Libby Living Authentically

Curator, collector + digital creator Libby Rasmussen offers much more than a pop of color.

“If I had a house fire, I would be devastated. But there are always more things to collect and more stories to tell.” 

Libby Rasmussen is sitting opposite me on a tan sectional in the living room of her Mount Pleasant apartment, an eclectic and vibrant home packed with carefully curated vintage pieces, second-hand and thrift store finds, personalized mementos and original works of art. Legs crossed and clad in a Chanel-esque white blazer, casual camo-inspired pants and cute fuzzy house slippers, she pulls off an effortless style that matches her home’s aesthetic. There’s an unassuming charm about her; she emanates constant and genuine warmth while also remaining unapologetically herself throughout our conversation. 

“I would never be able to replicate this exact space with all of these exact things, but I could definitely start all over again and accumulate very similar things,” she tells me, gesticulating earnestly as she takes stock of her space. 

The marketing director and self-described disco dealer runs digital media company Living Colorfully Media and online home decor shop Libby & My, which combines vintage finds and artful items with her quirky side hustle of selling disco balls. Libby & My is truly an extension of Rasmussen’s taste; she often sells pieces from her favorite small businesses and works by artists based everywhere from D.C. to Copenhagen and Tokyo. One of the collector’s staples is a kaleidoscope of glassware options, and Libby & My is filled to the brim with whimsical items for entertaining. 

“It’s a collection of really pretty, functional things: lots of patterns, lots of colors, lots of vibrancy and nothing that takes itself too seriously.” 

She started hosting pop-up sales on her front porch during the pandemic, and when those took off, she brought her wares to Union Market and other spots around the city. While it’s her dream to one day have a brick and mortar for Libby & My, she is enjoying the flexibility of making guest appearances at makers’ markets and other events in D.C.  

Every aspect of her brand ties back to her popular Instagram account @libbylivingcolorfully, a grid of vivid eye candy for anyone looking to up their home decorating game or just be inspired by her visual curation. In other words, her social media presence is a culmination of all the things she loves. 

But before she had an Instagram following, she had a lifestyle blog. Rasmussen moved to D.C. in 2011 and while working for a law firm, she began itching for a creative outlet. Then came Colorfully Living, and the rest is history. 

“It was a great way for me to learn more about interior design, the designers I admired and my personal design style,” she says. “It was always about sharing things I liked and if people liked them too, that was great. I still feel that with my own social media now. It’s very much still me and my place to share things.” 

The Common Denominator 

Libby Rasmussen. Photo by Mariah Miranda.

There’s a distinct Midwest sensibility about Rasmussen. The Wisconsin native is not easily ruffled; she’s practical, not frivolous; she does not pull any punches about who she is, what’s in her apartment or who she’s decorating it for. D.C. definitely feels like home after 12 years and she says she’s here to stay, but her style isn’t limited to that of an urban dweller.

She still feels deeply connected to her home state, shopping vintage when back in the area and giving a nod to her family history by displaying old photos of her grandparents throughout her space. The creative doesn’t play into the tropes of a city mentality, where a prominent taxidermy mount like the one hanging in her bedroom might be frowned upon. 

“I come from a long line of hunters on my mom’s side of the family,” she tells me matter-of-factly. “The taxidermy is kind of an homage to that.” 

She points out, though, the piece I inquire about was actually gifted to her by friend and D.C. artist Curry Hackett. And right above her bathroom door are two taxidermied birds on a piece of driftwood, one of many fowl-themed pieces that have made it into rotation because her boyfriend David, who shares the apartment with her, is an avid birdwatcher. 

Her penchant for finding pieces of Middle America nostalgia as enthusiastically as works by indigenous artists, mid-century modern accents and everything else in-between — especially as a millennial collector — is refreshing. This translates to her outlook on life. She acknowledges that in some ways, the universal truths many of us live by in the District don’t necessarily align with other parts of the country. But in the same breath, she says, “It takes all kinds,” noting that folks disinterested in city life probably know practical things that might be lost on us.

While open-mindedness is certainly a common denominator in Rasmussen’s aesthetic, there are more tangible visual cues. She says her home is filled with colorful, interesting and functional pieces that spark excitement and imagination. As we walk around her space, she speaks about each pièce de resistance with equal affection. She describes the working fireplace as the cornerstone of her apartment; gushes over the Julia Child-inspired cobalt blue pegboard covering the kitchen wall (a necessity for David, a former baker at Mount Pleasant restaurant Ellē and owner of many beautiful French culinary tools); and shares stories about several of the dozens of framed works of art lining her living room from floor to ceiling — mostly created by women artists. 

She oscillates between descriptions of standout pieces that exist in stark contrast to one another, a badge of honor to someone building such an eclectic collection. And yet, some statement pieces inexplicably complement one another in the most perfect of ways. For example, the modern Herman Miller light hanging from the living room ceiling — complete with a color-changing light bulb — somehow makes sense with Rasmussen’s bold bedroom quilt. 

“It was made by some little grandma in Texas who had an Etsy page with maybe 10 quilts on it,” Rasmussen says. “She does an amazing job. I love that it’s one-of-a-kind and the stitching on it. It has modern shapes and colors that feel very much like my home in Wisconsin. Everyone loves a quilt.” 

And then there’s her Mexican feather art. 

“They’re not rare and they’re not expensive. In the ‘70s, they were extremely common. The first one I ever saw was on a trip to New Mexico and I was like, ‘I love these. These are so beautiful.’ I started collecting them, and I just love those mixed with the very busy fruit-printed wallpaper in my bathroom.” 

From framed receipts and old newspaper articles to plants providing bursts of green around her home (and one gigantic beauty with sprawling leaves that grazed my cheek as we sat on the couch during the interview), everything in Rasmussen’s space is selected and arranged with intention. And while she may believe everything is replaceable, there’s one prized possession I have a hunch she’d truly hate to lose. Above her kitchen door are two shelves lined with ROYGBIV-inspired vintage glassware, a non-negotiable essential in her home. 

“The origin story of the glassware is I was cleaning out my grandparents’ house — my grandfather had passed away — and I realized we didn’t have any family heirlooms or a legacy that was passed down. That was something I wanted to start to grow and establish.” 

She says the potential for an heirloom is her justification for anything she buys now, followed by a chuckle as she readily admits that she’s enabling herself. 

“What I love especially about the glassware — some of these fragile pieces are from the 1930s — is the fact that they are still around: Who they’ve served, who drank out of them, what was being made in them.”

Rasmussen says a party trick she and David play is to have guests pick a glass from the shelves that becomes theirs for the evening, a fun component to hosting. 

Through the Looking Glass 

Libby Rasmussen. Photo by Mariah Miranda.

When she’s not entertaining, the content creator loves antiquing, putting together outfits as a creative outlet, making new friends, hearing live music, embarking on domestic and international travel and spending time with family. In fact, her parents are currently subletting the apartment next door for two months. The couple splits their time between Wisconsin and Georgia but jumped on the opportunity to be near their daughter. 

“I’ve been hanging out with them a lot, which is just amazing because it’s time that I will never get back.” 

Recently, Rasmussen had an epiphany about the inescapable realities of mortality and living every day to its fullest. 

“We’re all just little animals collecting our things, making our little nests look cute, eating and having a good time, and hopefully, getting along with each other and figuring out what’s important in this life. Nothing is promised. There’s a lot of living left to do, but also, make every day count.” 

She says she loves being in this generation and wouldn’t go back to any other time or place. And while she says being in her early 30s is great, she is completely smitten with Gen Z — and TikTok. 

“I’m obsessed with Gen Z. I adore them. They’re dealing with the cards they’ve got. TikTok has shown me they’re sentimental for times they haven’t even had. They love the decades. They love the ‘90s. They love the ‘60s. I’ve loved making younger friends this past year who I met through TikTok in D.C. I feel very inspired by them. It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever been like, ‘I want what you have, and that is literally just seven more years than what I have right now.’” 

Part of her TikTok addiction is watching Gen Z feel like they’ve discovered a hip spot or unearthed a hidden gem that Rasmussen and every other millennial in town knows has existed forever. She says this endearingly, like watching a younger sibling figure something out for themselves for the first time. 

“I love that because I remember what it was like to think I was the first person, in my mind, to go to American Ice,” she says, chuckling. “You know what I mean? You’re like, ‘Oh, this is so great that people are discovering these little pockets or areas of Shaw that are seemingly so forward-facing, but it’s new to them.’ Or things opening up in Union Market District and Anacostia — even a little bit of a revitalization in Georgetown. You could just keep naming them.” 

She’s energized by Gen Z’s zest for life and satiated by D.C.’s creative community, but says she wants more from the city — including support from Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office.  

“I go to Philadelphia and Baltimore and see these really small businesses able to have brick and mortars and doing well, and it’s because of support from their city and community — and the ability to have leases. I would love to see that part improve [in D.C.], but I’m very hopeful and feel happy and excited.”   

Her glass-half-full outlook extends to her love of social media as a platform for connection and self-expression, though she’s had to actively shape her own narrative and set boundaries with her online community. 

“Ninety-nine percent of it is so amazing and fun and worth it,” she says of running her @libbylivingcolorfully account. “I’m a super open book. I couldn’t be mysterious if I tried. I like being open with people, and of course, that’s going to have some ramifications. You can’t be liked by everyone — and frankly, I don’t want to be. But that’s really hard because I want to make people happy and feel comfortable. I want to create safe spaces, but I also want to be myself.”  

The following she’s built feels very authentic because it’s grown slowly over time, and this connection to her community is reinforced during moments when strangers approach her online with negative opinions, often hiding behind social media when saying ugly or hurtful things. She says there’s a lot of vitriol for young women making money in a way that seems too easy. 

“People started following me in my early 20s when I would talk about saving a buck. I’m a 30-something-year-old woman now, and it is totally okay and normal for me to buy art and have a car and go on trips. People want to see you with this origin story, and they want you to stay there. No one knows the whole story, right? I barely even know my own whole story. I try my best to be forthcoming about certain things, but no one is entitled to know everything about you.” 

While it comes as no surprise to me at this point in our conversation, I’m still so impressed with how she channels this negative energy into something constructive. Even in her own life, when she feels envious of someone, she finds a way to transform that into something aspirational. 

“I am always on a playing field where I have to be a little bit jealous of all of my friends because the jealousy is inspiring. With every single person in my life, I’m like, ‘I need to level up.’ They’re making me level up.” 

Rasmussen ends her thought with a little laugh, saying, “And if there’s someone who is making you feel bad because they’re organizing their cereal in beautiful containers and that’s really triggering for you, just don’t participate.” 

Follow Libby Rasmussen on Instagram at @libbylivingcolorfully. Shop for Libby & My wares on libbyandmy.com or Instagram @libbyandmy.

Curate Your Style 

Inside Libby Rasmussen’s apartment. Photo by Mariah Miranda.

Rasmussen shares a few tips on making your home feel like you.

Home, Personified

Don’t be afraid of letting your personality come through. Include components that are personal to you and create a space that when someone comes in, they’re like, “This is so you.” 

Frame Everything 

Try to find art that’s framed. But if it’s not, work with a framer who you love and pay just a little bit more for a framing experience you really like.

Shop Auctions

Auction houses are the best place to get beautiful pieces of art and huge rugs for not a lot of money. 

Be a Plant Daddy 

Plants are a great way to draw your eye upwards and maximize your space. 

The Lived-In Look 

Toe the line between having your space be livable and having it look too lived in. 

Just Hang It 

Just get it done. Get it hung. Even if you don’t know the spot you want it in, put a little hole in the wall and just hang it for the time being. 

Keep Things Eclectic

Don’t buy too much of something from the same store, because then your home is going to look like that store. Pulling from different places will keep your home from feeling too much like a certain store or certain era. 

Maximize Your Space 

I love adding shelves above doorways. We have corner shelves everywhere, and we hide things behind the mirror. 

Pay for the Pros 

Hire a professional when you need help. You can ask someone and say, “I’d like to do this with you. Let’s do it together.” So then, you feel empowered to do these things [in the future]. Eventually, it’ll save you a lot of money. 

Quick Hits

Local Vintage Shops  

GoodWood on U Street: @goodwooddc

Miss Pixie’s on 14th Street: @misspixiesdc

D.C. Frame Master

Meredith Forte of Frame Avenue Design: @framemastermer

Art-Filled Auction House 

Alex Cooper in Towson, Maryland: alexcooper.com

Visual Storytellers  

Indigenous, queer painter Jeffrey Gibson: @jeffrune

Potter + social activist Roberto Lugo: @robertolugowithoutwax

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Monica Alford