Photo by Jeni A. in the Atomic Bombshell room at the Trixie Motel
Hey! My name is Pam Dewey, and I write the content for Behind the Shade. Scroll down for more info about the photographer, Jon. I’m a writer and colorful weirdo. I love, love, love interior design. I particularly like maximalist, vintage home décor. I love a chandelier. I love rattan and wicker. Probably 80-90% of my décor and furniture is vintage.
I’ve loved fashion since grade school. In my 20s, I moved to NYC, got a job doing visual merchandising and then styling at Saks Fifth Avenue. Not only was I working with stunning designer clothes everyday (and also meeting designers), I got a crash course in interior design. It was an amazing experience. I was also writing press releases and band bios for my best friend’s band.
After moving back to the Midwest, I worked office jobs, but was always writing on the side. Eventually, I bought a house. It quickly became my ongoing interiors project: painting and re-painting walls, changing light fixtures, ripping out carpet, adding rugs, painting and re-painting kitchen cabinets, etc.
I was also reading design blogs like Design Sponge, A Beautiful Mess, and Apartment Therapy. I was pinning all the outlandish DIYs on Pinterest; some I even did. I watched HGTV and flipped through the pages of Domino Magazine, Blueprint and Architectural Digest. My love for interior design grew.
I got into the chalk and milk painted furniture craze. I opened an online store selling my upcycled vintage furniture and vintage home goods, called the Vintage Modern shop. I sold pieces on my website and delivered furniture locally. I also wrote about interior design topics on the blog for the shop.
The store was going well, and then I got a full-time writing gig. I let the store go, but my passion for interior design remained.
Two years ago, I moved into my third house (with my partner and his kids, part-time). So, I had a new project to decorate, which was exciting.
But, I wanted to combine my love of writing with my love for interiors and home design. So, I set out to see some of my cool neighbor’s homes and write about them. Through a neighborhood group, I reached out, and then my photographer friend, Jon Carnes, signed on to take photos.
That brought me here, to a new interiors project, called Behind the Shade MN. On the blog, I’ll be peeking behind your cool neighbors’ shades to see the inspiring stuff they’re doing and then writing about it. I’m not looking for perfection; I’m looking for color, joy, old stuff, weird stuff, DIY, etc.
Did they paint their fireplace gold? Amazing. I want to see it. Do they have a collection of mariachis? I’m in. Does their midcentury modern home have the original pink sink? Yes. Please.
On social media, I’ll also share some of the cool spaces I travel to and see.
Of course, good design doesn’t have to be over the top. Simple can be really, really good. But if you’ve come here for minimal and beige, this isn’t the site for you. I want wacky, weird and colorful as fuck.
Welcome to Behind the Shade MN.
About the Photographer
Jon Carnes is JCPhotogMSP. Jon is a portrait and event photographer in Minneapolis. Jon specializes in engagements, boudoir, and portraits that bring people to life through fantastical imagery.
Behind the Shade MN 