Chrissy Serrano’s North Carolina Coastal Retreat

Chrissy Serrano’s North Carolina Coastal Retreat

4 years ago
Hi everyone,

Our free framing and shipping promotion is almost coming to an end, but there is still time for you to bring home your dream print. Today I’m bringing you some inspiration from Chrissy Serrano’s stunning North Carolina home. This space feels like the perfect blend between a charming farmhouse and a coastal retreat and I for one am obsessed. She styled her Gray Malin prints so beautifully and I love how they look throughout her home. Keep reading to get inspired to decorate your own space...



## Hi Chrissy, before we get started on your home, do you mind telling us a little about yourself?

> Hi! My name is Chrissy, and I am the voice behind the home decor blog Chrissy Marie Blog. Blogging is a lot of fun - but I am also a wife & mama to 4 kids- ages 4 to 11 - so obviously they keep me pretty busy as well!
>
> When I’m not stealing a minute away with my laptop, my husband and I love to socialize at our house! We are pretty big home bodies and you can find us on weekend nights right here, socializing with friends or just each other, cocktails in hand in our living room. We are totally spoiled though because my parents live in our neighborhood and love to babysit - so we get out a lot for busy parents. Durham is a foodie town so we have plenty of options - outdoor breweries, rooftop restaurants, yummy boutique hotel bars… we got it all here and love to steal a few nights out each month!

## Could you tell us a little bit more about what you do? What’s your favorite part of blogging?

> Oh my gosh, there are so many moving parts. It is such a balance. I am very active on Instagram. It still amazes me that people stay connected and interested in my life on there- but I am so appreciate of all my IG readers. My main focus on IG is to keep creating fun content: sharing all my decor projects, offering tips, pretty pictures, gift ideas, sale opportunities, etc. I do my best to respond to every single DM - my readers are so awesome and supportive!
>
> Collaborating and developing relationships with brands to share products that align with my own style has been exciting. The best feeling is when my readers get as excited and appreciative about a product or over an amazing sale as I am!
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> Although Instagramcaptures the ins and outs of our everyday life on a more personal level, my blog is my heart because it’s where my longer content lives. The articles I write stay relevant for much longer than a pretty photo on social media. I started diving deeper into blogging more regularly last summer and reached just under 60,000 monthly readers over the holidays.



## When did you launch your blog and lifestyle page? What was the catalyst behind creating it? How has your journey been creating and running this business?

> I’ve been a stay at home mom since our second child was born, and I love being home with them! We custom built our home for our family of 6 in 2017. I was so sad when it was over- I enjoyed the building process so much. Without all the endless nights spent on Pinterest and home design blogs, I was suddenly finding myself bored. I started my blog and Instagram account to keep my brain busy soon after, halfway into 2018. In the beginning, I was sharing all sorts of things that were inspiring me, from fashion to kids clothes and really just a little home decor. It took me a month or two to figure out I wanted to niche down to our home!

## Will you tell us a little bit about your home?

> The outside of our house has somewhat of a modern farmhouse feel to it, more so than the interior. It is all white, 3 levels and a roomy front porch with space for 2 rockers or more. That was something I dreamed about while building! The home is 4 bedroom, around 3700 square feet- our girls share a room and we turned the attic space into a playroom with a full bath. The interior is fairly open with a big kitchen that is part of the living room as well. This open concept floor plan is popular for a reason - it is SO nice to be in the kitchen with my husband and to be able to see or be involved with what the kids are doing in the living room!
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> We put in lots of windows to maximize the sunshine! I didn’t want our home to come off as cookie cutter, so we personalized it with wallpaper, shiplap, painting the kitchen island, and extensive trimwork and built-ins where we could. Of course I wanted lots of white - and worked my favorite color blue throughout.

## How would you describe your interior decor style?

> I would say my style is polished but relaxed. Our home has a bit of a coastal flair, classic and casual at the same time.I never want to stress out over the upkeep of anything we bring into our home. Bringing in high maintenance decor would only cause my family to feel uncomfortable in their own home, and I would just have one more thing to worry about. I don’t ever want to be angry at my kids for being kids, just because I want some high maintenance furniture. Because of this it was important to make sure the furnishings we chose were family friendly. For the most part nothing is too precious - the kids are welcome everywhere and just about everything can be cleaned. I tend to stick to light colors as they bring a calming vibe to a room. We used a lot of bright whites and blues in our spaces- another nod to the coast.



## How do you balance your home life with your blog/lifestyle content work?

> Balance is so tricky as a parent. I tend to just fit in work when I can. It’s really all about adapting to family life and grabbing time when you have it, even if it’s just a few minutes. Always be prepared with your labtop and a charger! ;) During the week I work while the kids are at school - but I still have a preschooler who is out right after lunch most days!
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> I’ll put everything away for the day when it’s time to grab the kids from school. Some weekends if I have a deadline I’ll bring my computer into the kitchen and just work for 5 or 10 minute spurts throughout the day. I’ll quickly grab a few minutes in between activities and whatever is going on throughout the day. All that time adds up! Other weekends I’ll sense my family needs some time and I’ll detach from my computer and social media - or put it aside until after bedtimes. Jose is super supportive and understands I don’t get the 9-5 time in an office that he does. We often work side by side in the weeknights and have to dedicate nights to just be together without work- because honestly, it’s hard for me to put it up! Trying to disconnect from my blog- it’s a challenge.

## When were you first introduced to the GM brand? What was your first piece?

> Years ago I was just starting to get into decorating with our very first house- I came across an oversized ariel GM beach photograph and fell in love. Gray’s artwork evokes happy thoughts and positive vibes; they bring such a great energy to a room.
> La Fontelina Loungers was my first print and we went big with this stunning shot! I just love the blues and whites on the umbrellas- it felt right at home with our decor. This piece has all my favorite colors- I knew it belonged in my office as a focal point on one wall. It gives the Italian Riviera a slightly vintage feel, while also looking timeless. We haven’t been (yet!) to the Italian Riviera but I think it just moved up on the list!



## What about the Gray Malin lifestyle brand do you connect with?

> There is something carefree and fun about the Gray Malin brand. His coastal prints in particular speak to me because they use all my favorite colors and the colors I have used in my home. But all his prints make us dream about future vacation plans and bucket list places around the world! I don’t know about you, but having his art in our home make my husband and I want to just book those flights! Even if those plans never actually come into fruition, they are so fun to dream about through his work.

Anyone else feeling inspired by this home? Chrissy, thank you so much for welcoming us into your beautiful space. Hopefully, this home tour has inspired you to add some new art to your home. If it has, you can bring home your dream print with our free framing and shipping promotion happening right now. Happy shopping!

Cheers!

Xx

Gray

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