Give Marian DeMeyers a cozy space and she’ll feel right at home. “I like moody colors, moody artwork… I love doing a cozy study or library or den.” DeMeyers traces that attraction back to a deep red library in her parents’ home, a nostalgic image that still conjures comfort. Though, of course, she’ll do bright, white, open spaces “all day long” if it’s the right fit for a client.
DeMeyers has always appreciated aesthetics. Her aunt was a designer, and she grew up moving furniture with her sisters around their family home (a pastime they still enjoy). After college, DeMeyers made a beeline for design work, first with designer Elizabeth Sullivan in Charleston, SC, then to Atlanta with architecture firm John Portman & Associates.
Once she returned home to New Orleans, DeMeyers credits her “interior design idol” Ann Dupuy with professional encouragement: “She kicked me a little in the rear and told me where to get started… gave me a little confidence to do something on my own.” From that point, neighbors and friends proved a receptive audience for DeMeyers’ talents.
DeMeyers says she usually presents clients with a few things they don’t say they want or need, like a different style of artwork: “I’ll say, ‘I know you love modern, I know you have portraits, but you need to sprinkle in something that looks like it might have been given to you by your grandmother, just to balance out the collection and feel like you’ve thoughtfully purchased things over time.’”
That long term approach is DeMeyers’ preferred route, though it can be challenging in a world where people are accustomed to instant gratification. In her experience, “The best jobs are the ones where you have your eye out for something, and you strike when the time is right.”
That strike can happen anywhere, sometimes while traveling but more often close to home: “My poor kids! Driving carpool, I’ll be like, ‘Take a picture of that iron fence! Take a picture of that door!’ As much fun as it is finding sources far and wide, at home there is more than you can imagine.”
Instagram @mariandemeyersdesigns
