One Southern Belle’s Secret to Keeping Her Home Cool
As the voice and vision of Black Southern Belle, lifestyle blogger Michiel Perry’s days are full of style — and full, period. With a popular blog serving style tips, decorating advice, and Southern travel ideas, plus a very adorable three-month-old, Michiel is always on the go, even in her own house. But ever the belle, Michiel knows how to keep her cool. Read on for her tips!
I live with my husband and our newborn baby, Jackson, in an 1890s Victorian Lowcountry home with the best front porch in South Carolina. My style is a blend of traditional and modern, high and low: I grew up in the South, so I love traditional shapes and brown wood, but I also adore a modern glass table and bold color. Above all else, I like my home to feel welcoming, so the more seating the merrier.
I usually start my day at 5 or 6 a.m. and prep Jackson’s food while checking emails. Once I get him settled for his midday nap, I can work: anything from coordinating photo shoots and talking to brands to binge-watching documentaries and finding new places to antique shop with my husband.
Between working, entertaining, decorating, and relaxing, I spend 80 percent of my time at home — which I love. But the Lowcountry summer is hot enough to keep me in the house anyway, especially with almost 100-percent humidity from May to September. But really, when is it not summer in South Carolina?
My home has a lot of microclimates: Between its U-shape, tall ceilings, porch, and huge shady oaks outside, the temperature and humidity are different from room to room. My Nest thermostat helps me manage a consistent climate from any of them — beyond helpful for someone with a newborn.
Want a Nest thermostat in your own home? Buy one before September 3, 2018, and get a Google Home Mini free!
The app is also a huge helper. We take day trips around the South most weekends, and now I set our thermostat to conserve energy while we’re gone and to prepare for our return. And when you have a baby crying or you’re trying to squeeze in a few more minutes in bed in the morning, adjusting the air from your phone is wonderful.
Plus, now my thermostat is an eyesore no more: The Nest design looks like a mini clock, and I love the copper accent. With a hectic life like mine, every minute and every dollar count — having a Nest thermostat gives you those back.
—edited from a conversation with Michiel Perry
Make your home smarter and cooler: A Nest thermostat can pay for itself in two years or less, and has been shown to save an average of 10–12 percent on heating and 15 percent on cooling — up to $145 a year. One of its coolest features is that it learns your routine and preferences and starts making comfort and energy adjustments on its own.
Plus, if you buy a Nest thermostat before September 3, 2018, you can get a Google Home Mini free. And you may be eligible for an efficiency rebate from your energy provider, too.
This post is sponsored by Nest and was created by Apartment Therapy Creative Studio.
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