We were lucky to catch up with Shelby Eanes recently and have shared our conversation below.
Shelby , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
My fixer upper has made me resilient. From black mold to asbestos and termites to ruptured cast iron pipes, we’ve endured it all here and continue to prevail and push forward amidst unexpected challenges.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Born and raised in the South, I’m a Georgia peach by zip code with a soft heart, but Northern tough by heritage. A stubborn, yet passionate Aries, I’m full of ambition. My [ do it scared ] mentality has allowed me to flourish from a degreed interior designer into a DIY’er, tackling projects of all sizes in our 1970’s fixer upper. I’ve learned that your current situation is not your final destination and my hope is that I can inspire others to love where they live. ** branded [do it scared ] merch will be live on my website in April – www.eanesinteriors.com
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Grit, determination and perseverance have shaped my journey. My degree in interior design helped me understand how form follows function through the built world and apply that to our home renovations to suit the needs of my family. My advice for anyone who wants to jump into DIY or transform a fixer upper would be to [ do it scared ] and simply start. I promise that no one has all of the answers in the beginning and I’m still learning every day, but you have to make a conscious decision to start and conquer your fears along the way through trial and error. Start small to build confidence and the right tools will give you the strength to succeed.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
2024 was the year that built me. Things were going well with our fixer until the cast iron pipes serving the main waste line ruptured beneath the basement slab, causing catastrophic water damage. Through remediation, we also discovered termites and asbestos that left us with a blank canvas. Determined to recover, I chose to lean into silver linings. We’d always wanted to renovate the dated basement so our priorities shifted and my focus became the rebirth of a multi-use space the whole family could enjoy. With costs mounting, I decided to take on some DIYs, learned to use power tools and purchased my first table saw. I dreamt up a speakeasy space with moody vibes to include a game area, reading nook, full bath, custom entertainment center and full service bar. As a mother of 2 with a demanding career, I stretched my construction abilities and called in some reinforcements to achieve my ambitious goal as quickly as possible. Collectively, we tackled this unexpected project within 6 months and came out stronger for it in the end. I questioned everything during this grueling renovation, but ultimately learned that you must keep going because your current situation is not your final destination.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.eanesinteriors.com
- Instagram: @eanesinteriors
- Facebook: Eanes Interiors
Image Credits
Images are my own.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
