Reader Design: Amanda's Meaningful Home

This. Pad. 

Before I dive in, I'm going to give you the words of wisdom from today's Reader Design genius to start things off:

“In a time when everything is getting bigger, we love that our little home is a constant reminder that you can live with less and thrive, just as many generations of families have lived in our home before us.”

Today is such a treat. I have been following along with Amanda, of both Cashmere & Clover and the Rustic Owl on IG, from Kansas City, Missouri for some time now. And she is AMAZING - as are her animals that you'll see scattered throughout these photos. 

Her home is chalk full of antiques and treasured pieces. 

Amanda and her husband bought this 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom 1922 home ten years ago. They are not afraid of projects! Since the purchase, they've finished the attic to include a master bedroom and are currently renovating a master bathroom. Each room is masterfully done, serving a purpose while also being filled with only the most curated items. 

From Amanda: 

“We love the character of older homes and tried to match everything from the trim to the color of the hardwood floors upstairs with the original style of the downstairs.

Several years ago we made the decision to declutter our home and simplify. We found we were buying mass produced furniture and decorating our home with things we didn’t love. Once we removed those things and painted the walls white, we were able to highlight and make the focal point in our home the things we loved that told a story.”

Could you guys not sit in this place forever? Now, I'm not a cat person, but with those plants and that lighting, I would be willing to change my ways! Seems like Amanda agrees... 

“We’re lucky to have lots of large windows throughout the house to give us lots of light, and the combination of the white walls and bright light really makes the space seem larger.”

Amanda did such a great job with her master bedroom - which obviously, the pets also love! 

“Our downstairs guest room was our bedroom before we finished the upstairs, and our elderly dog ended up injuring his back jumping down off of our tall bed. My husband [SMH interjection: the SWEETEST husband] decided to build a bed on the floor that our dog could easily get in and out of.

Our home was built in 1922, and the rooms were not designed with the idea that a bed larger than a double would ever reside in it. It takes up a majority of the room, but it’s one of my favorite pieces in the house because of the intention and story behind it.”

Y'all... even the appliances are beautifully styled. Amanda is seriously on to something with this simplicity thing. 

Amanda, you're a true talent. Thank you for sharing your home with us! And give those pet babies a big style mutt squeeze for us! 

The Finishing Touches

I have a question for the universe: why is it that the finishing touches for a room are always the hardest to find? I find that I'm so quick to buy the basic, big-ticket items. But what about the things that really pull everything together? 

If you're keeping track on Instagram, I'm 90% through a bedroom refresh. Have I only been living in my apartment for five months? Yes... but, I was living in a space that didn't feel like me. Most of the items were donations from my parents. Of course, I'm keeping that ones that mean something real to me - the pieces I look at and am reminded of either a memory, or a person, or an example of an awesome marriage and life. But, it was time to really make my very first solo apartment mine. You can see what is used to look like here. 

Ignore the grainy photos for now. I promise a full reveal soon! BECAUSE... drum roll. I have found the final two pieces that I needed to complete this space, thanks to Furniture.com. Now, I'm willing to bet if you all are anything like me, you guys can search for hours for the right items at good prices. I find those awesome sentimental, handmade, or thrifted pieces first. 

Then, I used Furniture.com to source the rest - on sale!! 

Their awesome "Find Local Sales" tool hooked me up with deals in the Washington, D.C. area. And what did I find?? 

Here is the space. Almost there, right? Can you guys guess what the finishing touches are? 
You'll have it wait to find out, but until then, check out Furniture.com for your own finishing touches or complete projects! 

Reader Design: Claire's Custom Space

Fall is officially here. It has me craving hot toddies at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, which is not quite acceptable yet - but we're almost there! It also has me keeping an eye open for perfect "trick-or-treating" homes, where parents & kids alike feel called to walk up to the front door. 

Today, I'm introducing you all to Claire from Vista, California, a small city just north of San Diego, where I can only imagine Halloween is perfect. 

Claire and her husband built this beautiful house two years ago and have been making it home with their son ever since! 
From Claire: 

“[Our home] has an open floor plan, clean lines, and tons of white, which all help in making it seem spacious and airy. I don’t know if color just terrifies me, but my home is mostly made of neutral tones. I love the mood set by natural wood against white walls. There are, however, some pops of color throughout the spaces. Anytime you see them, it is me being daring! ”

You all can probably tell this already, but Claire is a style mutt to the core. 

“When styling my home, I drew from a plethora of styles: modern, boho, industrial, shabby, farmhouse...I could go on and on! It is just important to me that the spaces feel light, minimal, and fresh, without feeling cold. One of the easiest ways to stay away from ‘cold’ when you want a minimal look is to decorate with things that have meaning. ”

One of the key indicators of a mutt is a love of moving things around - art, accessories, even huge furniture. That willingness to change spaces frequently, and swap in items of totally different styles, normally indicates a willingness to take risks. Even though Claire says she's a little intimated by color, I would beg to differ judging on her favorite piece! 

“A favorite piece is the blue dresser in the dinning room. This was the first piece of furniture my husband and I bought after getting married. We almost sold it a million times, because it was in our bedroom and I thought it was too ‘shabby’ for the look I wanted. However once I moved it to the dining room and coupled it with some modern pieces, I fell in love!”

“Another aspect of my decor is plant life. I love the freshness it brings to a room and the pops of green amongst my neutral decor. I swear, whenever you are in a decorating rut with a certain space, just add a plant and the problem is fixed! This is one design element I am always down to splurge on. That and my bed! ”

I'm all about beds these days {stay tuned for my bedroom refresh reveal soon!} and am totally supportive of Claire's splurge on that one!

Thank you, Claire for this insight into your beautiful home & life!
Follow Claire along on Instagram @clairealexis to get more peeks into her design and life as a mother in CA! 
Happy weekend, Mutts!