When you’re the daughter of celebrated filmmakers Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer, dinner table conversation is bound to hit a little different. Annie Meyers-Shyer says her parents loved their work and always talked shop—“[Our] family quote is ‘Work is more fun than fun,’” she tells The Business of Home Podcast host Dennis Scully, riffing on an old Noël Coward credo. “I got a feeling that you’re supposed to love what you do.”

That maxim guided her into the magazine and fashion industries, where she became an accessories editor at Harper’s Bazaar and a PR manager at Chanel. Meyers-Shyer ultimately found her calling when she launched @ThisOakHouse, an Instagram account that covered the renovation of her family home in Beverly Hills. “It wasn’t until this project that I [realized] maybe I’ve never really felt that feeling. … I loved the life that I was leading and I was content and happy, [but] I didn’t know there was still a pilot light on inside me.”

Begun as a private creative outlet where friends and loved ones could follow her journey as she chose fabric swatches and visited marble yards, This Oak House surprised Meyers-Shyer by quickly becoming a favorite of classic design lovers and a thriving affiliate business, leading her to launch a new homewares line in collaboration with Target and to author her forthcoming book, This Oak House: A Renovation Story. “I had a hunch that maybe this would be a fun thing for some of my old co-workers in New York to follow along with, but there was absolutely no road map or game plan or foresight into what could possibly be. I thought some folks would want to help me pick some paint colors. It was a very on-a-whim idea to start this [Instagram] account.”

Meyers-Shyer says her brand arrived at a moment, in 2023, when design lovers were craving the demystification of the design process. “I think [given the industry’s history of] a lot of gatekeeping, … when I, then, was out there sharing every paint color and talking about where I sourced something or taking people with me on a trip to Europe, that opened doors and brought people into the experience in a different way,” she explains.

Elsewhere, she discusses learning design “by osmosis,” how she curates her social media account while trying to keep it authentic, and where she goes from here.

Crucial insight: A self-described private person who says she’s “had a lot of success on Instagram with basically never showing my face,” Meyers-Shyer understands the pressure that comes with performing for social media and advises others to stay true to themselves rather than chase numbers. “I do not like being on camera; I am so uncomfortable with it,” she says. “I also don’t really know how to put together a Reel. I do what I know how to do, and I think it’s just fine. … My biggest piece of advice to anybody is just do what feels right. I don’t think you have to worry about what everybody else is doing. Figure out what your niche is and figure out what’s proprietary to you—what can you share that somebody else can’t share—and figure out how to do that authentically. Just stay authentic, and your people will find you.”

Key quote: “The beauty of this time that we’re in now is that it is actually great to be many things and be a multihyphenate, and so I am doing many different things. I’m doing one-on-one consultations, I have a line with Target, I’ve got my book that’s coming out. Building this brand is something that I think about every single day. I think, ‘What does the end user want from me, and how can I deliver for them?’ I can see the clicks, I can see the traction, I know what they’re after, and now it’s my job to deliver them something wonderful.”

This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Resource Furniture. Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The Thursday Show

Host Dennis Scully and BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus discuss the biggest news in the design world, including a new report on AI in design, why some brands are selling their own dupes, and the rise of stainless steel. Later, Mary Celeste Beall joins the show to look back on 50 years of Blackberry Farm.

This episode is sponsored by Chelsea House and Hickory Chair. Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.