Home Sweet Home with Inspired by This

This is a hard question. My style would probably fall under the Transitional category combined with touches of Art Deco and hints of Modernism. I love combining items that aren’t meant to go together but still give a cohesive look and feel throughout our home, and I always rely on a neutral color pallet.

It most definitely correlates. The way I present myself is the same way I feel about my home, it is a reflection of me and our family. I want everyone to feel welcome when they first walk in the front door. Growing up in Texas we always had a very beautiful home and I learned much of how to keep a house by watching my mother. We have completely opposite styles when it comes to decorating but she is extremely talented and I find that there are a lot of southern women who have gorgeous homes and are also styled themselves. There are subtle hints from my time in Texas scattered throughout the house but I have taken inspiration from all the places I have lived and used those as my biggest inspiration. From my time spent living in California, trips to Europe, to now living in Minnesota. Travel has definitely contributed to my design style and my own personal fashion sense.

I live for neutrals, even my fur babies are neutral. When we first purchased the house it was all yellow and the floors were a very old-fashioned yellow hued wood. I  knew the house had something special, “good bones” as my husband and I like to say, and we made quite a few surface changes immediately. Everyone told me to stay away from dark floors but I just knew they would make a huge impact on the house and I love seeing the juxtaposition of dark with light. So I went with my gut instinct and did it anyway, stripped the house of all the carpet, painted every surface with a muted and more neutral color pallet and replaced light fixtures to give the house an updated look.  I did not have an overall plan for the house but slowly started making progress room by room.

Cohesion is something I preach on a regular basis, you can still keep your house interesting but keeping a cohesive thread (like painting all the walls similar hues or the same color) running throughout will make it visually pleasing. Personally, there is something very calming about neutrals. When I walk through the door I immediately want to feel at ease and at peace in my home. I love adding textures where there is a lack of color and keeping it interesting with a mix of different toned neutrals. I  have slowly added a few pops of color that you will notice throughout the house like in the throw pillows or by adding in plants or a beautiful coffee table book. I always use caution when purchasing colorful items because I typically grow tired of them quickly, especially prints. The most colorful piece in the house are the two hand painted framed art pieces we have hanging in the front room. We purchased those in Cabo, Mexico.They were about 10 dollars each and we brought them back to the States and  had them matted and framed, and they add the perfect pop of color to the house.

The most magical  and notable place we purchased furniture was in Bali. We hand-picked 3 pieces of furniture as our wedding gifts to one another while on our Honeymoon in Indonesia and these are the pieces I want to pass down to our children and grandchildren. I love the over-sized daybed in our front room, it is a fabulous conversation starter. I had no idea the grandeur of that piece until I watched 6 men carry it through our front door it was shipped in one solid piece and I wish I had 6 of them they are just so cool. We purchased those pieces before we even had the house and thankfully they just worked in the space. I like bringing back something small from all of my trips as a little reminder. Travel is something I hold very dear to my heart and a when I feel most inspired in all aspects of life.

I also walk a lot of stores and do a ton of online browsing, and use tools such as Pinterest to get inspired. I frequent Pottery Barn, and love the eclectic feel at Z Gallerie, and I could tour Restoration Hardware about every other day- I love that store. I also feel very invigorated at HomeGoods something about finding random pieces you didn’t know existed always feels thrilling.

Our bedroom is my favorite spot in the house. I find that most people leave their master as the last room they complete because they feel that no one else is going to enjoy it, and we did completely the opposite. The Master was the first room we started building around and I love the way this room came together . The combination of dark hardwood floors with the clean walls and simple touches of gray make me feel so happy. I spend so much time in this room – it is our little sanctuary, and the fur babies’ favorite room in the house as well. If you walked in at 5 pm on a Friday I would be sitting in bed with a glass of wine, all the windows open, the dogs right by my side and music playing. We also have a patio just off the master bedroom that we live on during the summer days. Being in Minnesota we have such extreme seasons that we embrace every minute we can of spring, summer and fall.