About

Ohoy!

My name is Chelsey; I’m 28 and live in the fabulous borough of Manhattan. I moved here in 2015 and started my career as a TV producer. Although I loved TV (and still do!), I also loved decorating. In fact, I loved it so much that I would spend any time outside of work redecorating or designing my friend’s homes (If you’re here because of genealogy content, hold on, I’ll get to it).

After years of studying up & teaching myself interiors, I realized there wasn’t too much content out there on how to stylize and decorate a rented space. Most books and blogs out there teach you ways to redesign large houses or renovate rooms, but in a rented space, you can’t change too much. As a young professional living in a small city apartment, I wanted to create a beautiful home that reflected my style (without driving my management company crazy!) I also wanted to prove you could decorate on a budget, which led me to my passion of thrifting and flea markets.

In 2017, I started City Chic Decor and never looked back (well, except for the name. I didn’t think anyone would actually read this blog so I picked out the first name that came to my mind 😂 Oh well!)

I’ve made it my mission over the last few year to create ways to redesign a smaller home without having to renovate, and now’s my opportunity to share all my insight with you!

After exceeding thousands of visitors per month, my blog eventually turned into a book. Rental Style, under Skyhorse Publishing, was released in May 2020. I then went on to become a TV personality, speaking across the country about revamping the stigma of rental decorating.

Now, if you’re new here, you might have noticed my new passion for thrifting family heirlooms … and returning those items. Although decorating and genealogy may seem like a strange combo, when you think about it, it’s actually a very natural blend of passions. It would break my heart whenever I was at the flea market and would pass a box full of photographs, portraits, photo albums, or love letters, because I know those items should be with their rightful families. I started returing heirlooms in 2021, and will continue to do it on the side of decorating.