Living a Beautiful Life in Color : An Interview with Moll Anderson + a Giveaway

Written by Julie Weinstein

As you all know, Wear + Where + Well is a colorful site, and color inspires everything we do here. From Carrie’s outfits to our shoots, to Bella’s recipes, and every article in between, I’m pretty sure you’ve noticed a theme there : we love color!

Well, a couple weeks back Carrie attended a book signing at Forty Five Ten for Moll Anderson’s brand new book, Change Your Home, Change Your Life with Color, and she got to chat with Moll, and of course, picked up a copy of the book. As soon as she got home, she looked through it, and fell in love with the layout and the concept of the color story. It truly is gorgeous. And we were thrilled to be able to ask Moll some questions to get more insight into her books (she’s written five!), how she balances her busy life, her interior design style, and much more.

Also, Moll is generously giving away a copy of the book to one lucky Wear + Where + Well reader. You’ll find instructions on how to enter below the interview.

Now, let’s get into it!

 

An Interview with Moll Anderson

We absolutely love your new book, Change Your Home, Change Your Life with Color. What inspired you to write this book?

In my first book Change Your Home, Change Your Life I emphasized the importance of creating a home that speaks to you. You are the most important person to walk through the door, and your home, needs to reflect who you are and how you want to live. That book was more than ten years ago, and that message still resonates with me today.

As I began to examine the shift in my life, I realized how transformative color was in reflecting that change. The process of writing this book took several years, as I personally made the emotional shift and transformed my home from the dark seductive interiors that reflected my need to cocoon and hide, to a journey to surround my home and life with color that reflected the change in my life. The change was so life-changing that I felt the need to share this with others.

As a site inspired by all things colorful, we completely agree with you that a strategic pop of color can really enhance one’s life and bring more vibrancy, energy, and happiness to the everyday. Have you always been a fan of color? If not, when did color start to become such a big part of your life and why?

When I was young, I loved color, but a traumatic event changed my love of beautiful, vibrant colors. When designing my own homes over the years, I chose neutrals or dark colors, such as black and deep browns. It was only in the last few years when I fell back in love with color and transformed my dark interiors to a home filled with color. As I found myself in a happy place, I wanted to bring that joy into my home, and into my life with color.

You’re not only an author (of, now, 5 books!), but also a television and radio host, interior designer, life stylist, and an advocate for women and children globally…tell us how you do it all. How do you balance work life and personal life?

It isn’t always easy balancing home, work, and life, but my husband and I both carve out time to spend together.  We have busy work schedules, but we plan to be offline at the end of the workday to have dinner and catch up with what is going on in our lives. This is our time to relax and decompress.  It’s always important to be present no matter whether in your personal life or in your professional lie.

One thing we do every year is spend the summer months in California.  The change of scenery is very healing, and this is a great time for us to relax and recharge. I am still juggling work obligations from there, but it’s much easier here to leave our hectic schedule and focus on those things that are most important in our lives.

We imagine no two days in your life are the same, given all the many hats you wear. Can you tell us what a day in your life might look like? Do you have any morning rituals you have to do before doing anything else? 

No two days are ever the same for me, because not only do I wear many hats, but also so does my husband. We both travel a lot for business, and commit to coordinating our calendars to spend as little time apart as possible. With the days always being different, I feel its important to create rituals to start the day the same way no matter what city we find ourselves waking up in.

First thing, I always have a cup of hot water and lemon and then enjoy a morning cup of coffee with my husband and our two King Charles Cavaliers, Winston and Harlow. I also always eat breakfast before starting my workday, so I am fueled for whatever comes my way.

What’s your favorite part about your job(s)? What’s the most challenging?

I love communicating with people to help them to make positive changes in their lives from the inside out.

What is most challenging? Because I am on the road so much, my life is full of packing and unpacking. I find packing and unpacking the biggest challenge. I am not complaining. Truly, I am grateful for the opportunity to travel and communicate with people, but life out of a suitcase is not my favorite.

How would you describe your interior design style? We know color is involved! Any home decor pieces you’ve been eyeing lately?

My design style has definitely moved toward modern sleek, but very livable and comfortable. I love the monochromatic look —using shades and tints of all one color, like purple, for example, to create a chic, sophisticated vibe.

I love pieces by Shine by S.H.O. —it’s like adding a piece of fashion couture to your home. The pieces are stylized and beautiful.  Brightly colored glass accent pieces that reflect light are what I am eyeing now, and flowers are always a must have for my home! 

And how would you describe your personal style? Any clothing (or shoes or accessories) you’ve been eyeing lately?  

My wardrobe is as diverse as my life—from blue jeans, to business chic, to formal attire. I love Frame jeans right now. Gucci is back and even more fabulous! I am feeling very in touch with my feminine side with their dresses. Adam Lippes has created an amazing beautiful line of sophisticated fashion for all occasions from casual to evening. Shoes, yes please —Miu Miu. 

Moving into a new space (or redecorating one) can be very overwhelming at first! What advice would you give to someone starting the process?  

Where to begin decorating your home? This question goes back to getting in touch with who you are and how you want to live and enjoy your home. Knowing your style and the mood you want to create in your home is the first step. I also suggest that you begin in your master bedroom. When I was an interior designer, my clients wanted to focus on the public places, those rooms that were visible when people gather in your home. I like to begin in the private places  —the master bedroom and bath where you retreat and spend most of your time in your home. These are important spaces for you and your partner.

What inspires you on a daily basis?

I am always inspired by color.  Color has energy, and anything that makes you feel something in your soul is a great source of inspiration.  Color inspiration can come from almost anywhere–fashion, art, magazines, beautifully prepared food, nature, you name it.  I love to take pictures of things that inspire me to document my inspiration–I call it insta-inspiration.

We love quotes in these parts. Any favorites you try to live by?

“It’s never too late to be who you were meant to be.” – George Elliot

The Giveaway

Like we said, one lucky reader will receive a copy of Change Your Home, Change Your Life with Color. All you have to do to enter to win is leave a comment below describing your interior design style. Lots of color? Mostly neutrals? Modern? Eclectic? Whatever it is, let us know, and good luck!

Update : This giveaway is now closed, and we have a winner. Congratulations Susan! We will be contacting you shortly. Thank you all for entering. 

A Couple More Things

We want to, of course, say a huge thank you to Moll for taking the time to answer these questions. And we hope you all enjoyed reading about Moll’s colorful life as much as we did. You’ll love her book; it’s truly, incredibly beautiful. Have a great rest of your day!

 

All photos c/o Moll Anderson