I’ve blogged about this idea before but had no idea someone started doing this — love it! A home decorating workshop! No, not some cheesy kind where everyone sits around in a circle admiring gadgets that they’ll most likely purchase and never use (electric apple peeler anyone?) but a hip kind where a blogger/decorator invites you into her home to dish about decorating and helps you to tap into your aesthetic.

The blogger is Jamie Meares of the I Suwannee blog and owner of Furbish Design in Raleigh, North Carolina. She designed the room shown above for under $500 so you can learn about decorating on a budget from this creative blogger for only $40 (what a deal!). Her most recent class was last week but I’m sure she’ll host more so email her if you are in N.C. and interested in taking part. I read about this class today over at Mint and had to post it – lovely idea!

I’m considering doing another one later this year (a blogger meet and greet) so I’ll keep you posted on the details as soon as I know more. But my event won’t be at home, I’m thinking of a something in a central location in a popular European city — a store or function hall similar to the Amsterdam and Berlin decor8 events I helped organize last Autumn. We’ll see…

What do you think of blogger sponsored events? Are you a blogger, and if so, would you do something like this for a fee? Would you like to teach about styling/decorating/photography in your local community? Are you currently teaching and care to tell me about it (link and comment below please!).

(images: jamie meares)

18 Responses to “At Home Design Parties: Furbish Design”

1 simply hue commented:
July 13th, 2009 at 1:37 pm

I love this idea, Holly! If I could I would sign up for yYOURS, but Europe’s a little far for me to travel. Have a great new week. :)
simply hue´s last blog ..Virtual Visit To Anthropologie
2 Jillian commented:
July 13th, 2009 at 2:45 pm

Holly, I think this is a great idea…learn something new and useful AND make some new friends at the same time. I feel it’s really important that good design advice (and stylish, quality products) are accessible to everyone, not just the super wealthy. Having worked at a couple offices now that catered towards the high end client, I know that when I eventually have my own business it will be geared to people on a budget. I think often the most creative design – be it fashion or interiors or weddings, etc – is that which is achieved for less.
Jillian´s last blog ..Everyday Food – Chipotle Chicken and Rice
3 erin commented:
July 13th, 2009 at 2:51 pm

i’m not a blogger, but i would love to be one of the students at an event like this- so i would think theres definitely a market for it!!! i’m obsessed with all things design/decor!!!
4 Liz commented:
July 13th, 2009 at 3:59 pm

I would love to host something like this in the future—something on decorating sustainably… this is one of those directions I hope to someday take my blog/business. We did a few talks at a recent crafting summit, and I’m hooked, but working with and teaching people at home or in a small, intimate setting sounds even better!
Liz´s last blog ..Found: Western Art Glass
5 Jessica commented:
July 13th, 2009 at 5:08 pm

I love the idea from both sides, I can only dream of growing my blog and skills to the point I could host such an event. So inspiring and social and real life! It really is like bringing blogs to life, for those in our “real lives” who aren’t into blogging (yet).
Jessica´s last blog ..Snuff Box
6 Victoria (Everman) Klein commented:
July 13th, 2009 at 8:13 pm

I think it sounds like a lot of fun – I’d go!
7 Julieann commented:
July 13th, 2009 at 8:19 pm

YES YES!!! I love this idea and have tossed it around but am still unsure of the event structure. My blog is all about affordable design and in todays age I think it is something everyone’s looking for to get that “pick me up” at home. This is inspiring, thanks for posting!
Julieann´s last blog ..Quick Share some fish!
8 Anna commented:
July 14th, 2009 at 4:23 am

I just started blogging and I have a whole lot of ideas but feel like I have nowhere to go with them or how to articulate in a simple way. Anyways, I’m in the Portland, OR area if anyone has a class or event of some sort let me know. Any online resources would be cool too.
I’d love to find such an event and even find a blogging “mentor” if there is such a thing.
9 Heather commented:
July 14th, 2009 at 8:13 am

I think it’s a great idea! As a blogger, I think you’d need quite a following (like yours) in order to get the attendance. I’m not there yet, but I’d love to attend an event you planned! I loved the BYW class, and got a lot out of it!
Heather´s last blog ..Author/Artist Series: Grace Lin
10 rdekko commented:
July 14th, 2009 at 9:52 am

Hi Holly, you know me!
I own a blog in Greece-Athens and i started to teach crafty things and decoration tips for 1 month now. I collaborate with a oragnic-food coffee store “Bliss” that brings up events like this and i am among other bloggers that teach. We want to organize it better from September and make something like a crafty lesson also. We went on “fresh and reuse balkonies decor” lessons in June and it went very well. We are setting up a space inside the store, a balkony for example and either we give lessons for the colors-space etc. or show how we made these things if they are handmade or where we bought them and what the “students” should check. So it is really nice to chat with people and know how they think about decorating a space. We think about asking them to bring an object also that they would like to keep no matter what, just to find their style also. I will surely have more news from Automn, because the ideas are growing fast.
rdekko´s last blog ..What a ceiling f(a)n
11 juliette commented:
July 14th, 2009 at 9:55 am

I find this idea really interesting and would definitely seriously consider attending something like this. (esp somewhere in Germany!!) I would love to see certain blogs go ‘offline’ and into 3-D and think a Decor8 workshop would be a blast! I’m still kicking myself for not taking your last blogging course, just for the fun/interaction of it all.
I’m currently working on a collaboration to run a series of workshops on academic writing/publishing with the local university here, so I think that’s about as much ‘teaching’ as I’m doing just now =)
juliette´s last blog ..Saved by a free printable
12 rdekko commented:
July 14th, 2009 at 10:02 am

I just checked the mint and shaw that she also asks objects from the students. How nice to see that we think the same. You know this idea came to me after a question that i had sent you to upload a photo of a piece of furniture and the objects that i have in hands and the readers say their opinion about how i could put them on it, or propose another object from the web. We could have reached so many ways like this. You told me that time “ok send it over” but then the idea crossed my mind.
rdekko´s last blog ..Aloha! I am Back again!
13 John Robertson commented:
July 14th, 2009 at 3:31 pm

The idea’s great – but the question is do you charge for the blog party or is it a way of making connections to broader services. As I am an artist. I have open studios and clients (decorators and designers) seeing my works on my blog. They can come to my studio for free to see the artwork in person. My real challenge is to offer good content on my blog that is separate from the photos of my paintings. Anyone have a good idea for that?
John Robertson´s last blog ..
14 Angelia commented:
July 14th, 2009 at 3:55 pm

I offer classes at my birck and mortar studio in art, design and sewing (my teen summer sewing camp is next week.) The ideas of creating things of use and then incorporating them in your home/ style is the best. I would love to be able to do more with my teaching on line, since we are in a somewhat rural area, with limited students available.
I wish I had known about your last blogging class.
15 SixDifferentWays commented:
July 14th, 2009 at 4:27 pm

This is a great idea. I’d love to learn from blogger pros like you and would be happy to share my ideas as well.
SixDifferentWays´s last blog ..Excellent Etsy Find
16 Rachel B. commented:
July 15th, 2009 at 2:05 am

Hi Holly- I would love to attend something like that. I have been blogging for over a year now- and I often get questions about my photography. I would love to give a lesson or two about how I shoot- I’ve been kicking around the idea for a while now. Just unsure how to get it started and get the word out.
Rachel B.´s last blog ..Wrigley Field- A Wedding…
17 two tall girls commented:
July 17th, 2009 at 12:28 am

This is really great. Karyn and I have discussed this for ourselves many times. We have discussed the fact that we are two people that offer a similar taste but some different styles and strengths that a client could really benefit from it. I love it when people just go for it and do what they love. Congrats! and best of luck, we will look forward to seeing more.
two tall girls´s last blog ..Screwy
18 A Girl commented:
September 4th, 2009 at 10:42 am

What a great idea!
A Girl´s last blog ..Gorgeously Green

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