Blogger Babble: Heather Armstrong of Dooce

By Lexi Green
March 30, 2010

Heather Armstrong knows a thing or two about needing an outlet for self-expression. In 2001, while working as a web designer in L.A., she started what was then a barely-heard-of thing called a blog. She named it Dooce.com, after her inability to quickly write the word “dude” during IM conversations with her co-workers. She used it to rant and rave about family, work and more, but never thought people would actually read it. Little did she know that everyone was reading it, including her boss, who famously fired her for her satirical, and often mocking, accounts of her workplace—stories of him included.

Now, nine years later, after accumulating one husband, two dogs and two kids, and with a move to Salt Lake City under her belt, Armstrong is one of the most read and relevant bloggers in the now-overcrowded space. In fact, in 2009, Forbes included her in its list of Most Influential Women in Media. Her writing is equals parts poignant, matter-of-fact, touching and hilarious. Her tone is relatable but wildly clever. And her blog is a platform for anything she wants to share: her experiences with Mormonism, the process of re-designing her bathroom at eight months pregnant, a serious bout with post-partum depression, doggy photos and shopping finds. And although Armstrong is deemed a “mommyblogger,” Dooce.com's audience includes readers of all genders and stages of life who comment actively on her posts and participate heartily in the Dooce Community, a four-month-old virtual hub for readers to ask and answer questions that run the gamut from "the worst book you ever read?" to "How does one delicately talk to an employee about a body odor problem?"

In between living her life and blogging about it on her own site, Armstrong has also authored two books.

We caught up with the interior design fan (she has recently signed on with HGTV in a programming development deal) to discuss renovations, reader reactions and writing.

TIS: Hi Heather! So, your blog has taken off so much that now both you and Jon, your husband, work for Dooce.com. What was the point where you said, “OK, people are reading me?"

Heather Armstrong: Well, the first time I realized people were reading me was when I lost my job for writing some not-so-friendly things about my boss. The news spread across the community and there was a huge surge. But, it wasn’t until I had my first child and started chronicling my life as a mom that we ran the numbers and realized “Oh my gosh, people are really reading us!"

TIS: What is a typical day like for you?

HA: Ha, you know you think it’s going to be typical and then some sort of wrench gets thrown into it. Our life is just nuts in terms of getting up and getting my youngest daughter ready and hauling her off to school and making sure the baby’s OK, and then carving our way through the day. Sometimes a news crew is going to show up and talk about blogs. Other times, I have so much to do and have to say, “Everybody has to leave me alone for two hours so I can get some writing done.”

TIS: You work from home with your husband—I believe in the same office. Have you designed your workspace in such a way that makes it easy to work together?

HA: I love the flexibility of working from home. Not everyone can be with her husband all day, everyday. We’ve made it work and we really enjoy it. The first thing we did to our office space was to put in very large computers so that we don’t need to see each other. That alone is a nice barrier. That is one thing I would recommend to anyone who is working in the same space as someone else is that you have your own space—a dividing line.

Heather Armstrong with her husband, Jon

TIS: How about the rest of your home?. I am sure readers would love to hear about your design aesthetic.

HA: With kids, you collect a massive amount of stuff. And because of that, I am drawn [in the opposite direction] to minimalist, uncluttered, mid-century and modern design. I didn’t grow up with it. My mother’s house was very much a country home with wicker and plaid everywhere. I think having kids just threw me into the modern and minimal direction because the clutter can make me go insane. However, one of the best things I ever learned from my mom was how to find vintage items and piece them together. There are treasures to be found out there!

TIS: What has been the best home design move you have ever made?

HA: We used to live in this cute 1926 bungalow. We re-did the kitchen when I was eight months pregnant [with her first child, Leta, now 6 years-old]. Everything fell into place. Start to finish, complete demolition, it was a 28-day renovation. We tore it down to the studs. We don’t live there anymore, but I have a very special place in my heart for that home and the work we put into it in order to make it a functional, modern space.

TIS: Eight months pregnant?!

HA: Oh it was a labor of love. I was eight months pregnant and I was standing there holding lights above my head so that we could get everything in. It turned out great, though!

TIS: OK so, on the opposite spectrum, what has been your worst home design move?

HA: Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it my worst home design move, but if you ask the Internet, the Internet would say, “Oh my God! The bathroom!” Because again, I was eight months pregnant, this time with my second child [Marlo, now nine months]. We had this horrible bathroom that only had a shower and one sink. All we wanted to do was bring in a new vanity and touch up the paint. Well, when we took out the vanity, we realized that the people before us didn’t install tile under the vanity. Here I am eight months pregnant with a non-functioning bathroom. We couldn’t find matching tile and the wait was going to be two weeks, which was just undoable in my state. We put down mismatched tiles. It’s not that bad. Really. But, if you were to ask the Internet, well, they think I should be drawn and quartered for what I did.

TIS: So maybe it wasn’t your worst design move; the problem lies in the fact that you told people.

HA: Exactly. I should have photo-shopped the picture and said, “Hey, look, everything matches!”

TIS: So how do you come up with what to write every day? How do you decide to tell the Internet about your bathroom?

HA: I thought it was funny! I thought it was, OK here’s some mismatched tile; here’s some funny content for the day. Also, before we did this, I told my husband, “Listen, I am eight months pregnant. I cannot help you drill or hammer or anything.” He got to a point where he was begging me for help. And I said, “I am going to bring up this conversation on my website.” Remodeling is just ripe with content. But I had no idea that it was going to cause such a firestorm. There were over 600 comments. One of the comments was, “I can’t believe you care about your bathroom when we are all going to die and nothing matters in the world.” It ended up there. And then it ranged to, “This is the most pedestrian choice you have ever made and it is so beneath my senses.”

TIS: I don't usually read the comments on your blog and I am starting to think that might be a good thing.

HA: Oh yup. You might want to remain innocent.

TIS: I heard that two of your favorite purchases came off of eBay. Could you tell us a little more about them?

HA: Oh, yes! I love eBay. I was searching for chairs that had a modern aesthetic, something like Hans Wegner. I eventually found this blue modern vintage gorgeous chair that I have in my living room. And then I bought a chest of drawers for our bedroom. It is a gorgeous mid-century piece that cost only $200. I love both these pieces. One of them was shipped all the way from New Jersey. They really sing to the modern aesthetic I love.

TIS: Let’s say eBay gave you a giant shopping spree and you could bring one person to help you shop. Who would it be?

HA: I would take [interior designer] Nate Berkus! Oh yeah. Not only to help me pick out fabulous things for my house, but also just so I could just stare at him fondly. He’s a good looking man.

TIS: Good choice, Heather. With that said, do you have any tips for readers who are trying to find a way to indulge their creative sides a bit more?

HA: Just take time for yourself. A lot of my creative indulgences come from forcing myself to sit still. I have a really hard time not being engaged in something that will get a task accomplished. We all need to indulge ourselves. It’s healthy. And you might end up with something really fabulous or something that will make you smile.

**Images of Heather and Jon Armstrong provided by Dooce.com.**