Julie Van Daele of Well Received // Photo: Stephen Paul

It’s no surprise that I’m a fan of mommas who are creating their own businesses, especially in the interior design space, while still prioritizing family. So, when I came across the account of Julie Van Daele on Instagram, I was an instant “follower.” Julie is a wife and mom, a talented creative and entrepreneur and packages it all up with a kind smile and killer style. I’m really excited to share these beautiful images of Julie’s work and hope you’ll enjoy getting to know more about this talented designer who helped inspire one of my most popular tapestry designs to date, the “Hendrix”.

We connected via Instagram in March of 2019 and I could not have been more excited when she mentioned needing a statement piece for a project. Julie is known for her edgy, minimalistic designs and the mood board she sent over for the project had me drooling. We went back and forth on variations of my art that would fit the space, but with the mood board in mind and Jimi Hendrix playing in the studio one afternoon, my “Hendrix” tapestry design was born.

I sent a few photos of my newest piece to Julie and she agreed that “Hendrix” was the perfect piece to go above the bed in celebrity stylist Monica Rose’s home. Obviously I was thrilled she had the vision for my artwork in the space, and I couldn’t wait to see the full project come together! Nearly a year in the making, you can now check out Julie’s project for Monica Rose and read below to learn how she worked to execute minimalistic designs in a warm and inviting way.

You are a wife and a mother. You seem to handle these wonderful roles and your quickly growing business so well. What keeps you balanced each day?

Haha…balance…not something I believe can be achieved if I’m shooting it straight :) Each day is different…some days I am totally on-it with work, but the time and energy I have for my hubby and my son is lacking. Other days I pour 1000% of my time and focus into my son, my husband and our home, let the work take a back seat and wake up feeling stressed the next day with all I have to do.

Photo: Michelle MosquedaCouch: Earl — Photo: Michelle Mosqueda
Couch: Earl

I have two full days that I dedicate to work, but the rest of the days are a juggling act.

I also like to admit that I have help, which allows me to “balance” everything a little better.

It’s definitely been more of a challenge to juggle it all as the business continues to grow, but at the end of the day I live my life by the values I want my son to eventually embody:

Our life is about people not things
You are not more important because you make more money
You are not defined by what you do
To be a man/woman of character and to know God

Many people don't know that you started Well Received as a stationery business. How did your business transform into what it is today?

Well Received as the “stationery business” started out of a desire to show people they mattered to me, in a creative way. Since I was little, I grew up writing thank you notes. As time has gone on, thank you notes are less and less of a thing, and I found that my handwritten notes were so appreciated by my friends and family when they received them.

The inspiration for the stationery line was very architecturally driven and I often posted photos of architecture, design, etc. Eventually, we were blessed with the opportunity to build our own home from the ground up and so I started to post my home inspiration, process and final result. From these posts, I ended up getting my first job via instagram to design an apartment in New York and so my interior designing career started!

Design: Well Received // Photo: Stephen Paul

We have seen your home in many articles, such as MyDomain, InStyle, Hunker, etc. and it seems to be a perfect reflection of your personal style. You built it and designed it with your husband. How did you keep this project true to your vision in the multitude of design decisions?

One thing that I have always had, is a very clear vision and aesthetic, so when we designed our home, we just kept going back to what that aesthetic was: modern, minimal and warm.

My husband also loves design, so it was super fun to almost “compete” to see who could find unique designers and ideas for the house.

Your family loves to travel. What is your favorite destination to source pieces for your projects?

I think our trip to Stockholm, Iceland and Norway was so incredible and a trip I still look to for inspiration; from the landscape in Iceland, to the buildings in Norway, to the furniture in Stockholm and the crazy textures when you look at all of their landscapes. All of it was incredible.

Design: Well Received // Photo: Stephen PaulCouch: Restoration Hardware Modern Cloud // Coffee Table: Designed by Matt Van Daele — Design: Well Received // Photo: Stephen Paul
Couch: Restoration Hardware Modern Cloud // Coffee Table: Designed by Matt Van Daele

What is your favorite spot in your home? Why?

I love our couch/living room. Our couch began with me when we first moved into our home and I was immediately put on full bed rest as I had a complicated pregnancy. On the couch I talked to my baby while he was growing, I cried out of frustration for the situation, I had incredible conversations with the people that came to visit, I worked, read, watched TV and spent 4 months on this couch.

Then, we brought our sweet baby boy home and I nursed on this couch, and cozied up with my husband at the end of each day.

Today the couch continues to host large and small gatherings, foster intimate conversations, be the place I sit every single night with my husband, the place I sit with my son every single morning, the place my son treats as a trampoline and the place we as a family spend the most time just hanging out.

Design: Well Received // Photo: Monica WangCouch: Restoration Hardware Modern Cloud // Coffee Table: Designed by Matt Van Daele — Design: Well Received // Photo: Monica Wang
Couch: Restoration Hardware Modern Cloud // Coffee Table: Designed by Matt Van Daele

Your home seems warm and inviting, yet it is very minimalistic. What’s the best way for our readers to balance warmth and a minimalist aesthetic in their own spaces?

I love mixing textures to give the place some warmth. I also think it’s really important to balance how many dark or “statement” pieces you have in one room, being careful not to make it too heavy or too loud.

Designs: Well Received // Photos: Stephen Paul

Congratulations on designing renowned stylist Monica Rose’s 1962 “Tree House”! Tell us about Monica’s project.

Monica and I have known each other for about 13 years, as our paths first crossed when I was doing PR for a small agency in LA and she was styling at E!. Our career paths have since evolved and she reached out to me in December of 2018 to ask if I would help her design her home. She wanted to make it modern yet warm, feminine with a touch of masculine, while also keeping it “kid friendly” for her three kids! It was really such a gift to have the opportunity to work on her home. I loved mixing super cool designer pieces like the Stephane Parmentier coffee tables with more cozy pieces like the Restoration Hardware Como Sofa.

Design: Well Received // Photo: Michelle Mosqueda // Home of Monica RoseArt: Lauren Williams // Bedding: Morrow Soft Goods // Sconces: YLighting — Design: Well Received // Photo: Michelle Mosqueda // Home of Monica Rose
Art: Lauren Williams // Bedding: Morrow Soft Goods // Sconces: YLighting

What drew you to Lauren’s work for Monica’s home?

Monica and I both came across Lauren’s work at separate times so when it came time to find a stunning piece over her bed, we both thought one of Lauren’s pieces would be perfect! I loved the texture it gave to Monica’s wall above her bed, the colors that added warmth and the modern lines and angles that kept the space feeling very contemporary.

How do you propose artwork to your clients for their spaces?

That’s a great question as artwork is (and should be) personal, so I really encourage clients to share what they’ve collected over the years. If they haven’t really collected pieces then I try to find artwork that fits within the space and goes along with the current design. I do my best to not just give them my personal favorites, although it’s tempting, haha!

Design: Well Received // Photo: Michelle Mosqueda // Home of Monica RoseArt: Lauren Williams // Bedding: Morrow Soft Goods // Sconces: YLighting // Rug: Beni Rugs — Design: Well Received // Photo: Michelle Mosqueda // Home of Monica Rose
Art: Lauren Williams // Bedding: Morrow Soft Goods // Sconces: YLighting // Rug: Beni Rugs

“I was truly so flattered when [monica] asked me to style her home, as we all know she is the queen of style!”

-JULIE VAN DAELE of @well_received RE: @monicarosestyle

Design: Well Received // Photo: Michelle Mosqueda // Home of Monica RoseCouch: Ligne Roset Togo // Coffee Table: Design Within Reach + Menu // Art: Marco Lorenzetto — Design: Well Received // Photo: Michelle Mosqueda // Home of Monica Rose
Couch: Ligne Roset Togo // Coffee Table: Design Within Reach + Menu // Art: Marco Lorenzetto

Design: Well Received // Photo: Michelle Mosqueda // Home of Monica Rose

“I always called this Monica’s room in all our presentations because I envisioned her working from this fabulous Ligne Roset Togo couch, feet propped up on this marble Design Within Reach & Menu coffee table, computer on lap and a glass of wine.”

-JULIE VAN DAELE, WELL RECEIVED INSTAGRAM

“WE COULDN’T HAVE BEEN MORE ALIGNED ON MIXING MASCULINITY WITH FEMININITY FOR THIS PROJECT”

-JULIE VAN DAELE, WELL RECEIVED INSTAGRAM

Design: Well Received // Photo: Michelle Mosqueda // Home of Monica RoseChairs: CB2 // Coffee Table: Jason Koharik // Rug: Beni Rugs — Design: Well Received // Photo: Michelle Mosqueda // Home of Monica Rose
Chairs: CB2 // Coffee Table: Jason Koharik // Rug: Beni Rugs

“Monica and I both came across Lauren’s work at separate times so when it came time to find a stunning piece over her bed, we both thought one of Lauren’s pieces would be perfect!” -Julie

I want to wrap this Designer Spotlight feature up with a note about “mood boards”. I truly appreciate the work that designers put in to creating a mood board for their clients. It is also a super powerful tool for me when a designer approaches me to commission art for their project. The mood board that Julie sent me not only gave me the vision for the space, but it inspired me to create a piece of artwork that fit the design perfectly. I could see the color palette, feel the vibe and knew exactly what needed to hang on the wall to complete her vision for the space. Julie’s mood board helped inspire one of my most popular designs to date, the “Hendrix” and it seemed like the perfect time to reinforce the importance of this valuable designer tool! Obviously named after Jimi Hendrix (which was blasting through the studio speakers the day I was working on this piece) the color palette, the rock & roll feel and the dye design all came together with the powerful elements shown in the Mood Board. Designer or not, having a Mood Board keeps you on track when making decisions and gets your vision across to all parties involved. Thanks so much to Julie for the inspiration, for including my work in your design and for being part of one of my favorite pieces! You ROCK! ;) xx, LW

You can keep up with Julie’s stunning interior projects on Instagram:

@well_received

INSPIRED BY well received?

Check out to the pieces below to get the look.

Designer Spotlight: Well Received

Designs: Well Received // Photos: Stephen Paul

“I was truly so flattered when [monica] asked me to style her home, as we all know she is the queen of style!”

-JULIE VAN DAELE of @well_received RE: @monicarosestyle

“I always called this Monica’s room in all our presentations because I envisioned her working from this fabulous Ligne Roset Togo couch, feet propped up on this marble Design Within Reach & Menu coffee table, computer on lap and a glass of wine.”

-JULIE VAN DAELE, WELL RECEIVED INSTAGRAM

“WE COULDN’T HAVE BEEN MORE ALIGNED ON MIXING MASCULINITY WITH FEMININITY FOR THIS PROJECT”

-JULIE VAN DAELE, WELL RECEIVED INSTAGRAM

“Monica and I both came across Lauren’s work at separate times so when it came time to find a stunning piece over her bed, we both thought one of Lauren’s pieces would be perfect!” -Julie

INSPIRED BY well received?