Reader Design: Leslie's Southern Home

I'm back in Richmond for wedding meetings this week, so it's only fitting that our reader design be in another traditionally Southern place. Let's check out Leslie's southern home in Birmingham, Alabama!

“I’m a Southerner through and through. I feel passionate about cultivating heritage in our home by rooting my designs in mostly a fresh traditional style. I think there is a misconception that traditional style is stale, boring or tired. I strive to create a home that is collected, classic with a healthy dose of the unexpected. But most importantly, I want to create a home that is welcoming and comfortable. I seem to find myself drawn to classic furniture with a bit of embellishment, whether that’s a beautifully carved leg, unique details or craftsmanship Thankfully, with the numerous ways to acquire thrifted pieces today, it is easy to create a home that fits my style and my budget.”

— Leslie

“After nine moves, I think we have finally settled in for the long haul with our current house I have dubbed #thetrailhousereno. A little over two years ago I fell in love with a house in our existing neighborhood that needed a ton of love. Somehow I convinced my husband to agree to rehabbing this home. We completely resurfaced the problem front facade with brick and took the opportunity to clean up the bad late 90’s architecture.”

“It is always hard to choose a favorite room but cooking is my love language, so the kitchen is probably a winner by default. It might be hard to believe, but the kitchen was a budget friendly renovation. We were able to keep the existing cabinetry and granite and recycle the old island into a beverage center. A new island was built to fit the kitchen’s new expanded view. We DIY’ed the backsplash and the reclaimed wood countertop and shelves.”

While much of the home is classic and traditional, there are nods to the "now" in a few spots. 

“I would not say I am completely immune to trends. Adding a small trendy piece of pottery or the “color of the moment” in a throw is interesting way to inject life into your home. I thrive on change and yet, I do not subscribe to the notion of replacing larger pieces of furniture based on a trend. I say, collect timeless investment pieces and keep an open mind to trends that speak to you and work well with your overall design aesthetic. ”

One of those spots is Leslie's personal studio.

“Upstairs, in my personal studio, I took the liberty to have a little fun and depart from the underlining color palette of the rest of the house. It is also where I let the plant lady go wild. Even after over a year of working in this space, the room has the power to both excite and calm me at the same time. It is a perfect place to be productive and is definitely a bright, oxygen-filled space.”

This home is certainly one that stands the test of time while still having plenty of personality! Leslie, thank you for letting us in!

Follow Leslie along on Instagram at @deeplysouthernhome and check out her blog at www.DeeplySouthernHome.com

Reader Design: Meredith's Simplified Space

It seems like the whole country is experiencing some crazy sunshine this week! But no place gets more sunshine than the location of today's reader design location: Denver, Colorado. Allegedly, this city gets a whopping 300 days of sunshine, and you can tell by the lightness and brightness of Meredith's home.

“When we bought this home, it was filled to the brim with bold paint colors, glossy finishes, and bright accent walls. My first goal was to lighten everything up and make the rooms feel more cohesive. We used the same light gray paint color (Silver Drop by Behr) in almost every room, and it’s done wonders for making our home feel light and bright and so much bigger! From there I tried to arrange furniture and decorate so our home feels welcoming and cozy but still simplified and clean.”

— Meredith

“My style and DIY skills have definitely evolved over the past 10 years of home-ownership. Our first house was an 80s ranch in Arkansas, where we learned to scrape popcorn ceilings, add recessed lighting, and paint lots and lots of wood trim. I started collecting mid-century modern furniture pieces there because they fit the style of the house, but over time, mid-century furnishings became part of our style, too. Now those same pieces seem to fit our very non-ranch second home in Colorado because they are a reflection of us.”

“Our family room is full of more favorite pieces. The credenza was a $40 Craigslist find that I spent hours sanding down to bare wood and refinishing. That thing will probably outlive me! The gold arc lamp was an estate sale find that took three adults to load into my car (with two carseats installed). And of course, our West Elm leather sofa is the most durable, comfortable thing ever. It was our only brand-new furniture purchase after moving to Colorado and it was worth every penny.”

“One design element I will always be willing to splurge on is good lighting. In both of our homes, we replaced horrible wood-framed fluorescent lighting in the kitchens with recessed lights. We’ve also updated almost every single light fixture throughout our home. I don’t necessarily need something high-end if it’s a good design. I tend to prefer simple globe pendants and sconces, except for in our girls’ shared bedroom where I added the most girly floral chandelier ever!”

“Over the past year, my husband and I have strived to simplify the way we live. We’ve emptied out our unfinished basement, decluttered our kids’ toy collection and our closets, reduced the number of decor items out at any given time, and even put half our dishes and flatware into storage so our kitchen stays cleaner. Our home feels lighter and bigger and we spend much less time cleaning and tidying! I’d love to be a true minimalist, but I have to balance a love of adding interesting textures and pops of color, too. Lately I’ve learned that keeping the pieces you feel most passionate about and letting go of the rest is a pretty great recipe for a home you love.”

Meredith, thank you so much for giving us a tour! Follow Meredith along on Instagram @welcometoheardmont for more!

Reader Design: Kendra's Gathering Spot

We're off to Texas today, mutts! Kendra is a musician, photographer, and superb community maker. It all starts with her own home in Houston, Texas, which she shares with her husband.

From Kendra:

“My husband and I are big on community, so we wanted our space to be one that is not only cozy and inviting but also one that allows us to intentionally cultivate our growing community. An open floor plan, gathering spaces, and a large dining table were must-haves for us. I’m also a musician and creative, and I want the space I live (and sometimes work) in to be aesthetically beautiful, inspiring, and creatively inviting.”

“We bought our house one year ago in June and, before that, I wasn’t super passionate about design nor did I know what i really liked. In the last year I’ve learned more about myself through my design style, and it’s turned into a hobby as well as a passion. I love being able to express myself in my own space. When friends, family, and even strangers come over to our house, I feel like they are getting a glimpse into my soul just by seeing how I’ve designed each space, and the attention I give to even the smallest of details. It’s truly special to be able to make a house a home.”

Part of the design process has included some self-realization on what styles and trends are truly authentic to Kendra's soul; and like most things in adult life, it took a bit of trail and error.

“I would describe my style as a touch of bohemian meets mid-century modern with ALOT of plants. I love the layers of clean-lined, mid-century modern furniture mixed with the elegance, nostalgia, and texture of hand-made items, hand-me-downs, and thrift finds. I think it unintentionally has a desert/western feel.

I think the whole “mid-century modern” trend was a struggle at first. It’s so fun and unique, and i see it EVERYWHERE so that caused some initial hesitation. When we first got married and moved into our first apartment together, I went all out on a specific design style that I completely grew out of a year later (So much regret). In order that I don’t make that mistake again, I keep that in the back of my mind when I’m making big style decisions. I want to be able to keep up with trends, but also make smart design choices that I know and believe will outlast a trend and not break my bank every year! ”

A sure-fire a way to gracefully sidestep trends is to stick to what you know. And what your family has known for years before.

“The piano was passed down to us from my husbands grandma and grandpa and inside the bench seat holds many original songs written by Steven’s grandmother and vintage piano lesson books.”

Each room has a special something that makes them interesting and different. The one common denominator? I bet you can guess now that you've seen Kendra's home.

“PLANTS! I Keep a fairly minimal color scheme, so I absolutely love the vibrance, color, and life that plants bring to a space. It’s a constant learning curve because you never know how a plant will survive in one space versus another, but I love the challenge and the accomplishment that comes from helping a plant thrive in a space. My mom always had plants in our homes growing up, so it’s something that we can connect on and a hobby that was passed down from her to me. ”

Kendra, thank you so much for the big Texan welcome! We love what you've created in your home. 

Follow Kendra along on Instagram at @kj.bates for more.