The birth of Silver line design
Silver Line Design launched at the craziest of times-March of 2020, just two weeks before a national shutdown due to Covid-19. I was 5 months postpartum with our third child and struggling to find identity and purpose in anything other than being a mom (which is truly my greatest most important calling, but certainly not my only one). At the time we had a 2 yo,3 yo, and 5 month old baby and I was itching to create and start something I could call my own.
I had dove into the world of interior design in 2017 after I became a stay at home mom and was spending so much time in the house. Working with a small budget, I had to get creative with what I purchased for my home. Tim and I have both always been frugal people and we love going to yard sales, thrift stores, estate sales, and the occasional flea market. I began decorating our home with unique (mostly vintage) pieces that would spark conversation when we would have friends and family over. Boho and mid century style was huge at the time and I had a large basket wall displayed on the wall behind our dining room table that always seemed to grab people’s attention. Friends and family started asking me to find them baskets when I would go to the thrift stores or estate sales so they could create their own basket walls and thus started the beginning of my business! I made an instagram account to sell baskets (which at the time was called thritfygoodiesandfinds) not thinking I would make a profit until I acquired a following. I was wrong. I literally started buying baskets for $1 and selling them for $4 and I giggle now looking back at it all- but man those were the times!
I remember getting so excited every time someone bought something, even if I was only making a $3 profit (less than that with taxes taken out, ha!). After several months of selling baskets and proving to myself that I could do this business thing, I started digging deeper into more lucrative vintage pieces that would provide a larger profit margin for me. Think Caprani lamps, Marcel Breuer Cesca chairs, Milo Baughman furniture, sculptures and paintings that were handmade and signed from the 1960s/70s, etc. Along the way I was deeply inspired by, to name a few, designers like Kelly Wearstler, Athena Calderone, Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent, Jake Arnold, and most designers who’s work appeared in Arch Digest. I look up to these designers and thank them for sharing their creative eye for all of us to be inspired by! I rebranded in 2021 and Silver Line Design came to full fruition. Along the way I’ve created the Finding Vintage Course teaching others how to find vintage for their home (Finding Vintage Course), started designing some pieces for Silver Line’s own collection (which will be released this year!), and started sharing more home content and brands that really align with our aesthetic and vision.
I'll end with this: The name Silver Line Design has a double meaning and stems from finding the silver lining in life (choosing to focus on the good that could come from a seemingly bad situation) and finding the silver lining story in pieces we choose to put in our homes. Every vintage piece I sell finds a new purpose and a new life in someone else’s home. When a client purchases an item from our vintage collection, that item’s silver lining comes full circle. What might've been deemed an invaluable piece to someone is now finding new life and a greater purpose is another’s home. My hope for everyone who purchases from Silver Line Design is that they would be filled with hope and reminded of the good that’s still left in this life, especially in the struggle.
“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.” - Henri Matisse
Melissa Downey
