Reader Design: Amber's Fantastical Home

“It represents a world where Alice in Wonderland meets Beetlejuice.”

That's how a visitor once described Amber's family home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Surrounded by a bunch of boys, Amber has created a space that blends everyone's interests and loves.

“Since I reside in a home full of boys, I am drawn to pieces that coincide with my son’s and husband’s interests, but are inspired by my flair for the dramatic.”

“It took a few years, and a couple unsuccessful projects to really find the direction I wanted to strive for in really expressing the inner being of my style. I’m mostly drawn to white and black pallets with a few small bold accents in the form of light fixtures, art work, pillows, and other decor. ”

“I am not opposed to trends, and I believe that they can be incorporated to anyone’s preferences. However, I am very selective in my color palettes, decor pieces, and architecture. I tend to lean more towards modern and vintage furniture, artwork, and miscellaneous decor. When I first began, I knew I loved Art Deco Designs, but I did not exactly understand how I wanted to express it in my own home. It was definitely not just the ‘easy and convenient’ option to freshen up our living space and took years of thought.”

Through some trial and error, Amber has landed on a style that makes sense for her and her family. An important component of that style are family heirlooms, some of which Amber has refinished and some of which she's left in the original state. 

“There are too many of my favorite pieces to mention (I could, and should, write an entire book on that subject), but a lot of my decor comes from heirlooms my Grandparents have left to me in which I restored and customized. One heirloom of which I did nothing to and it means the world to me, is the portrait that graces my hallway wall labeled as “Lady Virginia”. My Grandfather purchased this portrait of an unknown lady in 1968 because it reminisced my Grandmother Virginia. On the backside of the portrait he inscribed that the picture would belong to my late Uncle Gerald, but sadly my Uncle passed away of cancer three years ago. Needless to say, I am proud to display this priceless piece of art in my home due to its’ background in our family history. ”

A home full of stories, some old and some new, is a beautiful thing. Amber, thank you for showing us around! 

Follow Amber along on Instagram at @the_beautiful_savages.

Reader Design: Leslie's Southern Home

I'm back in Richmond for wedding meetings this week, so it's only fitting that our reader design be in another traditionally Southern place. Let's check out Leslie's southern home in Birmingham, Alabama!

“I’m a Southerner through and through. I feel passionate about cultivating heritage in our home by rooting my designs in mostly a fresh traditional style. I think there is a misconception that traditional style is stale, boring or tired. I strive to create a home that is collected, classic with a healthy dose of the unexpected. But most importantly, I want to create a home that is welcoming and comfortable. I seem to find myself drawn to classic furniture with a bit of embellishment, whether that’s a beautifully carved leg, unique details or craftsmanship Thankfully, with the numerous ways to acquire thrifted pieces today, it is easy to create a home that fits my style and my budget.”

— Leslie

“After nine moves, I think we have finally settled in for the long haul with our current house I have dubbed #thetrailhousereno. A little over two years ago I fell in love with a house in our existing neighborhood that needed a ton of love. Somehow I convinced my husband to agree to rehabbing this home. We completely resurfaced the problem front facade with brick and took the opportunity to clean up the bad late 90’s architecture.”

“It is always hard to choose a favorite room but cooking is my love language, so the kitchen is probably a winner by default. It might be hard to believe, but the kitchen was a budget friendly renovation. We were able to keep the existing cabinetry and granite and recycle the old island into a beverage center. A new island was built to fit the kitchen’s new expanded view. We DIY’ed the backsplash and the reclaimed wood countertop and shelves.”

While much of the home is classic and traditional, there are nods to the "now" in a few spots. 

“I would not say I am completely immune to trends. Adding a small trendy piece of pottery or the “color of the moment” in a throw is interesting way to inject life into your home. I thrive on change and yet, I do not subscribe to the notion of replacing larger pieces of furniture based on a trend. I say, collect timeless investment pieces and keep an open mind to trends that speak to you and work well with your overall design aesthetic. ”

One of those spots is Leslie's personal studio.

“Upstairs, in my personal studio, I took the liberty to have a little fun and depart from the underlining color palette of the rest of the house. It is also where I let the plant lady go wild. Even after over a year of working in this space, the room has the power to both excite and calm me at the same time. It is a perfect place to be productive and is definitely a bright, oxygen-filled space.”

This home is certainly one that stands the test of time while still having plenty of personality! Leslie, thank you for letting us in!

Follow Leslie along on Instagram at @deeplysouthernhome and check out her blog at www.DeeplySouthernHome.com

Reader Design: Meredith's Simplified Space

It seems like the whole country is experiencing some crazy sunshine this week! But no place gets more sunshine than the location of today's reader design location: Denver, Colorado. Allegedly, this city gets a whopping 300 days of sunshine, and you can tell by the lightness and brightness of Meredith's home.

“When we bought this home, it was filled to the brim with bold paint colors, glossy finishes, and bright accent walls. My first goal was to lighten everything up and make the rooms feel more cohesive. We used the same light gray paint color (Silver Drop by Behr) in almost every room, and it’s done wonders for making our home feel light and bright and so much bigger! From there I tried to arrange furniture and decorate so our home feels welcoming and cozy but still simplified and clean.”

— Meredith

“My style and DIY skills have definitely evolved over the past 10 years of home-ownership. Our first house was an 80s ranch in Arkansas, where we learned to scrape popcorn ceilings, add recessed lighting, and paint lots and lots of wood trim. I started collecting mid-century modern furniture pieces there because they fit the style of the house, but over time, mid-century furnishings became part of our style, too. Now those same pieces seem to fit our very non-ranch second home in Colorado because they are a reflection of us.”

“Our family room is full of more favorite pieces. The credenza was a $40 Craigslist find that I spent hours sanding down to bare wood and refinishing. That thing will probably outlive me! The gold arc lamp was an estate sale find that took three adults to load into my car (with two carseats installed). And of course, our West Elm leather sofa is the most durable, comfortable thing ever. It was our only brand-new furniture purchase after moving to Colorado and it was worth every penny.”

“One design element I will always be willing to splurge on is good lighting. In both of our homes, we replaced horrible wood-framed fluorescent lighting in the kitchens with recessed lights. We’ve also updated almost every single light fixture throughout our home. I don’t necessarily need something high-end if it’s a good design. I tend to prefer simple globe pendants and sconces, except for in our girls’ shared bedroom where I added the most girly floral chandelier ever!”

“Over the past year, my husband and I have strived to simplify the way we live. We’ve emptied out our unfinished basement, decluttered our kids’ toy collection and our closets, reduced the number of decor items out at any given time, and even put half our dishes and flatware into storage so our kitchen stays cleaner. Our home feels lighter and bigger and we spend much less time cleaning and tidying! I’d love to be a true minimalist, but I have to balance a love of adding interesting textures and pops of color, too. Lately I’ve learned that keeping the pieces you feel most passionate about and letting go of the rest is a pretty great recipe for a home you love.”

Meredith, thank you so much for giving us a tour! Follow Meredith along on Instagram @welcometoheardmont for more!