Reader Design: Linzi's Mod Apartment

Happy November, Mutts! I hope you all are slowly coming off your sugar highs - but we're here to keep the excitement going with a tour of Linzi's mod apartment in Providence, Rhode Island.

She and her longtime love and fiance Spencer love all things retro and have a true penchant for Ikea, with a heavy dose of thrift to keep things interesting.

“We both grew up in upstate New York in a very small town where there wasn’t much to do. In high school, we loved to go thrifting and decorate our bedrooms in our respective houses with our small vintage finds. When we moved in together here in Providence, it was great to combine all our stuff and pick out our own larger pieces of furniture like bed frames and couches together.”

Now, most people think of "basic" and "starter furniture" when they think of Ikea. But that really doesn't have to be the case. In our world of e-design, we know that Ikea can offer so many options for pretty and affordable furniture (this isn't an ad for Ikea, I promise). Linzi didn't shy away from the brand when designing her own home, though; in fact, she had to consciously reel herself in!

“I think one of the biggest things I’ve wrestled with is loving Ikea almost too much. I love everything that place makes, but I had to step back and make sure I wasn’t living in a place that looked like it could be in their showroom. ”

I don't know about you guys, but I can hardly pick out the Ikea pieces in this space. Linzi and Spencer did such a great job adding character through both thrifted finds and family passdowns. In fact, Spencer was lucky enough to get one of the most incredible inherited record collections I've ever seen, gifted by his dad. Those records on display really help this couple achieve the overall feel they're going for:

“I try to evoke a feeling that is fun and comfortable, in a vintage way. I want people to feel like they can come hang out with us and listen to a record. ”

Linzi also wasn't afraid to get hands-on to make this home special.

“In the kitchen, my favorite pieces are the vintage wooden table chairs. I got all 4 for $10 each and put in a lot of elbow grease refinishing them (they were painted bright green before).”

The retro and bauhaus vibe is carried through in every room, all the way to the bedroom. It's bright, happy, and effervescent, just like the 1960's era on which it draws.

Linzi, thank you so much for showing us around! We love what you've done with the place. Follow Linzi along on Instagram at @linziclary for more.

See you next week,

Reader Design: Madison's Bold Southwestern Style

When school brought Madison from Arizona to Boston, he took a bit of home with him. The result is a stunning space that is bold, bright, and imaginative and clearly derives its spirit from the Southwest. 

Let's take a look!

Though he tried to resist, the influences of his childhood both followed Madison all the way across the country and followed him through life stages and into adulthood as he put down New England roots and purchased a home with his husband. 

From Madison:

“I grew up near Cave Creek, Arizona and a lot of those Southwestern touches have crept into our home. It’s funny because growing up I used to detest homes that were totally blown out in Bonanza. Now I can hardly resist when I go home. I have to stop into some of the local shops and pick up a Zapotec table runner or a piece of Talavera pottery. ”

“We also travel a lot and love to bring home decor items back with us. Because of that we get a little eclectic and global chic thrown into the mix as well. If I had to sum [our home] up in one line I would say it’s Global Southwestern Mid-Century Modern Chic (that’s a mouthful!). Ultimately, we buy the things that speak to us and that give us that visceral response and we find a way to make them work. There’s no other way! ”

Going with your gut is always the best thing to do, right? Everyone in this new world of authenticity - particularly on social media - preaches staying true to yourself.

But what if you're wrestling with what exactly that means? After all, Madison ended up emulating the very styles he thought he hated while living in Arizona. He even in initially struggled with color - not color choices, but how much of it to use in the first place.  

“One thing that I wrestled with is color. A lot of people tell you not to go crazy with color because it will impact the resale of your home or that you will get too tired of it. We sort of just went with it and everyone seems to really love it, including ourselves. It’s not like we redid our entire kitchen with red cabinets - paint is so cheap and easy to fix or change or correct. ”

Obviously, color won out in this home. And thank goodness it did! At the end of the day, Madison and Sky wanted their home to be "energetic, interesting and fun" and "be a place that is comfortable and inviting." For them,  color did the trick. 

Moving to the bedrooms, the home starts to take on a quieter vibe. 

“In our bedroom, we wanted to be a place of tranquility. The room was inspired by a painting my grandmother did in the 70’s with a Native American man in the sky surrounded by Kachina dolls above the Grand Canyon. That picture has always brought me a lot of peace, and I think that’s a good vibe for your bedroom.”

The guest bedroom, like its master peer, also has a fun theme. Instead of a family heirloom painting, that theme is..... drumroll please.... 

LLAMAS!

“This is our llama/alpaca room - you will find touches of llamas in almost every corner. I love all of them, but my favorite thing is probably the picture of the alpaca on the yellow nightstand. Sky’s mom surprised me one year, and we want to one of the largest alpaca farms in New England. I snapped this picture of one of them and just can’t get over how much personality shows through the image. ”

If there's one thing for certain about this home, it's that it has a whole lot of personality. Madison, your home is so, so, so fun, bold, and beautiful. Thank you for inviting us in! 

Follow Madison along on Instagram @mvwetter for more! 

Reader Design: Sarah's PNW Masterpiece

As most of you know, I recently moved from the East Coast (DC) to Seattle, WA - and man is the Pacific Northwest living up to my expectations. Everything is so welcome, cozy, and calm here! 

Today, we're headed to Portland, Oregon to check out Sarah's stunning home. Are you ready? When I say stunning, I mean it! 

Sarah's home, which she shares with her husband, is a modern glam lover's dream. It's as if you've stumbled into the coolest little hotel in LA or Paris, but it's rented out privately for you...forever. Since Sarah and her husband are both creatives, it was key to them that their home be inspiring creatively and completely true to them. 

From Sarah: 

“It is important to us to live in a home that inspires us and those that visit. I basically wanted our house to feel like a glam boutique hotel, similar to some we have stayed at on our travels!”

This means lots of swoon-worthy textiles (shout-out to all my velvet couch lovers out there), organic elements like plants, and brass accents. 

“Besides our incredible couch, the coffee table is my favorite piece! I drove an hour to pick it up from someone selling it on Facebook Marketplace and when I got there, the guy selling them gave me a matching console table and side table! They are Karl Springer and I got an AMAZING deal. I feel like anything brass and glass is very “me”. ”

Sarah has played around with various inspirations outside her "travel-inspired chic boutique" theme, including the "jungalow" style we've all come to admire - with its wicker and bamboo, tons of plants, and bright colors - touches of which are easy to spot in Sarah's design. 

“In general, I stay away from trends and only buy and use what I truly love and could live with for years. But there are some trends that are just sooooo good! For me, it’s been wicker/bamboo. The “jungalow” style is so amazing and I am really drawn to many aspects of it, but ultimately, I’m more comfortable with the minimalism and glam of the style I’ve created. ”

And this style doesn't necessarily have to break the bank either! Sarah stalked the beautiful brass mirror in the dining room at a vintage store until it was marked 50% off; she recovered a basic Joss & Main headboard with green velvet for the master bedroom, and her mom helped her sew the bedskirt. DIY for the win! 

“I am ALL about finding a good deal. I will spend big bucks if I know I’m getting the best deal. But like in fashion, I like to calculate the cost per use, so I am willing to splurge on super practical items that will get a lot of use. ”

The complete product is one of the most interesting and gorgeous homes I've seen; Sarah, we salute you! Thanks for the tour. 

Follow Sarah along on Instagram @homegirlpdx for more!