Boho Scandi Home Tour & Interview – Miquela Raiche

Today’s fabulous house tour happens to be the last of our winners from our @greathomestaketime over on Instagram. Miquela aka @greathonourgoods home is beautifully curated with a mixture of vintage finds and well-loved pieces handed down from generations past. Styled to perfection each piece holds meaning and purpose creating a home that is unique to her and her family. You’ll find predominately white backdrops throughout which allow each design choice and the natural textures Miquela has chosen shine through. Ultimately creating a welcoming calm home to sit back and relax in.

As Miquela is a designer with an online vintage shop, today’s tour is a little different. It’s interview-based and provides you with more of an insight into this designer’s beautiful home and the choices she has made. It makes for interesting reading. And the images of her home are as inspiring as she is. After all, our homes are as much about the people that live there than just the imagery we see.

Boho Scandi Home Tour & Interview – Miquela Raiche

About…

Miquela is a designer and online vintage shop owner based in Gilroy, California. Married with three little ones, she is known for taking way too many photos and stopping at every flower she sees.

Describe your style?

Our home is a blend between my husband and I. A little modern (with Scandinavian influences) a little vintage and a little splash of boho here and there. For us, it’s important that our home feels personal, light-hearted, approachable and a bit of fun!

Best Advice?

Try not to get hung up on trends. They come and go. The way I see it, if you fill your walls and surround yourself with the people, places, colours and things that you love, you can’t go wrong.

Three of your favourite quotes?

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” – William Morris

“Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it” – William Feather

“What finally matters is that your house works the way you want it to. And that it is a pleasant place to be in” – Ray Eames 1959

Any fav escapes or discoveries that you’ve found while travelling?

I like to find local flea markets when I travel to a new place. Cherished items vary so much in places around the world and you can find some really unique, beautiful pieces that are rich in history and connected to the local culture. My husband and I try to pick a piece of art or décor for our home when we travel (either from a market or from a local artist). For us, it’s the perfect way to remember our trip.

Are there any design ideas that you love?

I love integrating small, unexpected pieces that add a little humour to a space. A banana vase here, a monkey lamp there, a bright yellow console over here— designing a space doesn’t need to be so serious.

I love the idea of collection walls. Repeating different versions of the same item on a large scale— cuckoo clocks, hanging plates, macramé owls, vintage mirrors, flowers etc. They are so impactful and interesting to me.

Biggest challenge in your life or with your home?

Since we have little ones in our home, the biggest challenge for us is the balance between style, function and practicality. Safety is always a huge consideration when we buy furniture (Does it have sharp edges? Will fingers be pinched? Can it be wall-anchored?), along with being easy to clean (Is it machine-washable? Will it show fingerprints? Can I wipe peanut butter and crayons off of it?) AND, after all that, you still want it to look good! We try to be careful with the choices in our home to ensure it is family-friendly and still a style that we love.

How do you create a space that nurtures you at home and work?/What inspires you?

Surrounding myself with items that were passed down from generations, or that I know lived a great and interesting life, always inspires me. This concept ultimately led me to open my shop. I’m so curious about the past and I love the idea of honouring the pieces and people who were in it.

Your proudest DIY moment? Any DIY Tips?

You can do so much with just a few sample pots of paint. We have 9ft ceilings in our home, which can create some challenges when working in children’s rooms. I try to avoid hanging things over cribs or young children’s beds, and this is where paint comes in the handiest.

Simple painted features/murals are a safe and easy way to add character and interest to a room. It’s also kind of fun when people say “where is that wallpaper from”? and you can say “ I just painted it”!

One of your greatest life lessons.

I really believe that you learn so much by moving to new places. It will test you in many ways and stretch you out of your comfort zone, but it’s always been worth it for me. You will truly understand the importance of your family and friends and never take advantage of those relationships. And, though it can be hard to live away, you get to meet so many new, interesting people and experience things you never would have had the opportunity to.

Where do you find most of your pieces?

For our home, we source from many different places. A mix of independent shops, larger retailers and items we’ve collected and kept over the year. For vintage pieces, I travel to flea markets and antique fairs, thrift stores, antique shops, online auctions and estate sales.

Shopping Secrets?

When I’m shopping for vintage pieces, I always try to research on the spot before I buy. I look up identifying logos and trademarks to find the years and interesting information about the piece before I decide if I will add them to the shop. But, sometimes, you just love a piece that has no information connected to it (like in original art, for example) and that can be really fun, too — you get to use your imagination about the life it lived.

Any design hacks, tips, unusual things readers might not know?

If you’re intimidated by installing gallery walls, I always suggest tracing your frames on kraft paper (or old wrapping paper) and hang that up on your walls first. It not only gives you the ability to align and space things perfectly, but it gives you a sense of what the overall feeling and balance will be. It’s easy to make adjustments (with no extra holes in the wall) AND, when you’re ready to hang, you can do your pencil marks right on the paper and nail on top of it.

Any motto or quote that you live by?

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did but people will never forget how you made them feel” – Maya Angelou

Something we wouldn’t know about you?

I’m the handy person in our home. My dad taught me to work with tools at a young age and I’ve always loved being able to build and fix things for myself. I think my husband likes it, too.

Any design/wellness/green living secrets or life hacks you wanna share?

It’s easy for things to get out of hand with small children, so I feel very relieved when everything has a place. I’ve started to label bins for the kid’s art materials and toys with simple images of what belongs in that bin. Even at a young age, it’s really helped guide them to clean up and organize after themselves.

What is something you wish you would’ve known in business when you started?

To say out loud “I’m going to open an online vintage shop”, it sounds quite simple, but there is a lot of administrative work that comes with opening a small business. All of that had to be done before getting into the fun stuff!

How do you create balance as an entrepreneur between work and life?

Being a stay at home mom with 3 kids and running a business at the same time definitely has its challenges. I’m still figuring out the balance, but I start every day by making lists. They keep me focused on what I want to achieve in the day and the visual of accomplishing tasks keeps me motivated. It also helps that I’m a major night owl — so after the kids go to sleep, I stay up and focus solely on updating the website, packing orders, photographing products etc. It sounds intense, but I love doing it.

What is an instrumental piece of advice you’ve received in life?

In the words of my mom, “take a risk”. Whether it’s moving to a new city, travelling to new continents, accepting a new job, trying new foods or choosing that bold wallpaper — her advice always runs through my head. You never know what you might miss out on if you don’t just try.

What is something we might not know about the field that you work in?

As a small business owner, shipping costs (especially international) can definitely be a struggle. Large companies make it look easy but for small businesses, it can be quite costly and affect your margins and overall customer experience. ​

What are your top tips in terms of healthy and productive workflow?

Taking time to disconnect and be together as a family. We reserve every Sunday evening for “Family Movie Night” where we make old-school popcorn on the stove and choose a weekly movie to watch together. No phones, no computers and no added distractions. The kids love it and we do too.

Do you use any hashtags to find an awesome design on Instagram?

I have to give it up for #ispyraddesign! I’ve been lucky to be a host for this hashtag (alongside an awesome group of ladies) since it began. We feature a new home/account every week and the talent we’ve discovered through the hashtag alone has been incredible.

Any advice/expertise on choosing paint colours/painting/wallpaper?

Always look at your paint swatches in the space you’re working on, preferably with the main light source already in place. Buy sample pots and paint a larger test swatch on the wall OR on a piece of white paper that you can tape up. Check-in on your sample at different times of day — you’ll be surprised how much it can change.

Switching up your textiles is the absolute easiest way to refresh a space! It can be as simple as a new rug, new cushions covers, new curtains etc. The best part is, you don’t even need to buy new ones! Take items from one room to another and see what happens.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s house tour/interview with Miquela. And don’t forget you can check out her website here to see some fabulous vintage finds and her Instagram page here for more of her beautiful home.

As always thanks for stopping by!

Maria xx