by Furnishly | Dec 15, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
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Name: Stephanie, her husband, and their three children, and their dog, Ace
Location: University Heights, Ohio
Size: 1500 square feet
Type of Home: Colonial
Years Lived In: 11 years, owned
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Stephanie’s three-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom home was built in 1942 and is located just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. “Our home was very well taken care of, so the original wood floors, wood trim, fireplaces (we have two), and plaster are in great condition,” she explains. “We’ve lived here for 11 years, so all three of our children know this as their only home,” she adds. “Even though we are outgrowing the home, we are so very attached to it.”
Over the years, the family has only made minor updates to the space, tackling changes such as adding new flooring in the kitchen and new carpet in the basement, but all other changes have been purely cosmetic.
Though Stephanie is not an interior designer by trade, she says she’s always had a passion for decorating. She frequently shares glimpses of her vibrant, pattern-filled space on her Instagram account, @stephaniemichelle_athome. “I’ve loved to decorate for as long as I can remember,” she reflects. “I am very much a homebody.” Below, Stephanie shares a look inside her “borderline maximalist,” color-filled family home.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My Style: I’d like to describe myself as a borderline maximalist with eclectic taste. I love to mix traditional and vintage pieces with trendy modern accents. I am not afraid of color and I have had black walls since 2009 (before we moved into this house). I have a love for all things black and white, so I use that as a starting point and then I add my colors. I tend to lean more towards jewel tones. Color makes me happy. I want to be able to look at every inch of my home and smile. Every corner of this place brings me joy.
Inspiration: I find inspiration everywhere I go, but the majority comes from my childhood. My mother was very much into interior decor. We spent many weekends at furniture stores and Sherwin-Williams looking through all of the wallpaper books. I couldn’t wait to grow up and decorate my own home. I have always been fascinated with Hollywood Regency style, so I definitely draw inspiration from that. Being a realtor has allowed me to see some really cool interiors, but I get most of my inspiration from my day-to-day activities. There is color everywhere you go.
Favorite Element: My favorite element is color! Color has the ability to affect your mood and evoke emotions. I filled my home with bold beautiful colors so no matter which room I am in, there’s always a good vibe.
Biggest Challenge: My biggest challenge was bringing this 1942 home up to date without doing a single renovation. Being able to mix modern and nontraditional furniture with the original trim, fireplace, stair rails, etc. — which are all very traditional — was a challenge. My style is all over the place, but I think I’ve successfully blended it nicely with the traditional style of this home.
Proudest DIY: My proudest DIY is my china cabinet. I painted it green, wallpapered the inside, and tinted the windows so that you can’t see inside. The tinted windows are what make me proud! We use the china cabinet as a pantry in our kitchen.
Biggest Indulgence: My biggest indulgence is frequently going to HomeGoods and switching up my accent pieces whenever I feel like it! I never leave HomeGoods empty handed, and I think that’s definitely reflected in my home. I find joy in swapping out pieces and shopping my home to revamp different rooms but it’s even more fun finding that unique piece at HomeGoods.
Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? I think my home is just unique in general. Every single person that has come to visit has always said the same thing — the house makes them happy. I’ve heard this from random people as well (repairmen, the cable man, etc!). My main goal was to create a happy home, and it is wonderful to know that people can feel that vibe when they walk in.
What are your favorite products you have bought for your home and why? Most of my favorite pieces are vintage pieces of furniture purchased from Facebook Marketplace and thrift stores, but other than that I’d have to say all of my wallpaper. Each wallpaper print makes me smile.
Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: I keep my home organized by utilizing the dressers in my living room and dining room for toy storage. Each drawer has a purpose. I have storage benches and storage ottomans in every room. I use them for blankets, toys, or other things that need to be tucked away. The blue cabinet in my entryway is stylish and functional; it stores my children’s shoes. I think it’s important to have as much storage as you can, and even better if the storage is stylish.
Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? My absolute best advice is to stay away from trends, ADD COLOR, and buy secondhand. I take pride in the fact that most homes don’t/won’t look like mine. It’s important to be original. Your home should not look like everything was purchased from the same furniture store. Thrifting is the best way to find unique pieces. Color is everywhere in nature, so it’s only right to bring it inside our homes. Your home should reflect who you are as a person, and it’s absolutely impossible to do that if you only copy what is trending. What’s trending is not always cute, LOL!
by Furnishly | Dec 13, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Name: Gwenn Frederick, husband Brian and mini Irish Doodle Winston
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Type of home: House
Size: 2,340 square feet
Years lived in: 2.5 years, owned
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Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: We bought this house in July of 2020 — my husband was on the fence, but I knew I wanted it right away. We went to see it once and then headed out of town — me writing an offer from the passenger seat. Even though it was renovated (newer kitchen, updated bathrooms, finished upstairs suite) I had all kinds of plans to make it ours. We started renovating homes for resale not that long ago and because it wasn’t a full reno (we didn’t have to do new plumbing, electric, HVAC, roof, etc. like we normally do), I really had fun jumping right into the design with this one.
The kitchen had great elements: good space, quality cabinets, a farm sink, and quartz countertops, but it was definitely what I would describe as neutral. At first I wanted to paint the cabinets but then decided to embrace the dark knotty Alder wood. Now I can’t imagine it any other way. We replaced a pot rack with floating shelves, added a blue penny tile backsplash and dark, moody floral wallpaper. New brass pulls, brass light fixtures, and a black faucet made it feel just right.
We went on to add wallpaper touches and to re-paint almost every room. I painted the fireplaces and added starbursts to the exterior doors. I have a staging business and I had big plans for the basement, which I wanted to use as my storage unit. We had the garage doors removed (it was a tuck-under garage) and added mid-mod style double doors and multiple windows. The outside was eventually painted black using mineral paint, which is actually good for brick. That paint job transformed the outside completely! While I really liked the inside of the house when we bought it, I was pretty indifferent to the outside. Paint is a miracle worker!
About four years ago, I made the leap from teaching to real estate. We have renovated five of our own houses, each unit of a beautiful old fourplex and four additional homes (three we sold and the fourth we kept as a short term rental). I didn’t hold back much when designing the houses we sold, and to my delight, people reacted very positively! I think there are quite a few people out there who don’t aspire to live in a neutral setting. They want a vibrant, colorful space that makes them feel inspired and playful. Besides the renovations, I started a staging company that I really enjoy. I didn’t really know if it would take off, but it has and I like being able to help sellers and other agents make houses more appealing to buyers using colorful furniture and accessories.
My latest interest is kitchen design for others — we’ll see how that goes! I love all aspects of design — from figuring out how to make a floor plan better to choosing finishes. To answer the question, I think my personality comes out in the design choices I make, especially in my personal homes and I really do tend to identify with the spaces. I recently realized that every wallpaper I have chosen in this house and in our rental feature animals of some sort. Animals, flowers, unexpected patterns — I love them all!
Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Playful prints meet bold color
What is your favorite room and why? That’s a tough question and I think it changes from time to time. I think currently my favorite room is the upstairs sitting room. I just love how it came together — we added a closet, a rabbit wallpaper accent wall, sconces with antlers, painted the stairwell pink and added a runner. I am also proud to say I made the window seat cushion in an upholstery class that one of my sisters and I took. I love sitting in that room and being able to see into the bathroom and the bedroom (more wallpaper!). It all just makes me happy.
What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? The sweetest little green vase from At Home. It lives on the mantel in my office and looks awesome in front of the lynx wallpaper by Emma J Shipley in the pink colorway.
Any advice for creating a home you love? Make sure you genuinely like everything you choose to put into your home. Pick things not only based on how they look but on how they make you feel. I know I like a wallpaper pattern when it makes me swoon a little lol. Make mood boards so you can see all the design elements together. Pick a color scheme for your home but don’t be surprised if the plan changes over time — trust your gut. Don’t be afraid of color and pattern. Don’t be afraid to use paint on almost anything — just research how to do it the right way. We painted wood floors in our rental and I just love how they turned out. I think the main point I want to make is to take some chances. Another example: I used a stencil (daunting for some reason!) on two patios now with really fun results because I realized the worst thing that could happen is I might have to paint over it!
by Furnishly | Jun 9, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
Olivia Harvey
Contributor
Olivia Harvey is a freelance writer and award-winning scriptwriter from outside Boston, Massachusetts. She’s a big fan of scented candles, getting dressed up, and the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley. You can make sure she’s doing okay via Instagram and/or Twitter.
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by Furnishly | Feb 2, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
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Name: Imani Keal and Yorkie Salazar ‘Sal’ Slytherin II
Location: Washington, DC
Size: 490 square feet
Type of Home: Studio Apartment
Years lived in: 2.5 years, renting
Content creator Imani Keal’s spacious Glover Park studio is a “mix of free things I found on the street, family heirlooms, and strategic purchases.” And one of her favorite things about the studio that she shares with her Yorkie is the layout, which feels more spacious than just a studio thanks to visually separate spaces for living, dining, and entertaining. “My ‘large’ studio has a separate kitchen/dining space and the bathroom is down a small hallway, so it feels larger than what it really is and I get to avoid the ‘kitchen in the bedroom’ effect that plagues most people that live in studios,” Imani explains.
Another thing Imani loves about her apartment? How open to design updates her landlord is. “My lease is pretty open on the changes that can be made and my landlord even helped me complete some of my projects by providing the labor at no cost to me,” Imani admits. It’s an ideal situation for someone who loves adding personality to her rental.
During the pandemic, Imani relied on a nearby Ace Hardware and DIY home projects, like painting a third of the apartment black, staining an IKEA bed, and adding peel and stick wallpaper to projects, to help her get through the early days of the pandemic. She ended up pouring a lot of time, energy, and money into her own home improvements, which in turn inspired the creation of an Instagram, TikTok and blog all dedicated to helping people see what is possible in a rental. And a central tenet of her small space design philosophy can be summed up with this important takeaway she shares: “I think people who live in small spaces should try to make their apartments look and feel interesting rather than larger.”
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My Style: My style is a mix of free things I found on the street, family heirlooms, and strategic purchases. It culminates into a neutral and cozy yet eclectic vibe!
Inspiration: I get inspiration from everywhere and nowhere. Sometimes, I see something on Instagram that I just have to recreate (like this door casing project other times I’m walking the dog or have a dream about something cool and decide to start another DIY.
Favorite Element: I love my china cabinet. My grandma passed away in October 2020, and this was hers. Something that really helps me as I go through the grieving process is being surrounded by her things. I never imagined a world without her in it, but it is nice to have a little bit of her in my home. I also have my grandfather’s cane hanging off my bed. I don’t remember him as much since he passed when I was a baby, but everyone talks about him like he was really cool guy, so by extension I’m also cool.
Biggest Challenge: I have an impulse control issue. Once I get it in my head that something needs to change in my apartment, it has to happen immediately. My apartment usually ends up looking better, but then I’m stressed out because I’m doing three DIY projects at the same time. Also, my bank account is begging me to stop going to the flea market. I’m not going to stop, but I want to immortalize my bad spending habits in print.
Proudest DIY: I added black casings to the entryway of my dining room and it looks fantastic. This part of my house has always been boring and I wasn’t sure what to do with it until I saw this post by Marienne Sides. I was in love with her NYC apartment and immediately went to Home Depot. I picked up some MDF boards, nails, and paint (I used “Black” by Behr). This is by far my favorite project I’ve done because I was sure that I would mess it up, lol!
Biggest Indulgence: I’m cheap, but I do believe in investing money on a good couch. I spent $1000 (tax and delivery included) on this velvet green Farlov sofa from IKEA and it was a great decision. It’s super deep and has a machine washable cover. Several friends have commented on the comfort.
Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? My decision to paint the apartment black is pretty different because I live in a studio apartment. I think people who live in small spaces should try to make their apartments look/feel interesting rather than larger. It was a bold choice (that could have gone terribly wrong), but I think it paid off. Oh, I’m also a big fan of painting the ceiling. Mostly because I’m a terrible painter and I think it looks cool.
What are your favorite products you have bought for your home and why? I bought a table/lamp combo at the flea market for $35 and it makes me pretty happy. The lamp shade is a super dated accordion style and everyone who visits hates it, but I think it’s great. And the pink peel and stick wallpaper in the kitchen is a fave! I’ve always been in love with pink kitchens, and I’m thrilled I have one of my own.
Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: This may be played out as advice, but I think IKEA has some of the best storage solutions for small space living. The Stall or Hemnes shoe cabinet is like 8” wide and perfect for an entryway. I’m hiding so much unnecessary crap in mine; I should be ashamed.
Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? I’m on a mission to get people with small spaces to paint them black. I’ve painted ⅓ of my studio black and it looks great and special. Paint can go a long way to make spaces feel different, but no amount of “Chantilly Lace” is going to make 300 square feet feel like 900 square feet. Make it interesting. Also, don’t buy that cheap ass couch!
This house tour’s responses were edited for length and clarity.
by Furnishly | Jan 21, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
Blair Donovan
Shopping Editor, Style
Blair is Apartment Therapy’s Style Shopping Editor, where she covers the latest brand launches, need-to-buys, and anything related to her two unofficial beats — cane and rattan. Whenever she’s not perusing for the latest home finds (a rarity), you’ll probably find her reading, watching a horror film, or on the hunt for the best tacos in New York (recs are encouraged).
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