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Megan Dorsey fell in love with the Victorian era through her parents’ antiques store in northern Illinois.
“My mom picked up something and said, ‘This is over a hundred years old,’ and I’m in the fourth grade and I’m like, ‘What? I just learned to count to one hundred,’” says Dorsey, who lives in Milwaukee.
Launched in 2021, and with a decade of selling antiques behind her, Everthine Antiques offers a curated collection of Victorian furniture, books, jewelry, paintings, serving ware and clothing.
Architects, interior designers, renovation experts and landscapers: We want to see your best work!
“I love things that serve only one purpose but are well-done,” says Dorsey, about a portable 19th-century oak writing desk. “It’s one of my favorite pieces.”
A self-professed old soul, she models clothing for sale – and often wears it. “Usually they’re cotton, lacy skirts and some of the lacy bodices,” she says, adding that photos of items for sale on the site are taken in her home.
Recently she launched Black Victorian Stationery. Digitizing original black-and-white photos, stamps and advertisements from the 1800s, Dorsey colors in the hands so they’re Black. “Representation is important. There are a lot of Black folks interested in antiques and ephemera, but they don’t have access to cards or stationery that they can connect with,” she says.
If you want to green your home, start between the walls. Eschewing fiberglass and polyurethane (the materials found in traditional insulation which are known to pollute indoor air), the new alternative to cozy up your home is sheep’s wool. The natural material is also an excellent absorber of moisture and sound.
Choose the Right Hues
Paint color offers an easy way to refresh your decor, but choosing the right shades can be fraught. Julia Lemel, who holds an art degree and gleaned knowledge from her interior-designer mother, identified that dilemma as a business opportunity. The decorator offers paint-color consults at an affordable price ($99 for the first hour).
Whether it’s the entire home or just one room, the process takes about an hour – mostly because Lemel has years of experience. She worked as a Benjamin Moore & Co. design consultant and also at Village Paint & Design in Glendale, helping people find their homes’ hues.
Lemel has an assortment of favorite Benjamin Moore colors to help steer her clients.
“With light colors and whites, White Dove [OC-17] and Swiss Coffee [OC-45] are really good,” she says. “Pashmina [AF-100] is a really nice medium-tone beige-y gray and adapts to what’s in the room. If there’s a lot of competing elements, it ties everything together. For a darker color, Chelsea Grey [HC-168] is a medium charcoal, if you want a background color … for a bookcase or an accent wall.”
