Name: Jo Dabrowski, husband Andrew ‘Fish’ Fisher, two boys aged 11 and 13, and a fish
Location: Inner West — Melbourne, Australia
Size: 2400 square feet
Type of Home: House — California Bungalow-style
Years Lived In: 10 years, owned

Jo Dabrowski is a children’s book author and illustrator, as well as a freelance copywriter. And when it comes to the home she lives in with her husband and their two sons, she’s infused the large “California Bungalow style” space with tons of color, art, and whimsy.

My Style: Colorful, maximalist, a bit sentimental, and fun. 

Inspiration: I take inspiration from all sorts of places, whether it’s cities we’ve traveled to or something I’ve seen in a film. I particularly love the Paddington films and anything by Wes Anderson. I also enjoy reading interiors magazines and I’m always most inspired by people who have decorated their home in a way that reflects their personality or interests. Most recently, I’ve been incredibly moved by the Apple TV series, ‘Home.’ It’s not only filled with unique and stylish houses, but the personal stories are inspiring too.

Favorite Element: My favorite spot in our house is definitely the front living room. It’s lovely and sunny. In winter we like getting the fire going and playing a board game in there. It’s filled with art we love, photos and objects that remind us of our travels, our books, and my beloved cased glassware collection. I started collecting more than 20 years ago in Melbourne, but most of the pieces were bought by Fish during our time living in the UK. He became very good at hunting them down and producing them as gifts every birthday and Mother’s Day or as a treat!

Biggest Challenge: Like many people, we were constrained by budget when we moved in. We immediately built an extension to include a primary bedroom and ensuite as well as a playroom for the boys (that I’ve recently turned into my office/studio). I had grand plans to re-do the boys’ bathroom and the kitchen too but, in reality, once we’d finished the extension, had storage built in, then re-painted inside and out, we were done. To compensate, I changed all the handles on the kitchen units to multicolored ones and hung up lots of plates. Ten years on, it’s fine, but I am still dreaming of a pink kitchen countertop. One day…

Proudest DIY: Other than fixing a few things and some painting, I haven’t done any huge DIYs, but our home is filled with lots of little things I’ve made along the way, like toys, cushions, bits of paper art, and a few pieces of furniture I’ve restored and painted. I guess the thing I’m most proud of is a framed collection of paper butterflies I’ve made for Fish. I started it when we got married with a butterfly I made from our wedding invitation. Since then, I’ve added butterflies made from photos of our favorite trips, copies of the boys’ birth certificates, any event that’s been special to Fish or both of us. There’s room for one more butterfly, so I have to make it a good one!

Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? I’m not sure how unique this is, but every room is a different color. 

And, while we were having the extension built my boys and I made a time capsule and buried it under the house before the floor was put in. One day someone will dig up a fat metal tube filled with random toys, and a letter describing my sons’ favorite games to play and their love of “The Thunderbirds” and “The Octonauts.”

Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? Don’t worry about trends. If you love something and it makes you happy, then it will look great in your home.

Name: Sophie and German Sherpherd mix, Lucy
Location: Sierra Nevada mountains near Yosemite National Park, California
Size: 1,200 square feet
Type of Home: Cabin
Years Lived In: Two years, owned

My home is a 1,200-square-foot cabin in the Sierra Nevada mountains (near Yosemite National Park!). I’m the only second owner of the cabin — which means it was full of retro ’70s/’80s touches when I moved in (some good, some very very beige). Updating the cabin while respecting the original design as much as possible has been my passion project for the last two years and I’ve done a lot of the work myself. The old owner left quite a bit of furniture behind that I’ve salvaged and/or worked into my interior design scheme (like a set of old speakers that are now nightstands). 

The first thing that caught my eye about this home was the ceiling in the living/dining area. The vaulting and wooden beams really lend to the cabin vibe and makes the house feel larger because the ceiling is so high. The second thing that caught my attention about the home is how much light the place gets while being among big old trees! Put those together and this place feels like a grown-up (retro) version of a tree house.

I have been living in the cabin full time — getting an internet connection for remote work was one of the less glamorous updates — but plan on renting it out later this year. 

My Style: This cabin is a mishmash of vintage, color, and comfort/functionality — I like pieces that can be repurposed or have multiple uses while still being fun or eclectic. If the cabin had a personality, I like to think it would be “grandma who used to be a globe-trotting hippie.”

Inspiration: For this home: the outdoors, my friend Miki (@plot.twist.interiors) and her love of color/maximalism, the 1970s, and interior design of the 1930s — though that last one probably doesn’t come through as much as the others!

Favorite Element: The kitchen light fixtures! They’re fun and vintage, and helped guide the style of the kitchen.

Biggest Challenge: There have been several, but between the cabinets and the flooring, the kitchen has been the biggest challenge in terms of sheer work.

Proudest DIY: The kitchen, though the outdoor dining table comes a close second! When I first saw the house, the kitchen was incredibly beige — beige walls, beige floors, brown cabinets, and even a clunky beige refrigerator. Adding color and life to the kitchen has made such a difference. I redid the cabinets in green, painted the floor (after a prior DIY laminate tile install fail), added trim and under-cabinet lighting, replaced the faucet, and did things like spending far too long finding a stainless fridge that matched the counter depth and size of the space (thank you Bertazzoni for making a fridge in the exact “non-standard” dimensions I needed).

Second place: The outdoor dining table was a wreck when I found it. It was really rewarding to fix it, paint it, and turn it into something I’m proud to use.

Budget: While I try to reuse/thrift, I also had a couple of splurges decorating this home like the living room rug from West Elm and the Bertazzoni fridge. I also love vintage/antique finds!

Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? As much as possible, I’ve tried to work with what the cabin gave me. That has meant leaning into the wood paneling, the existing layout/structure, and the late ’70s/early ’80s accents like the flower light fixtures in the kitchen. But, with this home, it has also meant working with furniture that the former owner left behind in the sale. I’ve had old lamps rewired, used defunct stereos as nightstands, and refurbished furniture like headboards, end tables, and the outdoor dining table.  

Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: I look for pieces that do double-duty: coffee tables with storage, couches with shelving, bed frames with storage space underneath, etc.

Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? Work with what you already have and go from there rather than starting from scratch! I believe in “shopping your own closet” and many of my pieces have made multiple moves but look different with new art, paint, and accessories like lamps or pillows.