A Beautifully Spooktacular Home
Walking into Tennille Schields and Nick Roppo’s home is like stepping into a world where a fashion magazine and a design catalog collided to create a space that feels both cool and trendy and also warm and cozy. Which is not surprising, given Tennille’s background in fashion design and her exceptionally talented and creative eye. This eye for design shines through in Tennille and Nick’s home, which is thoughtfully decorated in Halloween decor - complete with witches, ghosts and skeletons!
GH: When decorating your current home, what did you use as inspiration?
TS: Moving into our home, I really had to rethink my design ideas. We just moved from a classic 60’s mid-century home to a traditional home and I knew I would have to make my current furniture work. I took modern pieces and re-worked them to fit in the traditional space by adding color to my walls and warm lighting. I drew inspiration from West Elm and Restoration Hardware magazines - in this modern world, drawing inspiration from social media was very easy.
GH: How has your style evolved since you decorated your first home?
TS: Love this question! My style has changed so much! My first apartment in San Diego, after moving from small town America, was embarrassing but also who I was at the time. Lots of cheetah print, Ikea paper lights and mis-matched furniture! I was in fashion school at the time and I would have to say that my apartment was filled with amazing fashion magazines. Some, I still have to this day.
GH: What is your favorite room in your home?
TS: I would say my bedroom. I love the natural light and some of my favorite pieces are there. To me, there is a calmness I feel by being in that space. It feels warm and decluttered and there is no sign of small humans!
GH: Do you have a favorite piece of furniture, art or décor?
TS: Oh, for sure! There are a few pieces I will cherish and pass on to my kids. Like the amazing custom drapes in my bedroom. My Grandma Deeds, who honestly was one of the greatest inspirations in my life, started her own hand-sewn drapery business called Country Curtains. She was 50 years old and lived 16 miles from the nearest town. For her to have such great success with that many obstacles was amazing. She custom made the drapes for my Grandma Schields, who was a very classy lady and was way ahead of the times for her design aesthetic and fashion sense. The drapes hung in the farmhouse that I eventually moved into at 9 years old.
My other favorite piece would be the matching bird art I grew up with. The artwork makes me feel safe. I also thought they felt so ornate. My parents purchased the art in a gallery in Denver, Colorado somewhere between 1982-1985. The artist is unknown. My mom always had the art styled with the two brass peacocks and I still have it styled this way.
I would never try to change the principle of this design or feeling. So, naturally, this is how I styled the art!
GH: What is your philosophy on new and old when it comes to furniture? Or splurge pieces vs. affordable?
TS: I love pieces with history or a story. There are some amazing pieces in my home that were left by the previous homeowner, including beautiful lighting (which I’m such a sucker for)! When it comes to splurging on furniture, art and accessories, I always look to higher end designs for inspiration. Most of time, though, I can’t afford those pieces, but the inspiration sets me on a path to look for similar items that have a comparable look or feel!
GH: Is there anything you are still on the “hunt” for?
TS: From now until the end of time my answer will always be art! Just one piece of art can change the whole mood of a room! The thing about art for me is that it doesn’t have to be expensive. If the piece moves you or makes you feel different, then that is your art!
GH: How would you describe your design aesthetic?
TS: I guess the word I would use is eclectic. I never again want to just limit myself to one aesthetic. After living in a MCM house with MCM furniture and art, it seemed to be just one style. It can get kind of one note. I love that with this home, I can mix styles, color, and moods and just have fun!
GH: When designing your home, who or what do you use for Inspiration? We’d love any resources you’d like to share.
TS: After graduating from fashion school, I was lucky enough to land jobs that included fashion styling for designer shows, as well as window displays. Naturally, I feel like being immersed into that world goes hand in hand with designing your home. It’s having love for telling your story through design. This I will never stop doing…being creative!
GH: Was there ever a piece that “got away”?
TS: Yes! There was a piece of art my husband and I found at a thrift store in San Diego. We had just started dating and had moved into our first home. We were young and didn’t have money to spend on art. We purchased an abstract impressionist piece of art, which was of a woman. There was another piece to the set, which we did not by. I still, to this day, wish I would have purchased the second woman. I mean, it was a thrift store. How expensive could it have been. It was either art or going out and when you are in your 20s, you choose to go out!
GH: Anything else you'd like to share with us about you, your ideas on decorating or design in general?
TS: “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” - Coco Chanel
