HOME STYLING & STAGING
We're a socially-conscious interior design company in Minneapolis, MN.
Meet Melanie Zaelich,
The owner and award-winning Interior Designer behind Happy Place Interiors
Melanie Zaelich
Owner, Interior Designer
Best of Houzz Winner Service
Certified True Colour Expert™
An award-winning Minneapolis interior designer
with a reputation of creativity and practicality.
Melanie Zaelich is the founder and lead interior designer of Happy Place Interiors. She started the firm in 2016 and worked solo until 2026 when the high demand for her unique consultation-based interior design services demanded additional talent added to her team.
Over the past 10 years, Melanie has worked with over 2,000 homeowners, giving them creative ideas, recommendations and a plan that will turn their home into their favorite place to be. She focuses on color, harmony, space planning, functionality, practically and can work within any budget— large or small.
With her creativity, experience and solid understanding of how design and homes come together, Melanie has the unique ability to create spaces within a variety of design style, and make any space look good. She either draws out the clients design style or helps them define it, and then creates a plan that reflects them, not her.
Her signature process, The HAPPY Design Method™ is now also used by her fellow interior design consultants, Deb and Melanie(yes, another Melanie!), so each client gets the same level of quality design direction and detailed guidance for their project.
Melanie was incredible to work with. We felt stuck in the layout and design of our house and after a few hours with Melanie we have a plan and I am feeling excited about our changes for the first time. She was very good at picking out a design that suited both of us and working with our ideas to make our space more personal. I look forward to working with Melanie in the future!
—Alex
I had an interior design consultation with Happy Place Interiors and Melanie gave me clear, actionable advice for many rooms in my home. I'm excited and confident now about the changes I'll be making to make our home feel more like our own. I made one small, easy change she suggested right away and my husband said he's "obsessed". I cant wait to get to work on the rest.
— Melissa
I had a fabulous experience working with Happy Place Interiors! I have a whole house to decorate, so I booked a 3-hour session with Melanie. It absolutely flew by--she's fun to work with--and we covered so much ground! What I especially loved is how Melanie grounded me in the *fundamentals* of home design, like color palettes and proportions. So I can apply what I learned not only to my current projects, but to future ones, too. I will absolutely be calling on Happy Place again the next time I'm ready for expert guidance.
— Kristi
Working with Melanie was an absolute delight! She has a great eye and pays attention to the details. I already have an appointment with the painter and can hardly wait to see how the exquisite colors we selected breathe new energy into my home. I already know that this was money well spent! I'll come back to post before and after photos.
—Lisa
Happy Place Interiors is amazing and Melanie is wonderful to work with! She listened to my MANY thoughts and ideas and was able to really help me come to some decisions I would never have gotten done on my own. Due to distance constraints, we were only able to meet virtually, but Melanie was able to offer insights not only for our remodel, but for design in general. When I think of other spaces in my home, I find myself referring back to the design principles she shared with me and find I'm not so overwhelmed with indecision. I would not hesitate to book an appointment with Melanie again in the future!!
—Suzette
