About

This House is Made with Love

Maria Felix

Maison Dumar Interiors is a blog and small Seattle interior decorating practice aimed at exploring interior design and the decorative arts through a focus on culture, history, and an affinity for enduring style.

Why Interior Design and the Decorative Arts?

When I was a child, I used to love helping my mother decorate the house. It was a moment of genuine bonding for us. I’ve certainly carried that passion with me into adulthood. I love beautiful things but, more importantly, I love beautiful things with meaning.

Why a Blog?

It was just over a decade ago that the blogosphere was at its peak as a communication medium. Then, social media matured and stole blogging’s thunder.

We live in an age where our realities are increasingly being dictated by mathematical algorithms. Our social media feeds are engineered by forces beyond our control. Individual social media posts are ephemeral and limited in scope—and that’s by design.

On the other hand, a blog offers more permanence and an opportunity to deeply engage with a subject on my terms and at my own pace.

Why a Blog about Interior Design and the Decorative Arts?

The digital age has made information highly accessible, yet the prospect of having to filter out good from bad is a daunting prospect that leaves us overwhelmed. Easier to just go with the flow, follow the trends, and not do any work to define an identity. Right?

Interior decoration is no exception to the co-optive pressures of digital mass culture. Social media trends have created interior spaces that are so homogeneous that a cafe in Paris will have the same look and feel as one in Los Angeles. Ergo the Emerald City.

Seattle is not known to be a “design” city. Much of our architecture is middling, at best, and many of our interiors are just copypasta of Californian or Scandinavian styles. How can we know beauty if we have no defined identity and no standards by which to make aesthetic judgements?

I started this blog to explore alternatives to the milquetoast interiors that dominate the visual discourse in Seattle and beyond. I also wanted to highlight artistry and craftsmanship in the creation of furnishings and decorative objects to help you refine your sensibilities. If you want to distinguish good design from bad, then your eye has to see and your hand has to touch. There’s no way around it.

There’s a whole world and an entire history of beautiful interior design out there, and I want to share it with you.

Are you Currently Taking On Design Projects?

Absolutely! I love to create spaces that are at once sophisticated and playful. I believe the design process should be a joyful experience and I love working with clients who are adventurous and intellectually curious. Does that sound like you? Then let’s talk!

Charles Omaña

Seattle Interior Decorator and Blogger

Hello! My name is Charles, and I am the owner of Maison Dumar Interiors. I’m glad you’re here! Please take a look at some of my favorite blog posts below. Also consider signing up for my newsletter, The Bulletin.