When life throws you a pandemic you roll with the punches - that’s just what these clients did last Summer! They uprooted their life in the hub of Washington D.C. for the quieter and more relaxed suburban life. Nestled inside the beltway off the picturesque Clara Barton Parkway, this traditional colonial met it’s match with a vibrant and eclectic family with laid-back California roots.

I was brought onto this project ahead of the move which gave me plenty of time to game plan the 9 room job! I was tasked with designing their Entryway, Kitchen, Eat-In Nook, Dining Room, Living Room, Family Room, Her Office, His Office, and their daughters Bedroom and adjoining Playroom. The main objective for this family was to feel settled as quickly as possible. The couple both work full time (from home), and their young daughter would be entering Kindergarten in the Fall (also from home), so while not every aspect of the house itself was their style, their MO was to make it work in this season so they could feel at home for a little while. There may be possible renovations down the road but who wants to live in a renovation while working and schooling from home? I appreciate their discernment and desire to feel settled for the time being.

So we’ve got a big reveal to share this week! Since it’s so many rooms I have broken it up into two parts. Today I’m excited to walk you through the Kitchen, Eat-In Nook, Dining Room, and Living Room!

With renovations off the table at this time, I planned out a number of inexpensive updates to soften their kitchen. The previous gray walls, gray stone backsplash and cherry island made the space feel very disjointed. I had them first paint their backsplash the same color as the walls, (which we updated all throughout the home to match the dentil trim - a great way to give a traditional element a modern twist). I also wanted to ditch the cherry island counter for something more natural and casual - an IKEA butcher block counter in a larger size than the original piece makes the island feel a more suitable size for this kitchen space - plus that gave them enough room for a third stool!

Additional updates include swapping the cabinet hardware, (matte black bar pulls are a fantastic option if you have white cabinets you want to give new life), and these stunning ceramic blue sconces are from Modefinity on Etsy!

As always, sourcing rugs was an absolute pleasure. A peachy vintage runner with blue accents just glows in this room with the leather stools and warm wood accents. And it compliments its far more saturated neighbor, a 6x9 vintage piece under the Eat-In Nook!

I just really wanted this space to glow - like a California sunset. Pairing light natural cane chairs with a walnut table and a backdrop of meaningful pieces sprawled across the wall, it speaks of this family’s love and joy.

This light was one of my favorite finds - I can’t recall which came first, the island pendants or this piece, but I wanted them to be really in sync and equally as different. This ceramic light fixture is another handcrafted item from one of my favorite Etsy shops, ClayCafe. They have quickly become one of my go-tos, but just a heads up they are currently only open the first two weeks of every month. Two on, two off.

I designed this gallery wall using some of the family’s own sentimental pieces, and building around those with a supporting cast of pieces that represent both their happiest memories and this new adventure, (‘This Must Be The Place”)

You know what’s fun about colonials? All the segmented rooms! I love a sweeping open layout, don’t get me wrong - that’s what I am most used to! But I have never done so many separated rooms as this home, and there’s something about having the freedom to do big and bold things in just one space that you don’t necessarily want to commit to all over. You know?

Case in point: Cavern Clay, by Sherwin Williams

The client decided to keep their dining room furniture in the move, including that beautiful rectangular linen shade light fixture . In addition to adding an arch mirror, the wispy pampas grass and some punchy art from Upton, I wanted to wrap this room in something bold but still organic. Terracotta came to mind one night right before I fell asleep and I couldn’t wait to find just the right shade for this room!

We all instantly liked black paired with this magnificent color, and strategically peppered it throughout the space on all sides.

We wanted to keep this space really simple and minimal to make the dining room high impact. But the trick was not going too far the other direction. Using natural materials that echo the organic feel of the dining room really works to marry the two rooms, and a few winks of rust/orange/terracotta in the pillows are all we needed to complete the connection.

That’s a wrap on this leg of our reveal! Wednesday I’ll be back with the Family Room, both Offices, and their daughters’ Bedroom - the sum of which include two wallpapered walls, bold built-ins, and some serious Pearl Jam appreciation. This home has been the most fun and thanks to the fabulous client, a lot of laughs along the way! So excited to welcome you all into this space so full of joy. More Wednesday!

Thank you so much for coming by!

Hello, sweet friends! This is a special reveal and one that’s been close to my heart for quite some time. Last April during my kids’ Spring Break I read through Chip Gaines’ book, Capital Gaines. It’s an all-around motivating, get-it-done read, but the thing that stuck with me the most was the encouragement to bet on yourself. And it got me thinking that one person betting on their own selves can’t possibly have the same power as people betting on one another. I started mulling over the idea of looking for a design job to do for peanuts for someone in need. I wanted to give someone that oomph to keep on keeping on, even if just through the simple act of improving the way they feel at home. One month later in May, we were contacted by an amazing woman who was at a point of reinvesting in her life. Gods timing astounds me.

I think most all of us can attest that life doesn’t always, (or usually!), go as expected, and this woman had just been pitched a curve ball. With two young children in toe she was starting fresh with a new home, an old sofa, and a very happy fiddle leaf fig tree. The thing that just overwhelmed me with emotion while speaking with her was the fact that she wanted to make the most of this next chapter. It was apparent that there hadn’t been joy in her home for quite some time, and that’s what she wanted to bring back. ‘Happy’ was a frequent word that came up when discussing the vision and design of her home.

So with a strict $5,000 budget, I waved more than half of my design fee and cracked down on tackling her Family Room, Dining Room, Kitchen and Living Room. And this reveal may be one of our happiest yet! :)

BEFORE

The first order of business was rotating that sofa and pushing it against the wall! This family room space is shared with the children in a big way, and the original placement of the sectional floating in the middle of the floor just made it too chopped up and separated. Also, PSA: With $40 and an 8 minute YouTube video, you, too, can update your overhead lighting.

So. Much. Beige. With an emphasis on creating an environment that feels happy, color was top priority. The catch, however, was that because this is a rental, the wall color and carpet could not be updated. And because the client requested to use her sofa, (a smart move that allowed her to put her budget in SO MANY other places), that was another shade of beige to overcome.

Picking pillows and accent pieces for this space was an absolute blast. With a bland canvas to work with the sky really was the limit, so I had to uncover what palette spoke to my client best. She is extremely inspired and rejuvenated by the coast, but I didn’t want to do anything too literal. Creating a relaxing vibe with pops of vibrant color was the way to go. Blue is a favorite color of hers so I peppered it around subtly.

Ah, yes - the wall mounted Ikea IVAR cabinets. This is the third design since last Spring that we used wall mounted IKEA cabinets to create a custom, clean-lined storage option, (see here and here). You can always add hardware, legs, etc to these to blend them into your own space, but my favorite way to use them is to mount them over the floor 6-8” and give them a fresh coat of paint, (they come in wood). And at just $80 per set of cabinets, that means this massive custom media storage unit cost just $240 + cheap paint.

There wasn’t much to do in the kitchen but change out the pendants and add some stools - leather for the win!

More beige! For the particular vision and feel this client wanted, I knew the dark matching dining set had to go. A new mix of pieces pieced together from various retailers creates a one-of-a-kind dining set for the family. The first item we decided on was that rug - even prettier in person if you can believe it!

This cheery space feels special to me - the colors echo the rest of the home but there’s something about it that makes it feel set apart. It’s grown up but fun, simple but interesting, stunning but functional, (the cabinet is packed with board games)! I have never ever used a sofa in that color before but my gut was pulling for it and I was excited to fill in around it with some contrasting tones - even moodier rich and earth colors!

I think the vibrancy of the sofa just adds some sophisticated drama here when surrounded by earthier tones and textures.

Anchoring one whole side of the room by itself is one of my favorite go-tos; an oversized black framed mirror. Not right for every home, but right for this one in this place. It’s a beast in person, and emphasizes the drama of this room.

Well that’s a wrap! The first thing this sweet client told me when I sent her a sample of these photos was that she can’t believe this is her home and can’t wait to start on her bedroom together in the new year. I can’t wait, either!!!

You all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! It’s a treat every time I have an opportunity to jump on here and share something with you. You make this landing place so much fun and it brings me joy to get to bring finished projects here to show you. So thank you for taking the time out of your day to stop by - it really touches our hearts!