend, who bought it 5 years ago. We live in Friedrichshain, my favorite Berlin district.

2. What is your favorite thing to create for your shop?

I like very much sewing and making different things with fabric, but I absolutely love making my Les Monstris. My soft toys are the things that make me jump out of bed in the morning when I have new ideas for how to make them. I do hope that I will always be able to live off of making them!

3. Running a small business by yourself is bound to have its ups and downs. What has been the best advice you have received as a business owner?  And what advice can you share on getting a business started?To be honest, I don't remember a particular advice that has been given to me. From my experience, my advice is simple: don't give up. There could be very difficult moments when self-esteem is down under your feet and it seems that it's not working. But if you really believe in what you create you will have the strength to go on with your project and sooner or later someone is going to notice your efforts. Pretty obvious I know... but I have bad moments like those almost once a week. Another aspect that I think is very important is, if it is possible; try to concentrate to your projects full time! I tried to do other part time jobs together with my sewing, but I realized that was causing me to do badly at both things. So, I had to cut down all my expenses to the bone, but I am much more satisfied with the results on my Ninon Project.

4. You currently do not have any children. Do you think that becoming a mother is something you see in your future?We have no children at the moment, but I think about it almost every day... I really hope I will be able to go on with my project.  My boyfriend is a musician and we both work from home: obviously having a child would bring huge changes into our daily routine and also in the way we use the different spaces of our home. I would probably have to give up my studio for changing it into the child's room, or we would have to look for another house… I don't know now. But, one thing I am sure of is that I can't wait to make all sorts of things for him/her, and I really hope that we will be good in raising up a person with the knowledge of the importance of being creative.

5. How has having such a creative career inspired you in decorating your home? For me, it is very important to live in a space that talks to me, that makes me feel that it belongs to me. Being able to sew helps me a lot in achieving this nice feeling… Almost everything that can be made with fabric around the house has been made by me, for example the curtains, bed linen, and lampshades. I wish I was able to make some sort of rug or carpet though.

6. How would you describe your design style?don't know if there is a word that can describe it. It is me plus him: he likes things that are modern, clean, neutral, and then there is me with my passion for color, layers, different pattern combined together, vintage or odd objects. I think that at the end we fit well together, compensating each other's taste.

7. You have an adorable, cozy kitchen. Who is the cook of your family? And what is your favorite meal to make?I am the cook at home, even though Mr C is the expert in panini and snacks... I am vegan and he's vegetarian, but me being the cook he practically eats vegan too when at home. I really love cooking and eating. Our favorite meal is a homemade thick pizza, topped with tons of veggies and eaten sitting on the sofa watching a movie.

8. You have some great staple pieces of furniture.  What piece are you most fond of in your home, and what drew you to it initially? I think the wooden cabinet in my studio is one of the favorite items in the house; partly because I bought it for storing my fabrics, which are my main passion. I had been looking for a long time to find a piece of furniture that would be nice enough for them. Hehe. But it was also the first piece of furniture that I actually owned.  When I started living in my boyfriend's apartment, only one year and a half ago, there was much less furniture. It was very nice, but a bit too minimal and modern for my taste. I am very chaotic and I have a tendency to collect a lot of objects and I like color and vintage stuff. I have to say that he's been great on letting me spread all those me-like things around the house, you know, that "woman’s touch".

So, I bought the cabinet last summer in an Antique Shop in Neukölln, a district south of Berlin where there are tons of thrift/antiques stores. I was in a serious need for a storing solution for my studio still one year after my move, as I was still working with most of the fabrics in some cardboard boxes under my table. I was really looking for THE cabinet, and I didn't want to go to Ikea for it.

9. As you just mentioned, you collect small items and objects, which can be seen throughout your apartment. When did you start collecting and why? I have the habit to collecting little objects that I like, I've been doing this forever but not with the idea of starting a collection. It is just an aesthetical need, urging when I find myself in front of something tiny that is speaking to me. Most of these objects are childhood related, like little toys (I love plastic dinosaurs) or vintage children books. To me they are like a personal treasure and an endless source of inspiration for my characters.

10. What do you look for when buying new art for your home?
At the moment I have to admit that we have more art in our drawers that on the walls. I am still looking for some nice frames to put things up decently (and, Mr C is not a very big fan of wall hangings). But I have to say that most of the things we own are from friends. I like the idea that if I hang something on my wall it is because it means something to me and/or it reminds me of someone that I know in person.

Thanks so much for the tour and interview Brittni and Tania.

..Visit Tania’s shop, Ninon, on Etsy..

..Visit Tania’s blog, Super Ninon..