OK, let’s jump into the tour. Her home is a DIY masterpiece!

Q: I love how you focus your message on renters! What do you say to someone who feels like they can’t truly personalize their home because they rent?

A: I’d say “please don’t think that” because you totally can! If anything, my home is proof that it can be done. My home reflects a lot of my personality and the things I love, and I think even if I weren’t able to paint walls or make other changes, this would still be the case.

I’ve injected character and color into my home through bold accessories and furniture pieces that make statements. I’ve used removable wallpaper to showcase my love of pattern and feature walls, and I’ve hung plants and stylish lights using self-adhesive hooks.

Decorating a rental definitely requires some out-of-the-box thinking, but I honestly think it’s worth it. Life is far too short to spend time living in a soulless box that doesn’t reflect the amazing person you are!

Q: Your home has a really nice color scheme without being too matchy. What are your tips for honing a color scheme? 

A: Mood boarding is a great way to see colors, themes, and textures on paper before you start the actual decorating. I would suggest picking 3-4 colors and materials and sticking to them when putting a room together.

For example, you don’t necessarily have to have one tone of wood in a space—you can have multiple tones just as long as it’s within your original selection.

Try to avoid buying furniture sets that are too matchy. Mix and match throughout your home to create interest and more depth in your style.

Q: DIY is a big part of your decor! What’s your favorite DIY you’ve ever done in your home? 

A: My favorite DIY is going to have to be my IKEA cabinet hack in my entrance. It’s a simple little hack— I mean, all I did was cut out the door and add cane webbing to the IVAR unit, but it has made such a difference to the space. I really love and appreciate the simple DIYs.

Q: Your numbered stairs are so cool. Can you tell us a little about how you created those? 

A: Yes! I wrote a blog post about stenciling and painting my stair risers here. I love the industrial look of them.

Q: Your children’s spaces blend so seamlessly with the rest of your home. Do you have any tips about decorating for kids? 

A: My biggest tip is to buy stylish storage to put their “stuff” in, haha. This is especially the case in my living room. Those baskets you see on the shelves actually hold a lot of baby accessories and toys.

Q: Where can we follow you? 

A: You can find me on Instagram here, and my website is Grillo Designs.

P.S. Be sure to check out the posts Medina has written for ABM here! xo, Elsie

• 5 Creative Ways to Use Peel and Stick Wallpaper
• How to Add Cane Webbing to an IVAR Cabinet
• 7 Bedroom Storage Tips to Maximize Your Space

Photography: Medina Grillo and Kasia Fiszer Photography 

The before and after above is the most dramatic thing we did to the second level of our home, as well as my favorite change. Before I jump into how great our ideas were to improve the space, I’ll talk you through the long process of how we got there. Good ideas usually don’t happen overnight, and I would hate to jump to the end like I am a genius when we actually went through 10 different floor plan revisions before landing on this one.

Our process started with “let’s just add a doorway into the hall bath” (the hall bath shares the wall with the main bedroom wall with the floral artwork seen above). Our second idea was to add another bathroom that was in the corner of the bedroom that shared the bathroom wall, where the bed ended up going. This idea continued to evolve with different ideas on how to not completely destroy the window nook that bumped out in the bedroom but keeping the bathrooms sharing the plumbing wall. Idea number three was to take the window bump out and just make it part of the bathroom. That would result in taking the best view in the room inside the bathroom, where the windows would be closed for 90% of the time for obvious reasons. As you can see, we went back and forth for what seemed like forever! Tons of sketching, tons of poking holes in ideas, and tons of measuring. Finally, during a meeting with a contractor, one of us just asked, “Could we move the bathroom over THERE?” pointing to the opposite corner of the room and the contractor said, “Oh, sure!” There you have it. We are GENIUSES.

The floor plan above shows the before and after of changes we made transitioning the main bedroom into a bedroom suite. Originally, the room was one large room with a smaller closet under the staircase up to the attic. The smallest room with no closet on the second level had an ensuite bathroom attached already, but we wanted to make the largest bedroom into the main bedroom and chose to make the other rooms into kid rooms, due to the layout and how they connected through. The room pictured was by far the largest bedroom at 26′, so we wanted to really make it feel clear which room should act as the main bedroom by remodeling. Our goals were to create a larger closet space, move the washer and dryer upstairs (It was currently in the basement two levels down) and add an attached bathroom with double vanity. We ended up cutting the room in half, leaving the distance on either side of the window bump out walls symmetrical so it looked intentional.

Starting with the main bedroom closet, we put a stacked washer and dryer where the original closet was. We also opened up the slanted closet space that was a part of the original closet into an opening for the new closet space with extra deep shelving. Creating extra deep shelves where possible is always my preference. It may be harder to get all the way to the back, but I would prefer to store extra laundry detergent or something I don’t need to get to every day rather than not have the space at all. For the hanging clothing, we added around 20′ of rod, as well as some shelving for shoes and folded items. We took the door and molding from the original 1925 closet and used it in Opal’s room for the new bathroom opening. And for the record … moving the laundry from the basement to the second floor might be my favorite thing of it all. #clothdiapers

For the bathroom, we added to the main bedroom suite, and were able to fit a large shower, double vanity and toilet with a little privacy 1/2 wall into the limited floor plan. We tried to fit in a bathtub, but we opted for a larger shower since the middle bathroom has a large tub just outside the main bedroom door. It’s also unusual for historical homes to have attached bathrooms and large closets. Old homes are unlike most newer homes built in the past 40 years—sometimes you can literally cartwheel through the bathroom. I suppose it is kind of like how vintage clothing runs small?

We chose 6×6″ white tile all the way up in the shower and behind the vanity wall. Larger tiles were not made when our home was built, so we did not want to use anything larger than about 6×6″ to keep the look as original as possible.

I’ll also share a bit about how we landed on the metal finishes in this bathroom. I’m a firm believer in learning the rules first so you know how to break them. Usually, when you see an interesting space, rules have been broken along the way to give it that interesting feel that you are drawn to and feels custom. My personal guidelines on mixing metals is that black doesn’t count. In my book, black metal is neutral and can be mixed with anything. I usually select one main metal finish that is used for the main fixtures (shower head, sink faucets, etc.). Outside of that, I choose other accent finishes. Here, we chose to accent with gold metal mirrors and black drawer knobs/cup pulls. Sometimes breaking the rules, with guidelines in place, help it still feel cohesive and purposeful even though it is not all matching perfectly.

All of the doors in the home were original and had been painted many times over the years. We actually had the doors stripped down to the wood with hopes of staining them, but they had multiple wood types in each door and it was clear they were originally meant to be painted. Stripping them down was still worth it even though we repainted them, because you can now see the beautiful wood grain through the paint. We tried out about 10 greens, but settled on this custom mix of a dark hunter green.

All of the hardware on the doors is original brass. Jonathan actually researched a DIY and stripped all of the door hinges and knob hardware by cooking them in a crockpot in water overnight. You heard right … after about eight hours the paint and grime came right off with a brush and just a bit of scrubbing. (Do NOT put the glass knobs into the crockpot, that will ruin the glass so they must be cleaned by hand.) You also should not cook food in the crockpot again after doing this, so finding one used is a great idea.

Above shows Opal’s room with all her magical 5-year-old “treasures.” (Actually, most of her “treasures” got shoved in the closet for the photos.) This particular room had a really heavy texture on the walls with darker colors—it belonged to a cool college kid before. We ended up replacing two of the walls with new drywall and insulation and skim coated the others to get the smooth finish in the after photo. In addition to that, we refinished the original floors in this room (and the entire home) and made an opening into the bathroom to make it shared access from the playroom/Moses’ room.

The bathroom above is the middle bathroom, and was originally the only full bathroom in the house when it was built. This is the bathroom we thought about adding a doorway behind the tub that would connect with the main bedroom in our brainstorm. We really tried to leave it as original as possible, but the floor tile had some really rough areas and the pedestal sink had some plumbing issues, so they had to be replaced. We also added the wall sconces and all new bathroom accessories in chrome. We had the original cast iron tub refinished and it turned out beautiful! Other than that, we replaced tile floor and wall tile, moved the shower head higher and painted all walls and trim.

Last but not least is Moses’ nursery and the playroom! Nearly 100% of his nursery is full of handmade items from friends and different garage sale finds. He hasn’t complained, or spoken a word about it … or uttered a word at all, in fact. It is really just a sweet space full of toys (on the bottom shelf) that he can reach and make a mess out of, as a child’s room should be. The rocker, crib and footstool were from Opal’s old nursery, so it feels really nostalgic. It seems like I always end up accenting with yellow no matter how hard I try. It’s actually the Pantone Color of the Year for 2021, so I guess I’m finally on trend.

Moses’ room opens into the playroom, which opens into the kid’s bathroom, that also connects to Opal’s room. It all makes a little room circle. It could feel strange if we had a guest room you had to walk through a nursery to get to, but for the set up we have going, it’s like the “kids wing” and flows perfectly. During bath time, Opal and Moses will get out of the bathtub and streak little circles around the connected rooms and hop back into the tub, giggling the whole time. It’s the best.

Thank you for taking the time to virtually tour our home!  It’s been a labor of love for sure, and we have learned so much from the experience. When you are planning a renovation, just remember—every space is so different, there is not one magic answer. Usually there are several “good” options for each space, so it’s really about coming up with what works best for you. It’s a game of trial and error to find the “best” option. That’s how you can come up with a space that really feels like it is unique to what your taste is and works for your and your family. Now … go make a cozy, functional, pretty space! xo, Shailey

Credits // Author: Shailey Murphy. Photography: Janae Hardy and Shailey Murphy. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.

I’m an interior designer and truly have a love for all styles, so sometimes I struggle narrowing what I would say my personal style is other than eclectic. I like a little Scandinavian, a little vintage traditional, a little mid-century … you get the idea. I would say my style is finding a way to put together all the things I love that make our home feel welcoming, cozy and fun. Many items in our home have been collected through the years by thrifting, estate sales, picked up while traveling (remember traveling?!) or family pieces that have been passed down. I believe people can have more than one style preference and reserve the right to change their minds and evolve in style as they move through different life stages. (cough … kids … cough). One goal I have now that we have children is to create a space our kids (1 and 5) feel comfortable.

Above shows the main family room space as it was when we moved in and how it looks currently. We widened the opening into the dining area, matching the original millwork around the wider opening to create an optional look. We also opened up the wall into the kitchen that you can see through the doorway, where the built in shelving is seen in the before shot.

Our living room (below) has the main fireplace and is just off the main entryway. The previous homeowners used this area as a dining room since they had a larger family, but we love having both living areas on the main floor and utilizing the fireplace while hanging out.

When we first moved in we had everything painted white (if you’ve ever rounded the end of a nine-month renovation and pregnancy … you understand saying “… just paint it all white!”). We have since introduced a historical peach color into the family room and a dark green into the dining area, which really warms it up. I would love to add some wallpaper eventually, but my husband worked so hard making sure all of the walls were totally smooth, I don’t know if I can do that to him just yet. The green velvet chairs are actually from my grandmother’s home and are still the original upholstery, which is really special. The artwork and accessories are a mix of collected items from local artists, vintage pieces and a little IKEA sprinkled in here and there. Our schoolhouse light fixtures were located at an antiques store in a small town about 45 minutes away and we ordered the vintage down-rods online to fit them. I was unsure if they would even fit into the space well when I purchased them, but they were such a good deal I took the risk and they ended up being perfect! One tip I have is mixing expensive, one-of-a-kind items in with normal, inexpensive items. It really seems to make everything feel like it’s somehow more expensive.

All of the rugs on the main living floor of the home are vintage (mainly Turkish or Persian) rugs around 70-100 years old. They really make the home cozy and I don’t regret having them everywhere. Spending a little more on vintage rugs I will keep for the long haul has been my main splurge on furnishings for the space. Another rule I always try to stick to is filling my home with items I truly love that are interesting. I guess that’s why I like old stuff so much, it’s usually one of a kind and has a fun story to go along with it. Having a style that’s inviting and cozy is a big goal for me. I like the more “collected” look while my husband is more of a minimalist. I love that he has an opinion on the design of our home and we really work together to find a happy medium. He helps edit my crazy ideas and I make sure he doesn’t live in a white box. Win-win.

The entryway seen above is the main entrance into the home that opens up into a sitting area and the main staircase. This is where I have a workspace on the opposite wall than pictured. When I’m trying to create a unique space, locating one-of-a-kind items is really important. They are what give a space character and make it custom to each person. I love vintage shopping, stopping at estate sales and keeping items from grandparents that are meaningful. It’s more fun and creates a more unique space that doesn’t look like everyone else’s.

Just for fun, let’s break down where I got the items from the photo above: The green lamps (we have one on either side of the entry) were literally left on the side of the road in our neighborhood (already green and everything!). The cuckoo clock we purchased on a trip to Salzburg, Austria and the chest is a mid-century find and was purchased from IG stories, the teal chair and quilt are garage sale finds, rug is vintage, and bookend is from my grandmother. The gold vase is from a trip overseas, the wicker ducks are vintage, the shadowbox cabin is vintage and the garland was made and sold by a friend in my neighborhood. Curtains … IKEA!  It definitely takes more time than running to one store and accessorizing everything on a single Saturday, but when you take your time, everything has a backstory behind it and just feels special.

The before and after above is one of my favorites of the entire renovation! As you can see, the existing refrigerator was blocking one of the large windows in what was the mudroom area off the back door when we purchased the home. There was no place to put a refrigerator in the kitchen configuration, so it had been in this location through the past couple homeowners. We were just going to leave the kitchen like it was, but the flooring wasn’t original and couldn’t be sanded and finished again, so it had to be replaced. Then, we tried to come up with a way to sink the refrigerator into the wall to the left of it, cut a hole in the existing cabinets to put it, and so on. Every idea we came up with was OK, but not ideal. Each idea also involved cutting, patching, fixing, or moving everything around, so we finally just called it and decided to do a whole overhaul and took the kitchen down to studs. We actually listed the existing kitchen (countertops, sink, cabinets, dishwasher) on FB Marketplace and sold it for cash. The buyer even removed it and assumed the responsibility if he cracked the granite. It was great to start from a clean slate, repurpose the old kitchen so it didn’t end up in a dumpster, and also get a little cash to help with the new kitchen cost.

One thing that was a big deal was being able to completely remove the doorway and header into the mudroom and make the ceiling flush to connect into the full kitchen space. Since we were joining a kitchen area and a mudroom, having the ceiling flush and smooth really make the whole space feel like it was connected and not awkward. When we opened up the wall on the left where the walnut counter is, we kept the header and had a structural engineer take a look and get us some drawings since it was load bearing.

We debated whether we should put counters under the large window or should make it a window bench, but I’m so happy we settled with additional cabinet storage. I remember thinking we would never fill all the cabinets … but one instant pot and air fryer later, they’re full. I always vote for more storage when you can add it. (I also keep all of the kids art and craft supplies under that window). I don’t know what I’d do without the extra space now!

I can’t continue the home tour and not address the story of our kitchen floors. We really took a risk with those bad boys and are so happy we did! I said earlier that the kitchen floors weren’t original (added in the ’50s with an addition to the home) and they couldn’t be refinished. We were going to just match the original thin 100-year-old wood like the rest of the home had. Jerry was our sweet late ’70s woodworker and did all of our floor refinishing and some other millwork in the home. He and my husband, Jonathan, actually came up with this idea and texted it to me late at night and said, “What about something like this?” Jerry for the WIN. It’s actually a historical parquet style that just happens to be popular in black and gray tile right now. We felt like we were going with so much white in the kitchen we could really “go for it” with the floor.

The floor is a mix of three types of wood with no stain, just a natural finish. Jerry actually hand cut each piece out of normal wood and assembled it by hand (bless him). We had some left over so we actually used it in the floor of our main floor half-bath as well as our entryway. Sometimes in a renovation you want to appeal to the masses for resale, and sometimes you say, “We may die here and we like this cubic geometric parquet floor.” Jerry also built our dark green, wooden range hood around the existing hood. He built it in a way that it could be replaced if it ever quit working and covering up the normal stainless hood really gave it a custom look.

Another thing I love about the kitchen was the decision to take the tile and cabinets all the way to the ceiling. The cabinet maker and tile guy both weren’t sure about that idea since the ceilings are 9′ tall, but I’m very thankful I stuck to my gut after being asked “Are you sure?” a couple times. I have a little step ladder I just slide over if I need to get to a tall shelf and it doubles as a kid stool to help with cooking. I love the additional storage space and have all my seasonal and party plates up there. Having 6×6 tile all the way up to the ceiling for the entire space actually didn’t cost much more than tiling one of our bathrooms and really gives the kitchen space a cohesive look, especially since we were joining two areas into one. I have already splashed spaghetti sauce above the window over the sink one time already … so see? It’s very practical.

The image above shows the angle from the kitchen into the dining area. I love that there used to be a wall where our kitchen counter is now where we spend so much time crafting and having fun.

All in all, we opened up the two main doorways into larger openings and joined the mudroom to the kitchen here. This created more flow between the family room, dining area and kitchen in this space of the home. What we wanted to do was make sure it felt bright and open, but at the same time, we didn’t want to go through busting down everything to create a home that looked nothing like a historical home on the inside. We were careful to match the millwork around the widened openings to make it look as though it was all original.

Fun fact: Our table is located where the original 1925 kitchen was! Our family room was the original 1925 dining room (our kitchen was an addition to the home in the ’50s).

Thanks for taking the time to look through my living spaces! Just remember, this all took nine months to complete. There were lots of ups and downs, we spent more than we planned to, and it’s all worth it on the other end. Hopefully, this gives you the encouragement to take on that small or large project you’ve been itching to do. You can do it!  (or … Jerry can.) xo, Shailey

Credits // Author: Shailey Murphy. Photography: Janae Hardy and Shailey Murphy. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.

If you want to learn to weave, start here: Weaving for Beginners

“We purchased our Southern Colonial home in February of 2017. We had been searching off and on for 2+ years (basically since our move to Nashville from sunny Southern California). This house in particular had sat on the market for about a year, and once we stepped inside it was clear to see why. The previous owners ran a rehab called “Teen Challenge,” which means anywhere from 9-12 men lived in the house at a time. Every door had been kicked in at some point. We found hidden knives above doorways and when we opened the walls, we found empty bottles of booze and leftover cigarette packs. Regardless, we were able to see the potential through the mess, so we began to remodel with a mighty fury!

I homeschool our kiddos, and we had completely underestimated the need to have space in the house for the kids to play when we are shut in for the winter and on rainy days throughout the year. This last requirement caused us to add additional criteria to our home search; that being light, bright, open spaces and more light! You will notice this theme woven throughout the house. l have incorporated bright colors along with fun and unique elements that pay homage to my California roots, love for vintage, and Tennessee’s rich musical heritage.

Console / Gray Chairs / Pink Sofa

The ”rainbow room,” as it is affectionately called, is our primary room for low-key hangs and movie nights. This is the only room in the house with a TV and has plenty of seating for all on this cozy sectional which also is a pullout bed for guests. The rainbow wall was inspired by a kids educational television program called The Who Was? show. I wanted the space to be bright, fun, lively and welcoming to both kids and adults all at the same time.

We refer to the formal living room as the “pink room” and I am not exactly sure why. I think it’s because for the longest time the only piece of furniture we had in that room was the crescent pink velvet couch. Haha! My family and I love to travel and we love hotels. My approach to this room was to set it up like a swanky hotel lobby with multiple seating areas that can encourage smaller intimate conversations and still be able to facilitate large gatherings. The gallery wall features pieces of art we have collected on our travels, pieces from our dear friends and even pictures created by our littles. Above the fireplace is a fave of mine. It’s a custom made weaving I had commissioned from the amazing talented Rachel of Smile & Wave.

The kitchen is the heart of the home. This room experienced the most change during the renovation process. We tore down the wall that separated the kitchen from the dining room, we sealed up a doorway that went to the hall, and blew out the pantry. The footprint of the kitchen changed from a confined square to a long galley. The tiled backsplash wall was actually mine and my husband’s first foray into tiling. Completing this wall gave us the confidence to tackle our master bathroom floor.The focal point of this space and my favorite appliance ever, is the matte black and gold oven range. At one end of the galley kitchen we built in a green velvet lounge with two bistro tables. This is the perfect spot to enjoy a cup of coffee or a French 75 depending on the time of day.

Chandelier / DIY Frame / Pink Dining Chairs / Lucite Chairs (thrifted)

On the opposite end of the galley kitchen is the Marble Sarineen Tulip dining table. The dining table opens up to the grand pink room, which makes this space perfect for hosting and entertaining.The room l was most excited to go wild with is the downstairs powder room! For this space, l wanted to go big, bold, bright and of course, use florals. l wanted something that represented California to me. A nod to the nostalgic San Pedro of where my parents grew up and l spent most of my life visiting my grandparents. True old classic Californian style with a modern twist.

Embarrassingly enough, trying to find the perfect wallpaper to get THE look took months—like six months to be exact. I sampled 15 different wallpaper options before landing on this gem! The artist behind this is actually a native Californian, like myself and felt she just “got me” and my style, so we were a match made in wallpaper heaven! A homage to California would not be complete without a wink to Disneyland—l found this Alice In Wonderland doorknob on Etsy.

Bed / Night Stands / Chandelier / Wool Throw / Neon Sign

My favorite space in the house was a toss up between the master suite and the powder room. We have moved many times as a family and the master bedroom has always taken the back seat to be the last room to get any love. In fact, this is the first time in 16+ years of marriage that we have selected furniture that was not thrifted or gifted, so this space holds a special place in my heart.

The living plant wall is an homage to Elvis Presley’s infamous “jungle room” at his home at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. The pink velvet bed is such a dream and l am stoked to have a husband who doesn’t mind pink or velvet, for that matter. A fun addition was the neon light above the bed reading “Melt With You,” which reflects our love for ’80s music in all of its forms.Mirrors / Sconces / Light Fixture / Abstract Painting

The “piece de resistance” is our master bathroom. Prior to renovations, this bathroom was actually three separate rooms: shower/bathtub and toilet in one room, double vanity in another, and a second closet in a third. We blew out all of these walls and extended the room just beyond one of the existing windows in the bedroom so the bathroom would have its own natural light. This gave us room to plumb the clawfoot tub where the closet once lived (my favorite item in our home) and we built a glass framed standing shower where the old bath once lived.

My husband DIY’d a 1920s buffet into this dual vanity with quartz top. l am so proud of how he repurposed this piece, bringing it back to life!  The tile in the floor is by far the biggest conversation piece in our home. We were already in DIY mode when it was time to tile. We knew what we wanted but quotes were coming in around $15,000 in labor for this amount of detail (border and wording). So what did we do? YouTube “how to tile” and my husband and l did this ourselves and l couldn’t be more excited about how it came out!

Tiger Rug / Record Console 

Across the hall from the master is the big kid’s room, their shared bathroom, and the nursery. I love having our fam all up on the same level. We knew we wanted to create a magical and whimsical room for the kids but also something they are able to grow with. The ceilings in this room are low (like so low) so l had to tamper expectations quite a bit of the designs I dreamed up, but we took some measurements, l sketched out a rough design on a napkin and my brother did an absolutely amazing job building the loft house beds! My daughter’s loft bed features a reading nook on the top level and a desk on the lower level. My son’s bed has space below for reading and building Lego creations.

In the kid’s shared bathroom, my husband repurposed a mid-century dresser into their dual vanity where there had been a single vanity previously. He also followed A Beautiful Mess DIY transforming their once ugly linen closet door into a fun pop in here. We wanted this bathroom to be fun for the kids but not “kiddy” and still flow with the rest of the house.

Wallpaper / Rocking Chair / Crib

As far as the nursery goes, we had no idea we were actually going to need a nursery when we started the remodel. It was going to be a playroom for the kids, but God had other plans (surprise baby!) It is still half playroom, half nursery, so it’s kind of a work in progress as I’m constantly trying to balance big kid toys versus baby items. But it’s the only natural toned space in our entire home, making it have a completely different vibe and feel, which l love that about this space.

The greatest blessing we have realized with our home and these spaces is that we are finally able to host events, invite people over and foster community with those around us. There is still work to be done and projects to tackle, but for now we will pause and enjoy this season of life in the colorful spaces we have created. I hope you have enjoyed our home tour and if you are ever in Nashville please stop in and say hi!”

Pure magic. Follow Natalie on Instagram for more inspiration!

If you love home tours, check out:
–At Home with Andi Teggart in Nashville, Tennessee
–At Home with Keely Rust in Nashville, Tennessee
–At Home with Caitlin Garcia-Ahern in Oaxaca, Mexico
–At Home with Brooke White in Thousand Oaks, California

Credits // Author: Natalie Ensor. Photography: Amber Ulmer.

Like anything, not all went as planned, and I’m convinced we didn’t drink nearly enough wine. But we made it happen. It takes soooooo much work to make a magical treehouse + cabin retreat happen. And rules. And codes. And permits. GULP. We had to make a lot of changes over the years to dot all our i’s and cross all our t’s.

One of my fave rooms is the cabin loft bedroom. It’s peaceful, you can hear the birds singing and the rustle of the leaves in the trees. Oh, and hello, bed canopy. Swoon. And fireplace. And, I am reliably informed that the treehouse porch is the best one I’ve met, ever. We were totally inspired by A Beautiful Mess DIY here and created this slat wood wall. When it was done, I believe I may have screamed. I definitely screamed. We have lived here for 17 years. Strange, since I am only 27 years old (times two). We started with a house, barn, and 100 acres of weeds. After a lot of paint, sawdust and blisters, we built a pool within the reclaimed stone walls of an old burned down barn on our property. Next up was a treehouse. Followed by a cabin. Made with love.

Over the years, The Treehouse + Cabin Retreat has grown organically and is now a vacation rental over the summer months. We hope you come meet us over at the blog and download the free ABM printable we made! Come say hey on our Instagram, too.”

Thank you soooo much for sharing your dreamy spaces with us! We hope to stay there someday And, if you’re curious about all of the gorgeous items inside their treehouse + cabin, you can shop them here. xo.

Credits // Author: Lynne Knowlton. Photography: Suech and Beck and Lynne Knowlton.

Chandelier / Chairs

Immediately, we knew we wanted to paint the walls a brighter white. We went with Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace. We also immediately painted the dark brown baseboards and eventually painted almost all of the wood/dark trim in the house. It felt SO much brighter immediately! Most of the changes we’ve made have been cosmetic and fairly straightforward—new lighting in every room (makes a huge difference), hardware swaps in the kitchen and bathroom, and window treatments in most rooms.

The floors in the front part of the home are original (1919) so aren’t in great shape, but we love their imperfect charm. We might eventually get them refinished, but right now, we are keeping them as is. The biggest project we’ve done is converting our falling apart garage into a functional, gorgeous greenhouse. This project was my husband’s vision and he brought it all to life. Next up is converting my daughter Lucy’s room to a shared bedroom space, as we’re having another baby in February. The next BIG project is renovating our upstairs den and guest bedroom areas to make it more open concept and to add a bathroom.

Coffee Table / Peacock Chair / Sputnik Light / Poufs

In our living room, we have one of Eric’s old surfboards (which he used to use often!) hanging above the couch. I love having it on display as a nod to our life in California.

Moroccan Rug / Shag Rug / Bed Frame (similar) / Wall Sconces / Pendant Lamp

Dining Table / Custom Cushions / Pendant LightI am obsessed with our new family room, which is the room with that dark green statement wall (color is Valspar’s Planet Earth). For the first 10 months we lived here, this room was a formal dining room and it was beautiful, but the space wasn’t being used as much as it could or should have. Eric had the idea to move our dining space to the front of the house in an existing sitting/play area and use our dining room as a family room. It turned out to be the best idea and we spent more time in this room than any other! We have a gorgeous leather sofa from Article in the room (which has held up really well with sticky toddler fingers and our dog!) and hung a custom piece of art from Nashville-based artist Laci Fowler above the couch.

Chandelier / Canvas Art / Rug / Coffee Table / Throw Pillows

Mirror / Basket / Console Table

We have her IKEA play kitchen in one corner and hung the Samsung Frame TV (it looks like a piece of art!) on the green wall—which we are obsessed with. I just love that this room has become our go-to gathering space right in the middle of the house. The room is modern and sleek while still being cozy, comfortable and functional for our family.Rug / Chandelier

I just scored a matching Stokke crib on Facebook Marketplace, so both of our girls will have matching cribs! 

I love looking at the dresser in Lucy’s room. My mom and I found it on the side of the road in San Francisco 8ish years ago—it was a gross yellow and we painted it blue and added funky knobs to match my room at the time. When I moved in with my husband, he stripped the dresser and we swapped out the knobs once again. Now, the dresser houses Lucy’s clothes and acts as her changing table. 

Wood Storage Bins / Canopy / Book Ledges

Love seeing other people’s homes? Check out these At Home With posts!

• At Home with Keely Rust in Nashville, Tennessee
• At Home with Emily Vallely in Long Beach, California
• At Home with Amber Ulmer in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee
• At Home with Mandy Fierens 
• At Home with Beth Jones in Tustin, California

Our home’s style is evolving because I always am inspired by new seasons and travels, and of course, the stage of life we’re in. Our house will likely look different in February when we have a newborn! Our home’s style is approachable because we have a kid and a dog, and while I like nice things, I don’t want anything in our house to be too precious for someone to sit on, play with, or feel comfortable with.”

Thanks for giving us a tour, Andi! Be sure to visit her blog, Lucky Andi and Instagram here.

Credits // Author: Andie Teggart. Photography: Amber Ulmer. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.

“In the summer of 2017, we moved into this house (we had just moved to Nashville about nine months prior)—it was a really exciting purchase because it’s our first home! We chose this house because we saw a lot of potential and it seemed like it could be really rewarding to bring it back to life—not just for us to live here, but also for the families who live here after us. It was for sure a fixer-upper (most of the wood floors and some of the walls were rotted through), and we ended up gutting almost the whole thing and changing some of the architecture, which took about nine months to fully finish.

It was an undertaking and we had some contractor woes, which seems pretty common across the board the more I talk to other people that have renovated. When we were in the thick of it, Elsie told me as hard as the process is, the more distance you have from it, you start to forget about the negative experiences and can really enjoy your home. Sound advice for anyone going through a long or painstaking renovation, because now that we’re a few years removed from the process, we just appreciate our home and a lot of that heartache we endured has faded. So if you’re renovating now, hang in there, there are brighter days ahead.I have to say the evolution of our kitchen/living room area has completely changed the feel of our home and has made it one of our favorite rooms. There used to be a wall in between these two spaces, but we got rid of it and love how many opportunities it gave us in decorating and changing up the kitchen footprint—and it’s where we spend the majority of our time. Our style has evolved over the years to be more pared down and slightly on the minimalistic side, so we tried to be intentional with how many “extra” items we put in here.

While there is no shortage of plants, less seems to be more comfortable to us these days. My favorite DIY is also in this room—the tassel chandelier! It was a tedious project, but it turned out better than I had hoped for and gives the perfect amount of light in an otherwise dark corner of the room.

The best compliments I receive are when people tell me it “feels good” or that it “has a good energy” when they walk into this room. Every choice we made for this home came back to that question, “Does this space feel good?”, and that helped to keep our vision streamlined and choose things that were perfect for us. I was kind of all over the place when we first started planning design elements, but when I honed in on that one question, everything fell into place. The statement wall in our guest bedroom was one of my favorite DIYs! As much as I wanted a wallpapered wall, it just was absolutely not in our budget. I decided to hand paint a pattern instead, and love how it turned out. It really tricks a lot of people into thinking it’s wallpaper, too! We did a lot to change the architecture of our home, from knocking down walls to putting bathrooms in new places, and even vaulting my office ceiling. I want to say that we would have been so much worse off had we not brought in an architect (thank you, Kaitlyn and nine12!).

While we thought we knew what we were doing and had a lot of vision for how we wanted to change things, she had the knowledge on how to properly configure a compact kitchen (we almost made a few mistakes here before consulting with her), and making the most of a bedroom-turned-master bathroom and closet, among other things. It’s a service that, for us, was worth paying for, and was much more affordable than we had anticipated. It saved us from a lot of costly blunders in such an extensive renovation.

We’ve lived here two years, and it took about that whole time to fully finish the home decor-wise because we had to be pretty budget-minded. It was really hard to be patient (I just wanted everything to be DONE!), but waiting for deals or vintage steals to come around makes me appreciate the process in hindsight and treasure every room down to the last detail. The one thing we splurged on was lighting, but other than that we were pretty careful and stuck to our budget.

In my office, which was loosely inspired by wanting to give the Golden Girls living room a modern update, we got so lucky with finding the loveseat at a kind of random place in Nashville called Southeastern Salvage. They have a large selection of rattan furniture—it’s definitely a diamond in the rough!

There is an interesting little stool in our living room that we use as a plant stand—my grandparents took a trip to Iran in the ’60s and brought it back. I think of them every time I look at it. Come to think of it, most of our plant stands were thrifted or vintage finds. I like the eclectic feel it gives since we don’t have a lot of that in our house.

I learned a lot about patience as our home has evolved, and for that I’m thankful! It was truly a labor of love and we are grateful for it everyday.”

Such an amazing renovation. We love you AND your home, Keely! To see more home photos and cute things, be sure to follow Keely on Instagram.

Love to see our At Home series? Check out…
–At Home with Natalie Ensor in Nashville, Tennessee
–At Home with Brooke White in Thousand Oaks, California
–At Home with Bela Fishbeyn in Boulder Creek, California

Credits // Author: Keely Rust. Photography: Amber Ulmer. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.

“We moved into this house 2011–pre-kids! Little did we know we’d be bringing a little baby London home a year later. Moving from the craziness of the valley out to the quiet suburbs of Ventura County, however, was definitely an intentional step in moving towards starting a family, we just didn’t know how soon. But this was a home we could grow into—not too big, not too small.

It was built in the ’70s, and at first glance was nothing special. When we walked in, my husband immediately said “heck no” and I said “heck yes” because I could see a diamond in the rough! It was a fixer upper with loads of potential but also loads of teal … teal walls, teal floors, teal ceilings, teal tile, teal carpet … ALL THE TEAL TEAL TEAL! I can understand why my husband wasn’t jazzed, but I caught a vision and loved the idea of a project and making it our own. I managed to talk Dave into it, talking up the view from the balcony, the only redeeming quality for him. Prior to moving in, we de-tealed the house immediately, sanding down the wood floors to their natural shade and restaining them, scraping popcorn teal ceilings and resurfacing every wall and giving it a fresh coat of paint inside.

It’s become hard for me to figure out which room I love the most, because the older I get, and the longer I live here, the more I’ve been able to really pull it together and wait for the things I really loved. If I had to choose, it would be a toss-up between my music room (I love all the natural light from the skylights and the whole vibe in there) and the front room—how it turned out with all the records and the old baby grand piano. But then again, we spend so much time as a family in the family room that opens up into the kitchen. The best decision we made in this house was to knock down the wall and join these two spaces; it’s really changed the way we live!

I think what I love the most about my home are the fun treasures I’ve thrifted and made along the way … such as my blue leather Chesterfield sofa in my front room. I got it at The Deseret Industries Thrift Store in Gilbert, Arizona (where I’m from and was home for Christmas) for 30 DOLLARS! Yep, $30! Luckily, we had brought the truck, so we loaded it up and brought it back to California! I had a giant blank wall space behind it, so I decided to add some vinyl covers in frames I spray painted red above it to create a huge display of some of my favorite records as works of art! It makes me happy every time I look at it!

I also love the old church pew in our office between our front room and kitchen dining table. The space in there was unique and narrow, so I had the thought to look for a church pew on Craigslist. It was New Year’s Day and I found one instantly—an hour and $100 later, the man who sold it to me brought it to my house and it has stayed there ever since. It fits perfectly there. I did sand it down quite a bit, and have had a handful of people ask me if I considered ever selling it, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to part with it.I’ve also created some of our art, including the diptych blue bike on the wall and framed photos I’ve taken. I always wanted to buy real art, but because of my budget could rarely afford it, so I have made a lot of my own. But I also have found some incredibly special pieces at the thrift store, two of which are textile and thread arts from the early ’70s! I love art so much and am thankful that I was able to come across such treasures for such great prices.

We just crossed the eight-year mark in May—we’ve spent half our married life here. What we’ve learned is that, contrary to the Pinterest/Instagram illusions, the process of making a house your HOME doesn’t happen overnight. I joke that it took about 2,967 days/nights to figure this place out, and we’re still working on it! It feels like years of waiting to find the right pieces for the right prices. To save up enough to fix this, and renovate that. It requires a lot of patience and trial and error, and sometimes settling on things you don’t really love. Our house was a hodgepodge of hand-me-downs and random thrifted things. It still is, by design and necessity. I’ve embraced the eclectic default and ran with it.

We did the initial cosmetic fixes when we first moved in, but there was loads more of work to be done, which we have done along the way, including landscaping, knocking down a wall, a full kitchen and master bathroom remodel and dozens of weekend projects. When we first moved in, I chose grey for most the rooms (yellow for the kitchen and pale blue for the family room) and I had a gig out of town while the painters were here. When I got home, the color was much more taupe-tan than I had hoped and wanted to repaint it immediately … but it wasn’t in the budget. So one by one, I have turned each room white and I love how open and clean it feels! We also did away with the carpet upstairs with wood floors to match the rest of the house the month before Sonny was born, and they were finished the day before I went into labor.

At this point in my home it feels good, it feels personal, it feels intentional. Having children changes your life and home massively. I’ve learned that you have to create your space with them in mind—lots of storage for toys and a space designated for art and crafts. London is artsy and leaves a trail of glitter everywhere she goes. I often have to let go of perfection, and embrace this messier-than-I-like season, because it’s short, and it’s good to remember that a house is for living!

I’m super excited to soon be releasing my upcoming record Calico, (hybrid for California Country, which is exactly what this record is) on October 4, 2019! This is my first true country album to date, and while I’ve always leaned into that singer-songwriter sound, I’ve had it in my heart to make a country album for a long, long time. I had planned to make it in Nashville, but again, having kids changes everything. I was still nursing sonny boy and walking London to kindergarten, so I realized that I wasn’t going to just up and leave my life and family in LA to make a country record in Tennessee.

So, I stayed and made one here close to my family and home and it really worked out better than I could have imagined. And that is exactly what the title track Calico is all about … blooming where you’re planted, making the most of it and loving it. It’s the most modern and fun thing I’ve done musically to date. And I am thrilled to be offering it on vinyl for the first time in my music making life! And it’s bright yellow like the sun.”

Thanks so much for sharing, Brooke! You can pre-order Brooke’s album now at http://calicogoods.com or here: http://ffm.to/calico and listen to her single, Into the Trees, below. xo!

Love to see our At Home series? Check out…
–At Home with Natalie Ensor in Nashville, Tennessee
–At Home with Brooke White in Thousand Oaks, California
–At Home with Bela Fishbeyn in Boulder Creek, California

Credits: Author and Photography: Brooke White.

I love and spend most of my time in the main common room downstairs. It’s living room, dining room and kitchen all in one—with an entire wall of windows and glass doors that open up into the garden space. I especially love having an open kitchen. I don’t particularly love cooking, but I feel more inspired to prepare things when the kitchen is such an integral part of the common space.

Almost everything in my home is handmade by craftspeople—the furniture, rugs, textiles, ceramics. I source most pieces from our artisan partners or markets during the art workshops I host with my company, Thread Caravan.

One of my favorite pieces is the chair by Indentidad Local (the one under the stairs). It’s woven by hand using lake grasses in Estado de Mexico. The design is traditional, but not common anymore, and several companies are working to preserve production with artisans. 

I also really love the painting hanging in the kitchen area. It’s by Erick Garcia Gomez, a Mexican painter from Chiapas who I met here in Oaxaca, and depicts a woman riding a bull with boots and a serpent as a tail.

During a recent Thread Caravan workshop in Guatemala, I bought a hand-carved wooden bench with tiger faces on either side. It’s a beautiful work of art. I especially love art which is beautiful, but also has a function—chairs, benches, rugs, baskets, etc.

I’ve only been in the home since January, but I’m settling in more and more each day. I’d say the biggest change since my arrival has been the garden. It started out with just one tree that had no leaves when I moved in. The stone pebbles on the ground and white walls seemed so stark and cold, so I’ve cared for the tree and it’s grown its leaves back, and I’ve added a ton of plants to make the space more warm—banana, papaya, blackberry, lantana, bougainvillea, honeysuckle, jasmine, cacti, agave, herbs, cotton, lime, and more.

Another huge change has been my dogs. I moved here with just my one dog, Bowie, but since being here, I’ve started a small street dog rescue project, Caravana Canina. Right now, I have my dog Bowie as well as two fosters, Mami and Tuna. Having more animals really changes the energy of the space, as well as our daily routines.

I fell in love with this home for the natural light, the concrete floors that look beautiful with my rugs on them, and the open floor plan. It’s also outside of the city center, so I get to wake up to the sound of birds chirping in the big tree outside my window.”

Such a magical home, isn’t it? For more inspiration, be sure to follow Caitlin’s company, Thread Caravan on Instagram. xo.

Credits//Author: Caitlin Garcia-Ahern. Photography: Luka Della Santa.

“We started thinking about tiny homes as a way to beat housing costs in the San Francisco Bay area. Why rent a tiny apartment for thousands of dollars when we could buy a luxury tiny home for way less? We worked with New Frontier Tiny Homes to custom design our home down to the inch. Our daughter was about a year old at the time, so we needed a home that would accommodate a toddler. We also wanted the home that would serve as an accessory dwelling unit and rental property whenever we finally buy a foundation home, so we made sure not to skimp on the finishings. In our mind, this was a long-term investment, even if we only end up living in it full-time for a few years.

After only six months of research, design, and building, our custom home was completed—not bad compared to the timeline and headache of custom building a foundation home! Currently, it’s positioned in Boulder Creek, California, just 10 minutes away from old-growth Pacific Redwoods. We rent our land and own the home. In a few years, we may move the home north to Mendocino or south to San Luis Obispo.

Since our home is so small, we meticulously designed all the rooms to feel distinct and separate from one another (can you believe that we have six rooms in our tiny house?!) Each one has special features to make the room exciting and refreshing.

Spencer used to work as a chef, so our kitchen is full of artisanal products like carbon-steel cookware from Blanc Creatives and a Tsukiji Masamoto chef’s knife. We try as best as we can to find inspiration and lifetime quality in the tools we use everyday.

I think our favorite, though, is the master bedroom. When you’re lying down, the giant picture window behind you opens up to the sky, so you can stargaze while you’re laying in bed. We also arranged a unique design on the ceiling to expand the sense of space. Combine all this with the most comfortable mattress in the world (our Airbnb renters ALWAYS comment on how much they love it!) and it’s heaven to sleep in our little den!

We splurged on sheets as well as some Icelandic sheepskins from Black Sheep (White Light). So many of the sheepskins available these days are dyed and over-treated, but these are pristine and beautiful reminders of nature’s complexity.

When you own very few home goods, you can usually afford to be as selective as you want! I remember when we moved into our first apartment. It was impossible to completely fill it with meaningful or interesting items, but with our tiny home it’s been the complete opposite.

We’re big fans of having our daily ritual and cleaning products be part of our decor as well. The Ordinary for skin care and Public Goods for home products have been great for us. Great labeling and the products are top-notch but consumer direct.

For both indoor and outdoor furniture, we love the quality and craftsmanship of Article. Both our bar table and outdoor table are from them as well as the most comfy daybed ever!

We’ve lived in our home for almost two years now! It’s been a blast and, though the inside of the home hasn’t changed much, our outdoors have changed tremendously. We built a big cedar deck just outside of our garage door, set up a xeriscape zen garden and other landscaping, added a canvas belle tent, and a big outdoor table.

We’re always looking for ways to expand our living space more into the outdoors. This obviously helps to keep our house from feeling too tiny, but the outdoors also brings its own sort of peace. As much as we can, we try to view our home as having more to do with the whole world around us, instead of just a set of walls.”

Thanks so much for sharing your tiny home with us, Bela! You can read more on her blog, Tiny Migrations, and follow her on Instagram here.

Credits // Author: Bela Fishbeyn. Photography: Bela Fishbeyn and Ryan Tuttle.