IntroductionMy Forever Home JourneySome say a “forever home” is a place we’re meant to stay, well, forever. But I take a less literal approach: to me, the forever home is for everyone, regardless of circumstance. Just because you may not be living in a space long-term—maybe you are a renter or plan to move again after a few years—doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to have a place that’s all yours. A home doesn’t have to break the bank to be beautiful. It doesn’t have to have high-end designer pieces to feel whole and loved. Our homes should bring joy to our everyday lives and reflect our personalities, whether through major structural changes or something as simple as removable wallpaper. From the coffee table we select to the art we hang on the walls, every element tells a story, imbuing our homes with character and soul.
Whether you’re having brunch with friends or on a dream trip to a far-off location, your home should always welcome you back with a sense of familiarity and warmth. It’s more than just a physical space—it’s the backdrop to your life, an expression of who you are and what matters most to you.
My forever home journey has seen me crisscross the country through seven states and even more homes, each of which I have made my own. Your journey might look different from mine. You may be building your dream house, or you may be a renter with a new address every few years. Either way, you deserve a forever home.
After you read this book, I want you to feel empowered to make design selections that previously would have left you paralyzed with decision fatigue. I want you to feel good investing in a high-end piece while also celebrating your low-end finds. I want you to feel confident letting your personality shine through, creating a home that tells your unique story and supports the way you live. Most of all, I want you to feel good from the moment you step inside. At the end of the day, a true forever home is defined not by the way it looks but by the way it makes you feel.
Just Getting Started I was the second oldest of four, growing up in Detroit, Michigan. Our parents cultivated an environment that sparked creativity and imagination while encouraging us to follow our passions. My mother was a TV news journalist and the on-air traffic reporter and weatherperson for many years. She also hosted a local TV show, while my father started out as a disc jockey. I’ve had entertainment in my blood from a young age.
As a child, I always had an interest in architecture. I spent hours creating tiny communities with LEGO bricks and FisherPrice people, honing my appreciation for design and providing the building blocks (no pun intended) for what my career would become.
After graduating from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, with a BA in marketing, I bounced from job to job in furniture sales and store merchandising, never feeling quite settled in my work. I kept circling back to my passion for design and the tiny communities of my childhood. I had also found a new love of rearranging my house, as well as the homes of friends and anyone else in my circles who would let me get my hands on their space. I would hit up the thrift shops and discount stores weekly, looking for items I could transform into high-end looks on my shoestring budget.
How Craigslist Changed My Life Starting a business without any clients meant I needed to turn to my marketing degree and get creative. To build a portfolio, as a side hustle from my furniture sales job, I became my own client, redesigning my apartment and getting it professionally photographed. In the early days of Craigslist, I made an ad offering to design one room for free if people paid for the furniture. And you know what? It worked. I began to get clients. I would design one room for free, and if they liked it, they could pay me to design a second or third room. To help keep costs down and further my goal of designing full-time, I would handle the small jobs, like painting, myself (being so hands-on equipped me with invaluable home renovation skills that serve me well to this day).
The more clients I acquired, the more deeply I fell in love with designing spaces.
Could this be the direction of my career? I thought.
My Big Break I always had my mother’s voice in my head telling me I needed to find my passion. Well, it found me when one day, a set decorator came into the furniture store. I made it my business to approach anyone who looked like they might be a designer and ask them questions about getting started. I also made a point to ask whether I could possibly shadow them on a project. You’d be surprised how willing people are to help when they realize that you don’t want anything from them other than just to learn. On that particular day, I must have asked the right questions, or showed the correct amount of gumption, because the designer offered me a job as a production assistant on a TV show.
You better be sure I jumped at that opportunity! I finally had my foot in the door. Which lead me to eventually begin working on designer showhouses.
The quick, transformative, and temporary nature of this design work gave me the skills to create eye-catching designs in a variety of rooms on a tight timeline. Think of showhouses as pop-up shops for the interior design world. Much like the work on a TV show set. It provided a remarkable foundation for my life’s direction for the next twenty years.
Chasing the Dream
In the span of a year, I learned so much from designing for showhouses, including how to conduct a consultation, give a client presentation, and put together a budget. I got my feet wet and gained the knowledge I would need to one day start my own interior design firm. I had big plans for the future, but I knew I needed more experience before taking that leap. So I continued to accept freelance projects, building my portfolio and reputation.
Then one day, while assisting at a jobsite, I crossed paths with Jillian Browder, Director of Creative Services for Dior brands. A visual merchandiser, interior designer, and photo stylist, she would become my mentor. She threw me a lifeline, inviting me to collaborate. One of my first projects with Jillian was assisting her on a designer showhouse that was on a completely different tier than any I’d previously worked on. I had taken a step up from middleof-the-road to full-on luxury (I’m talking $30,000 rugs), where everything was custom. I’d come a long way from my early Craigslist projects. After working with Jillian for a few years, I briefly returned to furniture sales before landing jobs with
Teen Vogue as an unpaid intern and as a production assistant on Emily Henderson’s show
Secrets from a Stylist, just after her win on
Design Star. From there, I moved to Esquire Network (formerly Style Network). I had to shift gears quickly and learn to create makeshift drawings as my visuals, which are sort of like 3D blueprints. Visuals tell the carpenters what your vision for the design is and are a critical part of the TV set design process. I had to acquire this skill seemingly overnight, both drawing by hand and teaching myself to use PowerPoint. The renderings helped me visualize each set before moving forward with the design. Sometimes creating the rendering helped me realize that the design in my mind wouldn’t translate into real life. It was a learning curve that I was willing to follow fast.
Finally, after years of honing my craft behind the scenes, I decided to step into the spotlight and audition for HGTV
Design Star. And guess what? I got the part! I was cast as a contestant on the show and finished in fourth place. The rest is history, as they say.
Working on HGTV
Design Star opened a lot of doors for me. In 2014, I designed a room for a showhouse in the home of the late John Hughes, director of the iconic films Ferris Bueller’s
Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Home Alone, and
Sixteen Candles. That led to my landing my first features in
Architectural Digest and
Elle Decor.
I’ve since worked on the sets for more than nine TV shows, including
The Steve Harvey Show, The Drew Barrymore Show, Jerseylicious, Harry, Trading Spaces, and
Design Star. I’ve worked with Shereé Whitfield of
The Real Housewives of Atlanta; on the Faith Hill–produced show
Pickler & Ben, starring Kellie Pickler and Ben Aaron; and as a cohost of the Emmy-winning Netflix show
Hack My Home.
I’ve designed sets and rooms for Martha Stewart, Nate Berkus, the Property Brothers, Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Halle Berry, Joan Rivers, Bishop T. D. Jakes, Tyler Perry, Kathie Lee Gifford, and Hoda Kotb.
Today, I work as a member of the Drew Crew on
The Drew Barrymore Show, appearing on camera for various segments on topics such as design, thrifting, and organizing. I’ve even filled in and cohosted the entire show. I also continue to run my own interior design business for private clients and do home design consulting for Lincoln Motor Company customers through their points perks system and the website The Expert. I’m happy where I am, but also feel like my story is just getting started. Which is exciting! This book is part of my journey. I can’t wait to see where we go together.
Copyright © 2025 by Mikel Welch. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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