Inside This Oak House with Annie Meyers-Shyer: Design, Renovation and the Nancy Meyers Influence

Classic & Curious

Annie Meyers-Shyer, daughter of filmmaker Nancy Meyers and creator of the popular design platform This Oak House, shares her journey from fashion journalism

Key takeaways

• Authenticity and vulnerability attract a dedicated community—sharing even small details builds trust.
• Design is storytelling: every choice reflects personal history and intentionality.

Main topics

• Interior design as storytelling
• Renovation process and transparency

Notable quotes

"I started an Instagram account from my bathtub. I didn't know anyone would follow along. And now there's a book in people's hands."

Conclusion

Annie Meyers-Shyer's journey from fashion editor to design storyteller illustrates how

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) I started an Instagram account from my bathtub. I didn't know anyone would follow along. And now there's a book in people's hands. I'm 45 years old. If you have a passion or you have an interest, anything is possible. Speaker 1 (0:17) This is Classic and Curious. I'm Anne Kikoski, and each week I bring you conversations with the founders, tastemakers, and creatives who have mastered the art of living with curiosity and intention. The spaces we inhabit, the tables we gather around, the places we seek out, so you can develop a sharper eye and design a life that feels distinctively your own. Speaker 1 (0:46) Welcome back to Classic and Curious, and today's guest is the lovely Annie Meyerscheier, the creator and discerning eye behind this oak house. Annie began her career in fashion working as an accessories editor at Harper's Bazaar before joining the public relations team at Chanel, experiences that sharpened her eye for style, detail, and visual storytelling. Growing up as the daughter of acclaimed filmmaker Nancy Meyers, Annie was surrounded by film sets in which interiors were a meaningful part of the story. But through this oak house, she has created a narrative and a design point of view entirely her own. What began as a personal journal documenting the thoughtful renovation of her family's historic Los Angeles home has grown into a beloved community drawn to Annie's timeless sensibility. trusted recommendations, and refreshingly honest approach. This fall, she brings that story forward with her debut book, This Oak House, an intimate and inspiring account of that renovation. Annie, we're so delighted you joined us. Thank you so much. We're happy to have you here. Thank Speaker 2 (1:59) you for having me. What a lovely introduction. That was really nice. I appreciate it. Thank you. Welcome. Speaker 1 (2:05) So let's begin with your story. So how did your path from fashion and brand storytelling ultimately lead you to the creation of this Oak House on Instagram? I've Speaker 2 (2:18) never really thought about how one thing led into another until I really started to actually write the introduction to the book. And I started to think about my past and the things that had always interested me and how there seems to be a real through line between all of it. I think in fashion and in interiors, there's the general love always of putting things together. What does that look like? What makes something on a page work together? When you're an editor at a magazine, you have to really think about that. How does a page look together? Why do some things pop? Why don't they? How do you add to it? How do you take away? And so I think I thought a lot about that as I was starting to write this book and see the through line between my love of editing and fashion. And then also when I was at Chanel, the love of craftsmanship and learning about how things are made and the quality and why quality matters. And then I started this house and I was sort of just moving through my path and learning everything there was to learn about this. And then I started to realize that. there was really a through line when I started to learn about the craftsmen that were working on my project or when we were working on a fabric scheme and how you have to look at what looks good together and do you take one fabric out because it's one too many things. And it all just felt like it was part of the same language in a lot of ways. So I think that something inside of me has always known that I would land here, maybe. Speaker 1 (3:48) Isn't that great? You started this Instagram account as a means to connect your friends in New York to see what you were doing on the West Coast. Yeah. And what happened was this growing community started hopping on the train. When did you realize, oh, goodness, what's happening? I think in fashion, just to go back to that Speaker 2 (4:07) for a second, there's so much transparency, right? You know, everything that every fashion influencer is wearing, you know, who makes their shoes, you know, who makes their socks. I mean, everything is really shared. But in interiors, there was a lot of gatekeeping. It's a lot of to the trade and sort of all these iron gates, it felt like. And so as I was going through my process, I was just sharing as I was learning. And what I first noticed was people like that. Speaker 1 (4:29) They liked that somebody else was doing the work, finding all those kind of details and then Speaker 2 (4:35) sharing it. And I really saw the more I shared, the more honest I was, the more my audience was receptive to that. So I really shared everything, even the little things you might not think anyone cares about, like what is. the grout wit. I mean, really like micro, micro, micro things. They really seem to want to know the minutia, the details, what size planks my floors are. And so as I learned, I shared. That's when I first saw that people were really coming together and wanting to be a part of it. And then... I think the next time I really thought maybe we had something here was when I started sharing affiliate links. When I shared my favorite sheets, for example, I could really see that there was something there. And Speaker 1 (5:23) then Speaker 2 (5:23) at that point, I had to really take a pause and think about what is this? And this is now moved out of just me wanting my friends to vote on some paint colors. And then I really had to take a pause and have some conversations with my husband, who's also my attorney, and really talk about what is this becoming? And all around that same time is when the book started to happen. So it was a very exciting time. Speaker 1 (5:45) Yeah, we're going to get to the book in a minute because I'd love for you to unpack it for the listeners. But I think the bigger thing that I just want to say is I think about it, Annie, and let's say I'm your older cousin, right? But then my daughter, who's 27 years old, you're speaking to both of us. You're almost like that little gateway to permission for people to really learn. And that happens at any age. You're sharing about the house, but there's this underlying authenticity and vulnerability that it's okay to say you're learning and you don't know everything. So it's really much bigger, the world that you've kind of created, especially for young women. So kudos to you. Thank you. Yes, you can learn anything at any time. Speaker 2 (6:30) That's for sure. You can start something new at any time. That's also for sure. And the information that I try to share is not just for somebody who's doing a renovation. It's for anyone who lives