Reader Design: Jessica's Vibrant Space

Well folks, somehow we're now in 2018. I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday break because 2018 is here with a vengeance. 

Take New England for instance, the home of today's reader design tour. It's currently piled with two feet of snow! Thankfully, Jessica has her vibrant and eclectic home to keep her warm! 

A little about Jessica:

“I live in a 1934 Craftsman Bungalow home with my dashing husband, Christopher, our dopey mutt, Murphy, and silly dog-like cats, Marla and Sylvester. We’ve been here for just over four years, the last year being the most significant design-wise inside. Since then, I’ve taught myself how to hang french doors, rebuild floor molding, and board and batten. I believe you can build anything with a nail gun. My design eye was heavily influenced by my Mom’s desire to create cozy interiors throughout my life. Apparently we had a knack for feng shui and didn’t even know it. I keep at a design until I get it balanced and just right.

My home has rapidly evolved more in tune with my personality over the past year. For years, I had well-loved hand me downs, but I’ve begun to embrace (and trust my gut about) a wilder, more vibrant feel. I’ve always been an eclectic collector and a lover of color. I’m an avid fan of the glammy ‘20-30s, mid century, and the boho vibes of my grandmother-in-law’s Southern California home. I love idea of challenging myself to combine my BBB (big, bold & beautiful) antiques/thrifted goods with my husband’s California roots. My home has since grown into a modern-eclectic-glam abode that’s super cozy to all who enter.”

In the dining room, Jessica paired a Spanish revival sideboard she found at a tag sale with a custom 7' poplar table by Mason Dixon Handmade and vintage brass bar cart. Jessica's husband lovingly jokes that the home is "a modern Italian dream based in 1970s Miami," and no room says it better!

This place is just chalk-full of meaningful finds, 'more is more' design, and elements that satisfy all five senses - specifically "incense, good tunes, the velvet blue Article sofa, pretty pattens, and all the home cooking." There are also fun collections that Jessica has accumulated over time, almost by accident, of globes, decanters, and candlesticks. So much to please the eye, and the heart!

If there was a perfect place to wait out this storm, this would have to be it. Thank you for inviting us in, Jessica! Follow Jessica along on Instagram @imjessicabrigham for more.

See you next week,

Reader Design: Heather's Blended Digs

We're edging closer and closer to 2018, and the start of a new year always brings with it both excitement for the future and reflection on the past. How appropriate that today we're headed to a home that expertly blends old and new, keeping with the trends of today while paying homage to timeless design and craftsmanship. 

Let's head off to Heather's home near Minneapolis, Minnesota!

From Heather:

“I would describe my style as transitional with a heavy mid-century modern bent and a bit of boho thrown in. I truly am a style mutt in that I love old mixed with new, colors mixed with neutrals, and fall somewhere in the middle of the minimalist/maximalist spectrum.

I long for my home to be a safe place for all who enter. I want it to be warm and welcoming. My main goal in decorating is making our home a place where people feel comfortable to be themselves, which sometimes means I sacrifice form for function. It’s one thing for your home to look beautiful in photos, but it’s a whole other thing for it to feel beautiful to people. For a space to feel like it’s cozy and for it to function well is equally, if not more, important than how it looks.”

“My husband and I spent a couple weekends removing the cabinets on this wall, hanging removable wallpaper, and installing the shelves. To-date, I think it’s my favorite home update we’ve done. It took our kitchen from outdated, dark, and closed off, to open, airy, and modern.

I believe in updating, renovating, and decorating within your means. If you don’t have the time or money to do a project, then don’t stress about it! Do what you can with what you have where you’re at. That means that you may need to do smaller, short-term fixes until you have the budget for a larger renovation (like we did in our kitchen). Or it may mean that you embrace a part of your home that doesn’t feel perfect, but is good enough. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful!”

Heather and her husband took their time with this space and made it perfectly their own. It's the ideal spot to cozy up in the Minnesota weather to come. Heather also did this design consciously which can be so hard to do - financially and aesthetically. 

“I tend to be pretty thrifty when purchasing home decor, but one thing that I am willing to splurge on more than others is original art. Pieces that aren’t mass-produced are so special, and getting to support the artists who create them is a gift. But if you don’t have it in your budget to splurge on original artwork, thrift and antique shops can be a great resource for you! I recently found this seascape at our local thrift shop for $4, and I love the character it adds to our bedroom!”

Thanks for the tour today, Heather! 

Follow Heather along on Instagram @mysahomestyling for more! All photos shot by Lana Douglas of 1987 Photography. Check out Lana's photography on Instagram at @1987photography.

Reader Design: Rhiannon's Family Farmhouse

We're off to a home that's right after Joanna Gaines' shiplap-lovin' heart. Side note: is anyone else mourning the final season of Fixer Upper like I am? 

Thank goodness for Rhiannon and her Spotsylvania, Virginia home. It may help fill the void a little bit, at least for today! She calls Chip & Jo some of her biggest inspirations, so it makes sense that her home has the same lived-in, cozy comfort that we've come to love so much.

They say that the kitchen is the heart of the home, and if that's true, then this heart is alive, well, and full of love. Rhiannon and her husband took on a lot of projects themselves to turn this into their dream.

From Rhiannon:

“Our open shelving is my favorite. I originally wanted to make the entire wall at my sink to be windows, but the expense was going to be too much. So this was my second choice, but it makes our space feel bigger, and I can completely redecorate them at any time and create a whole new feel in the room/space with the seasons.”

When redoing this space, they were conscious of anything too trendy or generic; even still, though, the heart wants what it wants.

“I always joke with my husband, “are our children going to make fun of the way our house looked in pictures 30 years from now?” But I’d like to think that subway tile, oak woods, and great neutrals will never go out of style.”

With such a beautiful, neutral backdrop, switching up the decor is something Rhiannon likes to do often - and let's be honest, I think it's something we're all guilty of. We can't stop those creative impulses! Luckily, we get to see this home decked out for the holidays; Rhiannon makes the most of every space and brings the festivity. 

Even when it's not the holiday season, this home is always a place of welcoming and peace.

“I want it to feel cozy and comfortable but clean and minimalistic. I can’t relax in clutter. I’m always striving to find a good balance of simplistic but lived in. I never want my home to be the kind you walk into and your afraid to get dirty or mess up the pillows on the couch, I want people (as well as me and my husband) to feel relaxed and welcome. I think having a nice place to come home to where you genuinely enjoy your surroundings is so important and makes such an impact on day to day life!”

And while Rhiannon calls some areas, like the master bedroom, 'works in progress,' she has a surefire trick for instantly updating a space. Any guesses based on what you've seen?

They're fluffy, pretty, and easy to move around....

THROW PILLOWS! I think we all know that throw pillows have the power to dramatically transform spaces, and Rhiannon has that trick nailed. 

“I like the ability to change the feel of a room with each season or mood I’m in, shelf decor and throw pillows are the easiest and most affordable way to do that!”

Rhiannon, thank you for hosting a tour today! We're wishing you the happiest of holiday seasons in your home. Follow Rhiannon along on Instagram for more at @rhiannonmlawson.