Designing from the Inside Out

I first saw Maggie’s house on a community “Home & Garden Tour,” and was shocked by what she had done with her place! She had somehow managed to bring the inside… outside….. I’d never seen a home where being in the yard felt like I was still in the house!

It was after seeing her place that my whole perspective on my yard and living space changed completely.

Maggie is an incredibly warm and creative person, so it’s no surprise that her home reflects those very same traits. Her home is comfortable and inviting, and many of the décor items in it are personalized pieces that she has created by repurposing wood, metal and various other textiles. As someone who loves antiques and “all things old,” she uses paint and dye techniques to bring pieces back to life, “with a twist.” Her Eastern Province finds – antique doors, metal gates, wooden door panels – were mostly found by digging through people’s hand me downs and the “piles of junk” of local stores. They’ve now all been transformed into unique and gorgeous signature pieces made specifically for her home.

Maggie moved into her current home almost 3 years ago, and when coming up with a design concept, used her garden and pool as her main inspiration. She picked a beachy theme for both her home and yard, using repurposed textiles to decorate, beautiful shades of tans and blues on her walls, and the occasional pop of bold colors with carpets, pillows and quilts.

I wanted it to feel like seaside living or an oasis retreat

Even her accessories match the theme!

Maggie used a wooden mirror as her inspiration for her dining room and built the entire space around it. She also had custom chair covers made for her dining room chairs so that she can mix and match her fabrics as well as change them out whenever she feels like it. Just brilliant!

She’s probably most proud of her popcorn machine – an amazing feature that I want in my own home – and her beautiful brick wallpaper. 

I keep hearing wallpaper is hard to put up here but I’ve never had any problems!

What really pulls this entire look together is the fact that almost every window in the house opens up to or looks out on to her fantastic yard. Even her speaker system is set up around the outside of the house so that you can hear music from everywhere!

Backyard Middle East, the first specialty store of grills and outdoor living products in KSA (and based out of Dhahran), built her this incredible BBQ. I WANT this BBQ!

Maggie’s Tips & Tricks for Shopping:

• Start with one or two signature pieces as inspiration for your space and build on it. You can even find a picture you like and focus on that! 
• Explore, explore, explore! Find new & old friends and make trips to explore town. There’s a lot to see here. 
• Get it custom made if you can’t find what you want. We’re lucky we live in a place where getting something custom made is so reasonably priced!  
• Use textiles – metal pieces, metal gates, Saudi doors – carpets, and paint to decorate and for inspiration
• Pick up little things at expensive stores as décor items and make it your own. IE: Use a lamp base from IKEA and pick out a more luxurious shade at another store!

Maggie’s Places to Check Out:

• Becara – This is “my expensive find,” and I usually take my inspiration from here. I take pictures of things I like and try to replicate the look with my own twist. You can’t afford everything!
• Sultan Garden & Home Zone in Bahrain for outdoor furniture 
• IKEA – I frame burlap in my IKEA frame, get something fun written on it and use it as a personalized decorative item

Hope you enjoyed Maggie’s beautiful house! Check out the rest of her home: 

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