Le Catch's Marlien Rentmeester on Decorating & Her Love of Blogging

I recently professed my love for Le Catch, the fabulous fashion blog that former Lucky magazine West Coast Editor Marlien Rentmeester runs. She recently decided to leave her Lucky post to manage Le Catch full time (I'm squealing as I write this) and I'm all for it. I read Marlien's blog just about every day and fell in love with her style even more after seeing gorgeous photos of her Los Angeles home on the Glitter Guide a while ago. I've been wanting to chat with Marlien about decorating for some time and I'm delighted to report that I recently had the chance to do so. Enjoy the interview. 

All photos courtesy of Jessie Webster for Glitter Guide

Decor Musings: What drives you to maintain your fashion blog, Le Catch?

Marlien Rentmeester: It’s a labor of love and is almost like an addiction. All of us want to be on the cutting edge (of fashion) and in the know all the time and Le Catch provides that service. I curate and distill everything that is out there to the latest and the greatest so you don’t have to do that market search.

DM: Coming from a fashion background, how did you grow to love decorating?

MR: Decorating a room is almost like putting together an outfit. It's about proportion and matching colors and prints. 

DM: How would you describe your decorating style?

MR: It is kind of traditional and classic with an edge. Everyone who comes into my office says it has an East Coast feel. There's the mixing of art, punchy colors, Chippendale chairs and tufted ottomans.

DM: What was your approach to decorating your home? You worked with Hillary Thomas, correct?

MR: Hillary is one of my best friends and we went down to Palm Beach and shopped at all the cool vintage stores. We bought 60 percent of the furniture for my house on that trip, and I don’t think I had even moved yet. The other great thing about having her is that she has all these fabric swatches curated so that whittled down the process for me. 

Ruthie Sommers also did a lot of stuff in this house. She totally fixed my dining room. I have vintage mirror panels that she designed and she also designed my dining room table. She was so generous with her ideas. 

DM: What is decorating a home all about for you?

MR: It’s just about feeling comfortable in a space and being in a space that makes you happy. Sometimes there are living rooms that are so formal that you are afraid to sit on the sofa.  I have two little kids so everything is kid-friendly and laidback. 

DM: Where do you shop for your home in New York and California? 

MR: I love Circa Who, which is a Palm Beach vintage store. I like 1stdibs, ABC Carpet & Home, Madeline Weinrib, Chic Shop LA, the Rose Bowl flea market and the flea market on 26th Street in New York.

DM: What do you enjoy most about shopping at flea markets and what are your tips for navigating them?

MR: I love the process of hunting and mining and finding gold at flea markets. Go early and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. Go find the truck and ask if there are more prints and pictures and things that haven’t been put out. I have been pretty successful with finds from art to fixtures and vases and pictures and trays. I have even gotten great outdoor furniture at markets. 

DM: How would you like to see Le Catch expand in the future? 

MR: I wake up in the morning with my heart beating fast, excited to get to work on Le Catch. The goal is to grow the readership and maybe have some guest editors weighing in on their Le Catch finds to have more voices in the mix. Apart from that, it's just to keep on keeping on. I also hope to get exclusives from retailers and designers and have my readers get first dibs on things. I am also working on a collaboration with an LA-based designer so keep your eyes peeled for that.

DM: Do you read any design blogs regularly? 

MR: Apartment 34. She has a good eye — a fashionable eye. 

DM: Have you learned any lessons from blogging so far?

MR: Having worked at a magazine for many years, it really is just staying true to your voice and being authentic. I don’t have any advertising on my site and it’s for a reason. I am only presenting what I like.