Ep. 224: designer Mikel Welch

We are thrilled to welcome the talented and hilarious Mikel Welch this week. Mikel shares his colorful journey with us to becoming an interior designer and TV show host, going from offering free design on Craigslist to now working on The Drew Barrymore show and co-hosting Roku’s Murder House Flip. Mikel talks with us about how set design informed his perspective on home decor, the bold move he made with Steve Harvey that paid off, how he taught himself design, and the importance of knowing what you are working with before you commit to anything in design. Mikel also has great advice for spray painting, finding the right plants, and navigating thrift stores.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Mikel has always been bold and not afraid to jump in and say “yes”.
• Posting on Craigslist to help people decorate one room led to Mikel meeting a decorator on Dexter, which opened his mind to the wonderful world of set design.
• From Jerseylicious to The Steve Harvey Show to Design Star, what are some of Mikel’s takeaways from set design and TV?
• What is it really like working with Drew Barrymore?
• His rule of thumb — if you can touch it, it needs to be real!
• How Mikel creates drama when working with a neutral palette.
• What’s really behind those big barn doors in his NYC apartment.
• The importance of planning out the scale and laying out images to see if the elements work. Don’t be shy to get in there and really work it through.
• Ways we can create impact and have fun with spray paint.
• Why Mikel calls showhomes the gift that keeps giving and his love of Kips Bay.
• His thrift store rules learned from Emily Henderson. If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a hell no! And always do a second lap.

Decorating Dilemma

Hi Melissa! Thanks for writing in. Mikel loves your Pinterest board of wonderfulness but wants to narrow it down so we can get down to what will work best. First, start with wallpaper, which should be the backdrop. Mikel would like to see soft white trim, which would make it bright and airy, and really balance things off. For the awkward window, large drapery is one option. Another can be a singular rod with pinch-pleated draped, in a solid color. In terms of furniture, consider spray painting the dresser so it matches the crib and swapping out the hardware for something more modern. Your artwork may work great on a larger wall as your impact pieces, and it will pick up on the wallpaper just across the way. We know you believe the layout is awkward, but make some of these changes and we think you will be pleasantly surprised! Last but not least, Mikel has to say it — the carpet has got to go! If you rip it out in just the nursery, hopefully, there’s something great underneath. You’ve got the bones, now you just have to lay everything down!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Mikel Welch: Website | Instagram

Morehouse College

CB2 Furniture

Jerseylicious

HGTV Design Star

The Drew Barrymore Show

Emily Henderson