Hi Everyone,

To kick off February, I’m taking you into the home of a longtime supporter of mine and fellow entrepreneur, Susan Feldman. Her home, as well as her story, are an inspiration, and I’m so excited to share both with you today.

To begin, I'll let Susan take it away with a little background on how we met...

When I first met Gray, I was so excited about what he was doing. It was fresh and different from anything I was seeing in the market. I loved his photography. I also was so impressed with Gray. He was passionate and he had a vision. I remember he was 27 when we met, and I couldn’t believe how focused he was about his work. I knew that the One Kings Lane customer would love what he was doing and would love him….and I was right!!!! A star was born.

Speaking of One Kings Lane, you’ve had quite an expansive career in both fashion and e-commerce. What was your first foray into entrepreneurship?

I spent the majority of my career running sales and marketing teams for major apparel brands. It is interesting because more often than not my roles felt entrepreneurial even though I was part of large companies. I was a late bloomer, 53. I didn’t make the leap as an entrepreneur until 2009 when we launched One Kings Lane. After building the One Kings Lane brand we decided in 2016 to sell it to Bed Bath and Beyond. I had another aha moment and decided to create In The Groove.

What was the catalyst to creating In the Groove?

In The Groove was born because all around me, women somewhere in the vicinity of their 50th year, were describing that in the middle of a mostly joyful life they began to experience feelings of invisibility. The idea that you could go from a decade of feeling like a “world beater” to a decade where your stock was speedily approaching an expiration date just seemed crazy. I thought where online do women in this demo go to get inspiration about how to navigate the challenges of growing older with style and grace. After looking around I found that our interests were not well represented. There were no online destinations for women our age that shared their keen intelligence, impeccable taste, hard-earned wisdom and most importantly their wicked sense of humor. So, I thought: “Someone has got to make this right and it might as well be me.” Enter In The Groove….a lifestyle destination for age-defying women.

That makes sense to me! I’m sure many readers following along agree, too. When did you officially launch it and what have been the challenges as well as the joys, thus far?

In The Groove launched in Fall 2018. The feedback has been fantastic. What we are doing is really resonating with these women which makes me very happy. It also has been wonderful to help shine a light on all the women. Every day I meet incredible women that are part of this demo and nothing makes me happier to help tell their story. I think the biggest challenge is just getting the word out. Today there is so much noise you have to really work a lot of angles to break through.

Well, I’m so excited for you and to follow along with In The Groove as it continues to grow. Now, let’s talk decor, in particular, yours. Do you have a specific decor style or color stories you tend to gravitate towards?

I would say my style is classic with a twist. I want my home to tell our story. It is a collection of our family memories, mementos from our travels and things we love. I have tried to create a foundation of really strong pieces that I can have for a long time and have added an eclectic layer on top of these. As we say at One Kings Lane design is never done so I am constantly adding and taking things away.

I have always felt that one should work with a color palette that makes them feel good and use colors that one looks good in. My wardrobe is all about beautiful neutrals and those are the colors you will find in my home.

As we head upstairs, I see you’ve decorated with this lovely beach landscape from series, La Dolce Vita.

Won’t you tell us about your Gray Malin prints and the reasons behind choosing them?

I was drawn to these images for totally different reasons and that's what I love most about them. Hanging in my daughter’s room, which is often occupied by out of town guests, I have my favorite shot from Gray Malin at The Beverly Hills Hotel.

The Beverly Hills Hotel is iconic, so I can’t think of a better image to welcome our guests to the wonderful world of Los Angeles. And, of course, the addition of a beautiful photography book like BEACHES is also a must for our guests, too.

As for the beach aerial print in our sunroom, this watercolor-like image of Whitehaven Beach felt like the perfect addition to this room. This is our chill out room. There is no TV, so we tend to just read and hang out there. The print has a really ethereal feel about it, and I like how it takes you away with just one glance. I also love that it has a more abstract feel to it.

So happy to hear your prints are working seamlessly into your decor style! Last but not least, what about the Gray Malin lifestyle brand do you connect with?

Gray’s brand for me is all about my love for travel, adventure, and exploration. I think it is so easy to fall into one of Gray’s images and imagine yourself on a beach in Portofino to an iceberg in the Arctic. Gray’s work just sweeps you away

Thank you, Susan! I really appreciate all of your kind words as well as sharing your home with us today. I could have poked around for hours, taking in all of the treasures you’ve collected. Also, congrats and best wishes in your latest endeavor! I really enjoyed learning more about In The Groove. To keep in the know, be sure to visit In The Groove often and follow along on Instagram.

Cheers,

Xx GM