Chicago Home Tour: Blair Staky of The Fox And She

Q&A's and Interviews

I'm excited to highlight the always effortlessly-stylish Blair Staky! Blair is a woman of many talents, which I'll get to in a minute.  But what I love most about her style is how she somehow looks effortless and fashionable at the same time.  And she shared a quote with me that I just loved - “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” by Helen Keller.  So true.  Now if you don't know Blair - she's a trifecta of internet talent - penning the fashion and lifestyle blog, The Fox and She, being a blog designer & advisor, & co-founding the online lifestyle site Wandeleur. So we caught up with her to learn a little more about this inspiring Chicago fashionista and to see her cute Streeterville apartment.

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Name: Blair Staky

Occupation: blog designer, lifestyle blogger

Current City: Chicago

First off, tell us a little about your style blog, The Fox & She! What inspired you to start it? I’ve had a blog of some sort since my senior year of college, but it didn’t become the Fox & She until the spring of 2013. Since then it’s grown quite a bit and become a bigger part of my business. I feature attainable style for everyday living. I’ve also started working-in more personal and career pieces that I really enjoy talking about. I design blogs for a living, so it made sense to have one, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision! It’s a great creative outlet and side job. 1-cooper-and-ella-tassel-dress What’s been your favorite part of starting your own blog? Meeting new people! I’ve made so many friends in Chicago and around the country because of blogging and I think that’s really cool. 1-tillie-shirtdress I love your lifestyle and personal style posts. How does your home reflect your personal style? I think my home is an accurate reflection of my personal style. I mix high and low pieces to create a casual and comfortable vibe. I work from home so having an inspiring place to live and work is really important. I love textures, colors and patterns and I think that’s reflected throughout our home. blair-staky-home-2 How long have you lived in your current home (and what neighborhood do you live in)? Only about 5 months! We unexpectedly had to move from our last place, but we love our new home in Streeterville so much more. We have floor to ceiling windows on two sides which gives us incredible natural light. To me that might be the best accessory of any home! blair-staky-home-3 blair-staky-home-14 What’s your favorite part of your home to style? That’s tough! Probably the the sofa and living room chairs. I’m always switching those up! blair-staky-home-10 What’s your favorite “find” in your home? I love our leather Barcelona Chair and our media console. The Barcelona Chair is just one of those gorgeous classic pieces and I adore it! And our media console is just cool. A bit mid-century with gold triangular knobs and matte black paint and made by a girl in Chicago, MegMade.  It was a great find and a great piece. I know that any home in the future will have a place for these two pieces.   What’s your favorite room in your home and why? Probably my living room. Which is funny because we probably spend the least amount of time here, but it’s in the corner and has the most natural light. It also features one of my favorite pieces in our home, a marble tulip table. blair-staky-home-6 How has your home transformed over the years? Has it changed with your own style? It used to be a lot more eclectic. That’s mostly because I had a lot of hand-me-down furniture and crazy pillows. It’s become more refined and adult as I grow up. I love that it evolves with me and my life. I used to have a pink door too, but that was faded out when marriage happened. My husband was not into that decision! blair-staky-home-5 Where do you find new inspiration, or - how do you stay inspired? Travel is the absolutely biggest source of inspiration for all parts of life. I always come back enthused, excited and ready to get back to work. I find that my writing is most inspired when I travel too. I feel like leaving your surroundings allows your mind to free up and focus on what’s really important and fulfilling in your life. I’m very thankful that my husband shares this passion and that we’ve been able to go so many places! Turkey is on the books this year and I cannot wait. I’m a sucker for patterns and I know it’s going to be inspiration overload! blair-staky-home-5 If you could collaborate with anyone on a project, who would it be and why? Anthropologie was up there on my list and I recently partnered with them and it was truly a dream come true. I love what their brand stands for and how creative they are! Anthropologie’s point of view is not just to provide you with beautiful clothes or a great outfit, they’re about creating a lifestyle and inspiring you to live more creatively through that. That’s what I strive to do with my own blog, so the brand really resonates with me. the-fox-and-shes-favorite-things

A few of her favorite things

1) Favorite Flower: Peony

2) Drink of Choice: Prosecco

3) I love: my husband and our life together. Oh, and our little pup, Oliver.

4) I’m reading: Do Less, Get More. This book was a game-changer for me!

5) I’m listening to: Podcasts and the Lord Huron station on Pandora

6) Last purchase or splurge: Leather Barstools from CB2

7) Favorite vacation spot: This is an impossible question as it’s always changing! For a beach, Grand Cayman or Costa Rica and for a city, Copenhagen in the fall is pretty spectacular.

8) Favorite quote: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” - Helen Keller

9) Most people don’t know: that I went to culinary school for a semester.

10) My favorite place in Chicago is: Lincoln Park because it reminds me of when we first moved here and how unknown life seemed for a while.

11) What are the 3 things you think about most? Traveling, quitting my job to travel and write full-time (really only a dream), renovating my future home (not on the radar yet, but I still dream about it!)