Design Reveal: Family Home in Alexandria

Hey there! It’s been a bit since I’ve written a post on a finished project! In this time of produced stories and reels, I’ve missed writing and sharing work this way. This project is on the larger side (I worked on 9 individual rooms in this home), and with this quantity of spaces I prefer showcasing the project as a whole this way!

This home is tucked into an old Alexandria neighborhood, just a few miles from the Pentagon. It’s rich with history and has been added onto from its original walls. The clients were a young family ready to put down some roots, and I had an absolute blast working with them! Very cool style, very open to unique ideas and ready to implement the designs for each space with fury. They moved quickly on the ordering process and this home was complete in record time! Let’s take a look at the home these clients purchased:

Gorgeous light absolutely floods this home from all sides! That was my first impression. My second was that the current wall colors were not benefiting this home, or really honoring the character of the home itself. With older homes like this, I never want to take away from their history with design elements, but rather enhance the history. We stuck to pretty traditional tones throughout this home, even where we went with slightly more modern furnishings, as you’ll see ahead.

Den

From green to green! I chose a much more earthy green for this space and decided to pair with black velvet armchairs. The clients chose to keep their sputnik style floor lamp and intend to limewash the stone soon. But this space feels so much calmer now and has become a favorite place to read for the client.

Gotta love off-centered architecture!

Living Room

One of the trickier elements in this room was how to treat the arched windows. I wanted to showcase them well and ultimately decided to hang the curtains as high as possible, despite the arch. I think the arches are even more dramatic now! I maintained a simple palette in this space, and focused on interesting pieces that would still provide function and comfort. The fan is among the items I had sourced an alternative for, butthat will have to wait for room in the budget, understandably.

I adore the balance of drama and comfort we brought to this space. It’s just the most beautiful blend of both! I think dramatic can be mistaken for fancy, but this space is heavily used for lounging - just as it was intended. The architectural elements and sculptural pieces make it stand apart from what one might expect of a family room, and I love that about it. It’s a little unexpected but still does the job.

Dining Room

The dining area was previously filled with disproportionately large and contemporary furnishings. It made me forget how old this home actually is! Grounded with a vintage rug and furnished with modern twists of traditional pieces, this beautiful sun kissed room feels current with a nod to the homes history. The light fixture will be the last item to swap, and I’ve selected a simple linen drum pendant to tie a bow on this space.

Half-Bathroom

Just some easy cosmetic changes in here! This little room got a floor to ceiling makeover with fresh paint (same color s the den!), vanity faucet, mirror, towel ring, art and rug! Though simple and straight forward, these little changes do add up to a huge improvement!

Master Bedroom

While the living room is a balance of dramatic and casual, this space is a perfect blend of rich and neutral. The deep copper brown velvet bedspread just catches the sunlight in all the right ways and reflects off the surrounding elements beautifully.

I love mixing materials in a room, and here I used hot rolled steel nightstands paired with a fully upholstered bed and a wooden bench. I love to curate a room from complimentary pieces rather than pick a whole room from a website or magazine! I think this adds character to a space and better reflects the individuality of each client and home.

Nursery

Not a whole lot to do but just take in the striking colors here! I think the challenge with nurseries is always wondering whether to create a space for right now, or a room for a child to grow. This feels like a lovely balance of sweet baby cuteness and a space that can easily evolve as little one grows.

That’s a wrap! Thank you so much for coming by and checking out this latest. I am so grateful to get to do this work and to share the finished product here with you!

Simplified Gift-Giving: Practical Ideas

Hi Friends! Over the years I’ve called my Christmas home decor ‘simple’, ‘minimalistic’, etc. I don’t like a lot of fuss - not over the holidays or in our every day life. But it got me thinking there’s got to be a way to simplify beyond the decor, too! Celebrating Christmas with kids can get chaotic and out of control fast. Starting a few years ago I’ve had this pull on my heart to simplify not just our home, but the way we celebrate, too. Careful not to read that wrong - I don’t want to celebrate Christmas less, just simplify it. More emphasis on less things, if that makes sense. Gifts are a really fun way to celebrate that Jesus was born for what would be the greatest act of love in history, and I love the opportunity to give gifts as an expression of our joy and gratitude. But they don’t need to occupy so much mind and heart space as they have for me in previous years. It can get stressful fast!

It was when we got together with our small group from church several years back to pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, that a light bulb went off! Here is the list that was attached to each box:

I love this outlined structure and it got us thinking about making our own for celebrating Christmas with our kids! Here is what we came up with a few years ago:

•         Wow - One really special item the kids most want. We ask them each to give this some thought and write it down

•         Special surprises - A couple of smaller items that have either come up in conversation or we’ve thought of on our own as something they’d really enjoy, (doll clothes, race cars, cozy blanket, special mug, etc)

•         Game/Book/Puzzle - This is especially relevant in the dead of winter when outdoor time decreases

•         Experience - This one only works if you follow through, so be realistic with your family’s schedule and your capacity. We’ve found that planning it out ahead of time works better so they have something specific to look forward to. Doesn’t have to be big! Even surprising your kids with tickets to a movie you all go see on Christmas Day could be fun! (Except not a sad movie - I will never forget the year my parents took us all to see Marley & Me on Christmas Day. Spoiler alert: SADNESS)

•         Winter Pjs - I used to love finding fun pajamas that were relevant to each of their interests/personalities! Now that they’re a little older, flannel pj pants are in. I also like to throw in slippers or warm socks.

•         Creativity - Our kids have really, really loved creating things. They are always in the middle of making something, and this has gone on literally for years. Things like construction or patterned scrapbook paper, markers, colored pencils, tape, and craft scissors always get used up fast, and Christmas is a great opportunity to replenish their supply. Books on how to draw things or make things are hits, too.

• Handwritten note - An addition I’m adding this year because I don’t think there’s any greater way to touch your kids’ heart than telling them why you love them, why you’re proud of them, and why they’re special. Be specific so you can do this again next year with new whys.

Christmas shopping has been a lot less stressful so far, and more enjoyable. Oh! And a huge part of preparing our hearts, (and home), for the season is cleaning out and donating old stuff! Every November I ask the kids to commit an hour to going through their toys/books/clothes and bagging up what they have lost interest in (Tip: Set a loud timer for one hour. One hour isn’t a lot of time, but I ask them to set that time aside for this specific task. Usually, when focused, they end up finishing ahead of the timer and feel good about that. It’s a small way of setting them up for success, because I know it won’t take them an hour.) And when they’re on the fence about something I know they haven’t touched in a while, I try to redirect their focus to the kid that would have the opportunity to enjoy that item next.

Maybe you already have your own gift-giving structure, or maybe this is helpful! After trying it for a few years I feel more peace about shopping for gifts than I used to. With inflation doing what it’s doing to retail, I felt compelled to share this again for others working within a strict budget.

However you celebrate I hope you enjoy these next few weeks! There can be so much pressure on creating that perfect Christmas morning that this month between Thanksgiving and Christmas goes by in a blur. Give yourself permission to slow it down. No one but you will notice what you don’t get done, and that’s a truth I need to remind myself of often.

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Design Reveal: Full of Surprises Master Suite

Make a boring room less boring
Play with fresh colors
Mix styles
Find unique pieces
Make surprising design choices
Experience someones joy when they really love their home

These are a few of my favorite things!

Most of my work revolves around main living spaces - living rooms and dining rooms. Then comes entryways and kitchens. But bedrooms might be my most favorite room, for no other reason than this is truly the retreat space. No one is worrying about flexible seating or kid friendly pieces as much. Its an opportunity to strum a different tune in your home, if you so wish. It’s your space; truly yours. This master suite is particularly interesting in that it has an adjoining sitting room and a nook, so I wanted to create something really cohesive without making it all feel too matched. It’s a really large space and I felt like things would get lost if it was too much the same throughout.

Sitting Room

Beige on beige on beige! A quaint pass-through room like this is easy to forget about. Used for lounging with a book in it’s fantastic natural light, it truly didn’t need much. But this is the room you walk through to get from the main hallway to the master bedroom, and I just didn’t want it to feel overlooked.

In this adjoining sitting room we just had fun! I wanted the walls painted Cavern Clay by SW as we had used the color in the clients dining room and LOVED it. So we brought it up here, too!

Denim blue + clay just felt right in here. It’s so fun but also feels really organic to me…like colors you’d see just looking outside! A few winks of black peppered in through the hanging bells and vintage rug just create a striking contrast - something I always enjoy incorporating! A touch of black in any space goes a long way - many people I work with think it will make things feel too dark, but it’s the use of contrast that actually makes things feel lighter and brighter!

Vintage rugs and kilim pillows are a staple in much of my work. I just love the hunt for the perfect pattern and colors that will bring a space to life!

Bedroom

The first order of business in here was getting the walls right. This is a really large room and the former beige made it feel incredibly heavy. So we went white on the walls and used a light putty beige color for the window trim. Next, I found the rug. I knew there would be several rugs within steps of one another throughout this space and I wanted them to reflect each other in subtle ways. What I loved about this rug was the spice color along the edge. It echos the Cavern Clay on the walls in the sitting room and ties the spaces together without being obvious.

My beef with the former sitting room was all the beige - but I’m not anti-beige! I like it as a soft contrasting element. Three colors of beige were incorporated here - the window trim, curtains and upholstered bed. The trick is not using the exact same color; subtleties in saturation (some lighter, some darker), help break things up and create depth. If you scroll up and see the original dark curtains with dark headboard, it kind of looks like one dark area without any movement. Layering lighter with darker tones is a great way to prevent an abrupt and heavy visual presence in a space.

It’s a lot of green but gosh I love this color for the duvet! It’s got a lot of gold which is what caught my eye.

The leather bench is one of my absolute favorite elements, (as leather often is). The footboard by itself felt too flat; like the whole bed was stopping short. Adding the bench strongly compliments this amazing bed and pulls the whole space together beautifully.

This curly-Q light is just a dream! It’s an interesting but simple design, which is great for this room which is holding quite a lot!

This whole project was nothing if not a work of moments. There were so many moments to create! The trick is balancing stronger moments with softer ones, like this ‘his’ dresser. Even the art, by my friend Holly Young Art, is subtle.

Nook

The windows in here inspired the putty colored trim - I’ve used this color trim before but not often! It really highlights these beautiful windows and anchors this area so well. I had them bring the putty color all the way down to the built-ins to pull the whole wall together.

And when was the last time you saw a papasan chair?! It’s super comfy and defines the purpose of this area all by itself. It’s the perfect place to curl up and read (the tv angles toward the bed, which is a better distance for it)

A closer view of the bedroom rug

Bathroom

We replaced a lot in this space, but a big drop in the salvage bucket was having the vanity painted. We kept the counter and floor tile, as well as the tub and shower. Everything else was updated with reasonably priced finds, including this gorgeous vintage rug!

Kitchens and bathrooms are such utilitarian rooms with a lot of hard surface, I really love incorporating softer, natural elements and textures wherever I can that makes sense in the space. This seagrass stool and vintage multi-colored rug are useful, but intentional selections for this room.

This is the last design reveal for this year and it’s truly been an exhilarating year of design. We got to do some wildly different projects and use all kinds of creativity! Thank you so much for your encouragement and excitement around these jobs - it’s such a pleasure to get to share them with you!

Chelsea