Carissa Miller of CC+Mike Creative: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy
Bring the Outdoors In! By adding fresh flowers or even tree clippings or garden clippings to a vase and setting them on a table in your house, it instantly sparks joy in any space! The best part is you don’t have to break the bank to do this; simply walk out your front door and get some fresh clippings! Here are two photos from my personal home and projects where I used hydrangeas from our own garden and also just some branch clippings.
As part of my series on the “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Carissa Miller.
Interior designer, entrepreneur, and author, Carissa Miller grew up in a small town in Oklahoma as a preacher’s daughter and now specializes in transforming spaces. What began as a career in photography quickly blossomed into a passion for design, which transformed into a thriving, multidimensional family business. Along with her husband, Carissa is the owner of CC and Mike, a full-service team that designs, builds, and flips homes nation-wide. With a mission to treat each client like family and make dream homes happen for their clients without all the added stress, both Carissa and Mike have made dream homes across the country come to life since 2016. Carissa is the talented eye behind several beautiful home renovations, designs, and interiors featured in national publications like House Beautiful, Apartment Therapy, The Pioneer Woman, and more. In addition to her growing design business, Carissa launched CC and Mike The Shop, an online furniture shop that strives to bring the beautiful products that their followers see in project reveals, to people’s homes across the nation. Carissa’s designs have also led to partnerships with brands such as Pottery Barn, West Elm, Minted, Home Depot, and World Market. Carissa currently lives in Tulsa with her husband, Mike, and three children. For more information about Carissa and her business, visit www.ccandmike.com or connect with her on Instagram @ccandmikecreative.
Thank you so much for joining us in this series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Becoming a designer definitely was unplanned for me! I was a professional photographer for years and owned and operated my own business. In 2016 I started an Instagram called @ccandmikecreative and planned to sell some of my original print art for purchase. I posted a few photos of my print art framed in our home, which I designed and my husband built, and people started asking questions about my design choices and our home instead of the prints — ha! Then, I posted a full room photo of my master bedroom, and things really took off from there. I was featured by One Kings Lane, Pottery Barn, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, and more! The next thing I knew, people were asking us to design their spaces, remodel their homes, and now we are a full-service design, build, and remodel team making dream homes happen for our clients across the nation!
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?
A professional football player’s wife reached out to me via Instagram and asked if we would consider taking on building their dream home for them. We are now building their home and fully furnishing it and just got back from a fun-filled trip to market with them! They have become our friends, and we are just over the moon about making their dream home happen for them!
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I was hired to do a project for Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman…I mean NO. BIG. DEAL, right? We had a huge meeting with her commercial builders, and we had worked for six weeks on a spatial plan to present to them. When the meeting started, we realized that the floorplans I had been given were the original floor plans for an old, historical building in Pawhuska and had not been updated with the kitchen add-on they had done. We used those floorplans for all our measurements, so basically, the entire plan we had worked on for six weeks was wrong! I was embarrassed and mortified, of course, but Ree was so gracious and kind. I think the lesson I learned most is always to put things in perspective and ask yourself, “is this a life or death matter?” If not, then don’t freak out and always handle things with grace like Ree did at that moment! I will always try to show others the grace she showed me at that moment.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
We have three new construction projects, the custom new construction and full furnishing and design project for a professional football player, his wife, and their family, and an incredible massive remodel and add-on.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Great Things Never Come from Comfort Zones.” I always encourage people to JUST START. Take the first step, even if it’s uncomfortable, especially if it’s uncomfortable. I was scared to death to rebrand and start a new Instagram account, but look where that has led! TAKE THE FIRST STEP out of your comfort zone!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Cyndi Kane is my mentor and friend. She has always encouraged me to follow God’s path for my life. She actually found me on Instagram and just somehow wrangled up my phone number and called me — talk about an unexpected life blessing! Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am personally or professionally, and I’m forever grateful. She advocates for all women and uses her gifts to guide them to find their true north and be the best versions of themselves.
Thank you for that. Here is the main question of our discussion. What are your “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
Bring the Outdoors In! By adding fresh flowers or even tree clippings or garden clippings to a vase and setting them on a table in your house, it instantly sparks joy in any space! The best part is you don’t have to break the bank to do this; simply walk out your front door and get some fresh clippings! Here are two photos from my personal home and projects where I used hydrangeas from our own garden and also just some branch clippings. Kitchen 1, Dining 2, Kitchen 2, Dining 2
Use of POP of color — It’s so fun in living spaces to add in one fun pop of color to bring life into the space and draw the eye, like in this kitchen remodel where a pop of yellow was added on the bar stools — Kitchen Remodel
Paint a Dark Accent Wall — In our designs, we love to add an accent wall that is painted in a dark color! It immediately adds more depth and life to a space and makes it more interesting by providing contrast. Gameroom,
Use Family Photos — In most homes we do, both for clients or for ourselves, we do a collage wall of family photos or large-scale art of their children. It instantly adds joy to any home. Photo 1, Photo 2
Add Colorful Pillows and Throws — Pillows and throws are an easy and affordable way to refresh a space and bring more joy into it by adding color and texture. We love using colorful velvet pillows and textured throws for our clients and in our home! Living Room
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I am currently starting to write a book all about inspiring women to BE BRAVE. I want to tell my story about stepping out of my comfort zone and just starting. I want to encourage women to start before they have it all figured out, starting even though they’re afraid, starting even though they don’t know how it’s going to turn out, starting even amidst criticism or doubt. I hope to inspire other women to listen to that whisper inside of them telling them to start something new. You are never too old or too young to step into who you were created to be and watch your purpose unfold, impacting others along the journey. I am living proof of this when I started my Instagram account, @ccandmikcreative. I was scared, embarrassed, and afraid, but I decided to BE BRAVE. Now I am building and designing homes for professional football players and working with people like Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, and have been featured by House Beautiful, Oprah Daily, Woman’s World, Apartment Therapy, The Pioneer Woman Magazine, and more. You never know where one little choice to be brave and step out of your comfort zone will lead you! Alongside Cyndi Kane, my mentor and best friend to Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, we are so passionate about this turning into a movement. We are brainstorming about hosting a conference together for women where they could come to be inspired, encouraged, and most of all, learn to step into their own giftedness and BE BRAVE in starting something new!
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this, especially if we tag them :-)
I would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with Maya Angelou. She is so inspirational to me, and so many of her writings and quotes have touched and moved me at a deep level.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
They can follow us at @ccandmikecreative
