The Thompson's Natural Next Step - October 30, 2018

I had a vision of the “Dynamic Duo” when I sat down with Melaine and Chris Thompson recently to chat about their new partnership and how they got to this point.
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“It has been a 25 year evolution,” Chris said.  “This business is the natural next step.”
 
The business he is referring to is Thompson Design + Build.  A culmination of their talents pooled into a business that is reminiscent of Chip and Joanna Gaines of “Fixer Upper” fame.

Melaine was described to me as “a blogger, home designer (self taught), creative genius…” by Leigh Henderson from Alexa’s Café.  After that introduction, I knew I’d better meet her.
 
Melaine’s blog “My Sweet Savannah” (mysweetsavannahblog.com) started over 15 years ago with primarily hand painted furniture and signs that she was selling to supplement her income and hobby.  It has evolved since then to include home design, recipes, DIY projects and more.  She also has a very popular Instagram page (also mysweetsavannah) with over 58,900 followers at press time.  Country Living Magazine named her one of the Best Design Blogs and her work has been featured in numerous other design sites.
 
It’s clear that Melaine has a real eye for design but its more than that.  She shares the look and the DIY steps for those wanting to give it a try.  “You can learn to get a high end look without spending a lot of money,” she said. 
 
To stay relevant and on top of things takes a lot of work.  Following our morning coffee at the end of September, she was heading home to bake Christmas cookies for some upcoming blogs for holiday preparations. 
 
Just recently Melaine partnered with Molbak’s Garden + Homes on a front door display.  “Molbak’s wanted to make it easy for customers to have a beautiful entryway,” she said.  Melaine’s design was featured on Molbak’s website and the store as well as her own blog.  Customers could go in and purchase all or part of the display or they could even have it delivered.  Many of the pieces of the display sold out in a couple weeks.  Melaine plans to continue to work with Molbak’s in the future on projects like this and possible workshops.
 
Chris has been a contractor and builder his entire adult life. He had been considering branching off on his own for quite a while and he said, “I continued to ask myself, can you do this?” He would be leaving a comfortable corporate job and that prospect was scary.
 
They knew they had the components of design with Melaine and build with Chris so they decided the (natural) next step was working together.  He said, “We want it to be fun. A place where we can showcase our work.”  That is how Thompson Design + Build was formed.
 
Before they even got to this step, they already had a great success “Design + Build” story…their own house. 
 
The Thompson’s were high school sweethearts at Woodinville High School and married 22 years ago.  They had a daughter, Savannah, namesake of course of Melaine’s blog and a son, Cody.  They loved the Crystal Lake area were Chris’s family lived and knew they wanted to be in that neighborhood but also knew it would be difficult to afford.  
They opted for a small affordable 900 sq. ft. fixer upper home and went to work.  “The house is a cool story of evolution,” Chris said.    I saw the before and after photos of their home renovation and what they did is simply amazing.  Melaine added, “We want to inspire people.  There are still [affordable] places out there.”  Referencing projects in the Eastside that they can definitely help with.
 
They love the aspect of the business that they can make decisions that are right for them and their family. The challenge to get creative and not spend a fortune (within a clients budget) feeds them both. 
 
When asked about their passions, Melaine said, “Family first.”  Then added, “I love inspiring people.”  Chris said, “That we’ve always been part of the community.”
 
Thompson Design + Build
206-915-5070www.thompsondesignbuild.com

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