159: DIYing, Upcycling, and Cruising into Van Life with Melissa Meares
“I love finding diamonds in the rough.”
As an avid traveler and DIY enthusiast, Melissa Meares (@melissaashleymeares) loves finding diamonds in the rough and discovering beauty in unexpected places. After purchasing a 1970’s home in Nashville, TN with her husband Kyle, the pair has been renovating the space into their dream home. A former choir and theater teacher, Melissa opened her own music studio teaching kids to play piano and sing. In her spare time, she started sharing DIY and antique finds online. After creating a brand-new laundry room, in-house library, and various upcycled thrift finds, Melissa and Kyle were ready for their next challenge. Last year, they bought a Mercedes Sprinter van from a concrete flooring company and gutted it to create the base for their home on wheels. Now, they're customizing and building out their dream camper van!
SHOW HIGHLIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:
- Yard sales, pawn shops, antique malls, estate sales, garage sales, thrift stores…Melissa does it all!
- Best places to thrift in Tennessee.
- A passion for versatile and seasonal home décor.
- DIYing and upcycling her house and her Mercedes Sprinter van with thrifted treasures.
- Her love of wallpaper and ceiling tiles.
- All the details about the library she created in her home and using books as décor.
- Her art wall.
- Not ignore the underrated sections of your local thrift store.
- Handling comments on her social pages.
