I wanted to share a beautiful home styling display from one of my friends, Meg Young. As the founder of Cailíní Coastal, Meg shared her process of decorating a coastal home, just in time for our Free Framing and Shipping promotion to inspire your next purchase. Her coastal style and nautical aesthetic has always captured my eye. I hope you’re just as inspired as me by her home’s gorgeous interiors complemented by coastal wall art. Without further ado, let's get started!
## We’re so excited to be visiting your home today. Would you mind starting off by giving us some background on you?
> Thank you; it’s an honor! I’m Meg Young, the Founder of Cailíní Coastal, an e-commerce destination selling luxury coastal home decor and furnishings. I started Cailíní Coastal in the early days of the pandemic with just 5 bakers racks in my garage in Manhattan Beach, California. It’s been a whirlwind since the very beginning, but it’s been a wonderful experience that I feel tremendously grateful for!
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> On the personal side, I’m mother to two daughters (ages 5 and 4). My husband and I met in LA a decade ago and recently made the move back to the NYC area (where we both grew up). We currently live in Westport, Connecticut - a cute coastal New England town about an hour outside of the City.
## Your career seems so interesting! Can you give us a little peek into what you do and more about Cailini Coastal?
Photo Credit: Raquel Langworthy Photography
> I began my career in beauty PR. It was a 13-year long career that took me from working at PR agencies in New York City to leading the in-house efforts for brands in Los Angeles like Jouer Cosmetics and Kate Somerville - which is how I met Gray!
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> At the end of 2019 I paused my PR career and gave myself 4 months to build and launch Cailíní Coastal…that was April 2020. It was the early days of the pandemic and they were very uncertain times. I was terrified because I had given up a great career, a steady paycheck, and put nearly all of my personal savings into the business. I never could have imagined that launching then was actually the best timing. The home industry experienced unprecedented growth during the pandemic because everyone was stuck at home and shopping for their home. It was a very fortunate coincidence that I launched when I did.
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> I started Cailíní Coastal like many business owners do, to create something that I felt was missing from the market. As a design-loving consumer with a distinct coastal aesthetic, I found that the luxury coastal home space was dominated by only a few mainstream retailers. There was little to no variety. Living by the beach in Southern California, so many of my peers’ homes started to look alike, with the same recognizable pieces from the same large retailers. I wanted to offer a different perspective on coastal decor with unique pieces you didn't see everywhere. The idea behind Cailíní Coastal has always been to feel like you are shopping at a local design boutique in a seaside destination, discovering gems that you’ve never seen before.
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> We’re a young startup so I still touch nearly all aspects of the business - from the finances to merchandising and marketing. As our business and team has grown, it has allowed me to focus more of my attention on the things I do best and enjoy most - product development and curation, marketing and creative direction. Photoshoot days are my favorite days. Being creative in how we style and capture our products is always exciting to me!
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> We’re also beginning to focus more and more on expanding our collection of exclusive products. We’re in development of so many exciting things, many of them launching this year. I can’t wait to share more about these exclusive finds that you will only be able to get from Cailíní Coastal.
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## Will you tell us a little bit about your style?
Photo Credit: Raquel Langworthy Photography
> My personal style is really reflective of the two places I’ve lived. I was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City. I moved to Manhattan in my early 20s and then spent the last 10 years of my life by the coast in California. My style is a blend of the east coast’s classic elegance and the California coast’s bright, airy and beachy style.
## How do you balance your home life with your business?
Photo Credit: Raquel Langworthy Photography
> It’s a constant challenge seeking balance with young children and a young business. I refer to it as the “struggle of the juggle” - because it is a juggling act more than anything. As Cailini Coastal has grown over the last 3 years, I’ve learned that I need to set boundaries for myself. Since I started the business, I’ve always been good about setting boundaries that ensure my children always feel prioritized, but I neglected myself along the way. I’ve realized and accepted that there will never be enough hours in the day and there will always be more work to be done. I have to prioritize making the time to do the things that keep me sane and happy (ie: a workout, grabbing dinner with a friend). I remind myself that closing my laptop and giving even just 20 minutes to myself will be far more beneficial than the extra 20 minutes of work. It’s amazing how just a small amount of “me time” can impact the rest of your day or week in a positive way!
## When were you first introduced to the GM brand? What was your first piece?
> I met Gray about 8 years ago and I was kind of a fangirl! He was very popular in Los Angeles at the time, and it was hard not to know who he was. I owned just one coveted piece - The Santa Monica Vertical. We lived in Santa Monica then just down the beach from Shutters, where this was shot.
## Can you tell us a little bit more about what inspired your print choices?
Photo Credit: Raquel Langworthy Photography
> It was hard to choose because I genuinely love all of his pieces! We recently moved into a new home and there were a few spaces that still needed art to complete them. One of those rooms I refer to as “The Florida Room.” This room features our exclusive Banana Palms Wallpaper in a bold green which reminds me of Palm Beach. I wanted a relaxing and colorful coastal piece for this space and loved “Afternoon View, Nantucket”
Photo Credit: Raquel Langworthy Photography
> The second space that needed art was our mudroom. My favorite feature in our mudroom is the built-in dog bowl station for our dog, George. Above it was the perfect place to hang “Old North Wharf Cottage.” I loved this print with the bright blue door and cute pup. I had it framed in the new blue frame that perfectly coordinated with our built-ins. This art really made the space come to life!
> All of the art we selected came from the Nantucket Collection - which is a place my family loves vacations every summer!
## What about the Gray Malin lifestyle brand do you connect with?
> The Gray Malin brand encourages creating an environment at home that allows you to escape. That’s exactly what I strive to create in my own home and offer through Cailíní Coastal. Gray’s coastal pieces in particular resonate with me, as I am such a lover of coastal living. Art can really transform a space and large pieces of art are often the focal point, setting a tone for the entire space. In my own home, I try to capture that sense of serenity and happiness that I get from being by the coast through our decor, and Gray’s art helps to achieve that!
Meg, thank you again for sharing your process of decorating a coastal home, and taking the time to inspire readers with your gorgeous displays. Stay up to date with Meg on her Instagram and website for Cailíní Coastal.
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Gray