Waking Up With: Molly Madfis
Molly is the creator of the lifestyle blog Almost Makes Perfect. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband Gideon and their four-year-old son Arlo. Here, we discuss starting her blog, creating a family friendly home, and being true to yourself.
Hello! First off, tell us a little about yourself and what you’ve been up to lately.
I'm Molly! I'm originally from Massachusetts but moved to LA in high school and now I've been here 20 years, which doesn’t age me at all. I have a cute 4 year old son and have been trying to make him a sibling for quite some time now.
After a long year of staying at home and trying to keep my toddler entertained, I am happily enjoying the peace and quiet of an empty house with him at preschool and my husband working again out in the studio in our backyard!
What is your morning ritual?
I always wake up first, sometimes even an hour or two before my son! I like to make myself a coffee right away, and usually I check emails/turn on the news, but I've been trying to be more mindful and calm in the mornings. I have this fantasy of getting up and enjoying my coffee outside for a moment to myself but haven’t really made that a reality yet!
Once my son gets up, we play and get dressed, eat breakfast and go to school. After I drop him off I come home, do a workout video and shower in peace before starting my day. I'm obsessed with to-do lists so I usually make sure I've written down my tasks at the beginning of the day, but these days my productivity levels are so down that it's usually like 2 things max lol.
You have a lifestyle blog called Almost Makes Perfect. Can you tell us a little bit about it and how it came to be?
Years ago, I was working as a part time editor on a talk show and I wasn’t feeling creatively challenged— so I started my blog for an outlet. I was making myself do weekly DIY projects and I focused on creating crafts that were more design-focused than I was seeing.
Since then, I got married, bought a house, had a baby— and people started obsessively using this app called Instagram— so the blog has evolved a lot. I now share my life, home design, motherhood, and my TRUE passion— finding beauty in everyday objects. I could spend 4 hours browsing for the best looking squeegee or humidifier so I might as well share my finds with my followers!
What about your work continues to inspire you?
I feel lucky all the time to get to do what I do. I am so grateful that my passions in life have evolved into my actual job! The fact that most of the things I love to do can be translated into what I do is inspiring. Whether it’s doing a room renovation or fixing up a dollhouse, I am able to share it all for my job and that just totally flows my creative juices.
What does your typical day look like? Do you find that you’re more creative or productive during a certain time of day?
These days my productivity is at an all time low, I usually need a big project I'm working on to really get motivated— like when I designed my son's dollhouse and it was all I wanted to do for 24 hours a day.
I spend most of the day working on my laptop but I've been working in bed for months which I know is not ideal for productivity, I just can't help it!!
You have an adorable four year old son, Arlo, what has been your favorite part of being a mother? The most surprising part?
He has been hilarious since an insanely young age and he keeps me laughing everyday. My favorite part has just been getting to be his buddy and watching him grow up and seeing who he’s becoming.
The most surprising part these days is how much more fun it continues to get. I am one of those people who is constantly sad that every moment is fleeting, like after Christmas I’ll be like OMG THAT WAS HIS ONLY CHRISTMAS AS A THREE YEAR OLD AND IT'S OVER. hahah I know that's not a healthy mindset but I just love these moments so much. What has been shocking is that even though I miss all those moments I yearned for, it does truly keep getting more and more magical.
Can you tell us a little bit about your home? What is your approach to decorating?
I want everything neutral and everything cozy!!! When I was experimenting in my apartments as a young 20 something, I guess I had no idea what I really liked so I just bought stuff and would constantly replace it. I got sick of my furniture constantly until I realized I liked things so much more when they were beige and warm wood tones. Even though I still love trends, I feel like I'm more aware of buying timeless pieces that I don't want to swap out regularly.
But I do think that neutral homes can feel really sterile, so I like to add a lot of textures and warm elements to keep the vibe cozy. things like a giant couch, soft rugs, framed family photos, linen bedding— all contribute to that homey feeling. I don't want to feel like my house looks staged, even though I want it pretty.
How do you balance creating a home that you’re excited about aesthetically while also making it kid friendly?
Cabinets and baskets! While Arlo has many aesthetic toys, he also has tons of non aesthetic ones. I like to keep everything corralled and put away as much as possible so I put a big wall mounted cabinet in his room that fits most of his toys, and in our shared spaces, I use baskets and drawers for his art supplies. We've been house hunting for a while now and I would love to find a future home that has a family room so we can be a little more free with his toys, but for now we just have the one room so I try to be a little more minimal.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
“Be who you are, shine like a star.” is the mantra that my mom and her friend pat farrell used to say when i was a kid. Pat is an artist who has always been a huge inspiration to me. As corny as it might sound, it's so true— especially in the days of social media where all we do is compare ourselves to everyone else (something I'm obsessively guilty of). It's a little sweet reminder to just stay true to myself.
Fill in the blanks:
The coolest place I’ve ever woken up in is:
Mykonos! It was the first trip I ever took with my boyfriend, now husband, and I didn’t travel a lot without my family prior to that so it was a peak memory I'll never forget. We stayed at the cutest little boutique hotel with our own balcony overlooking the town and cats roaming around and it was all just so exciting and new for me. I want to go back!
The best cup of coffee/tea is at:
Our kitchen! Ever since we got a Nespresso machine and drink daily cappuccinos I could never go back. sometimes we even bring it on road trips with us lol.
A thing about mornings I’ll never get sick of is:
Waking up in my own bed and staying put for a bit. I'm so lucky to not have to jump out of bed because I love to lounge for a bit and wake up slowly. We’ve designed our bed to be a place we ARE PRETTY MADLY IN LOVE WITH and I could stay in it all day (which is probably why I work in it too haha).
