Brandy Anderson on bringing a creative spark to the home

1 October 2023

In Bed With Series

This week, we caught up with Brandy Anderson, a Portland based graphic designer, photographer, and content strategist, to get a sense of what is inspiring her lately and her approach to home decor and style.

We chatted in her creative and colorful apartment about what finding the perfect pieces for the home and inviting playfulness to her creative process.

Welcome to Eucalypso's "In Bed With..." series, where we invite you to join us on an exclusive exploration of the creative sanctuaries belonging to our beloved creators, makers, and innovators. Every week, we delve into their personal domains, offering an intimate glimpse into their world. For this instalment, we visit graphic designer Brandy Anderson's beautiful Portland apartment.

Nestled in the heart of Portland is the delightful apartment of graphic designer Brandy Anderson. Brandy's design sensibility is a testament to her creativity, with an emphasis on subtle pops of color and an innate ability to infuse joy into every nook and cranny of her living space.

Brandy's design philosophy is an inviting departure from the stark and minimalist trends that often dominate the design world. Her apartment is a living testament to the notion that small touches of color and playful elements can breathe life and personality into a space.

One of the defining characteristics of Brandy's design style is her penchant for infusing her surroundings with a sense of happiness and comfort. She is an ardent advocate for the power of subtle yet meaningful design choices. Walking into her apartment, you're met with an array of understated colors that lend warmth and vitality to every room.

Brandy's talent shines in her ability to seamlessly blend vintage finds with contemporary pieces. The result is an eclectic and layered aesthetic that mirrors her creative spirit. You'll find a vintage coffee table coexisting harmoniously with modern chairs, and a mid-century sideboard sharing space with a state-of-the-art entertainment center.

What makes Brandy's apartment truly enchanting is her commitment to infusing joy and wonder into her design. Quirky decor pieces, artful installations, and unexpected design elements invite smiles and inspire curiosity at every turn.

Tell us about your home & how it inspires you?

I enjoy returning home, casually tossing my tote aside, and unwinding. However, I also have a deep appreciation for color, a touch of whimsy, and items that bring a sense of delight to my life. Infusing my living space with these subtle touches of vibrancy and playfulness is integral to my daily routine. Equally important to me is the presence of art created by artists I admire and who inspire me.

I also really love mixing in a little bit of vintage and new. I try to be sustainable as possible with curating in my household, but you know sometimes you can't always find the perfect piece and so you have to be a little patient, which is hard at times, but when you find that piece it is amazing.

What's one thing you can't live without?

OK, obviously, the one thing I couldn't live without was my bed. So that's why it has to be just the perfect setup with the sheets and the mattress pad and just the comfiest of pillows. It has to be a dreamy cloud at all times. So that is number one. And also, another favorite part of my house is the USM hauler that I just bought for my living room. It's just been a piece that I've been putting in my mood boards and dreaming about for a very long time. So finally like pulling the trigger and making that purchase felt like such a big girl move and I'm really in love with it!

Tell me a little about your design style & philosophy

It’s crucial to me to always leave room to play. Don't take it too seriously because if you do you're gonna get stuck in some rut and you just need to realize that nothing is permanent. You can move the bookshelf somewhere else or you can paint the wall a different color. So I think that's one of the most important things is just realizing that you can just do whatever you want to do with it and it's not that serious. So just leaving room for play.

What is your favorite thing about your Eucalypso sheets?

My favorite thing is simply how soft and durable they are – they even hold up to cat claws which is pretty amazing. I have a pretty wild cat as well, so having durable bedding is really important because sometimes their claws can be a little destructive. But so far, it's been just amazing and durable even with having my cat Soho around. But also the cooling technology and being sustainably made in a closed loop process, which is something I care about, are amazing as well.

How does your work in graphic design inspire your home?

I am just a bright, neon colored type of gal. Like, I love a good lime green and things like that, so I feel like throughout my home, I just will always have that crazy pop of color, and I won't say sorry for it. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's definitely mine. And I'm continuously adding art books, and my plan is just to have massive stacks of them all over, just constant inspiration to flip through, just fun things to look at.

What is an item you always keep on your nightstand?

I always like to keep a book on my nightstand. Lately, however, I am in my move-before-bed era so I haven’t been finishing a lot of the books I keep here, but I will get back to finishing these books later. Also, a fat glass of water in a hydroflask. And the Laneige lip mask which I have been obsessed with lately.