Reader Design: Madison's Bold Southwestern Style

When school brought Madison from Arizona to Boston, he took a bit of home with him. The result is a stunning space that is bold, bright, and imaginative and clearly derives its spirit from the Southwest. 

Let's take a look!

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Though he tried to resist, the influences of his childhood both followed Madison all the way across the country and followed him through life stages and into adulthood as he put down New England roots and purchased a home with his husband. 

From Madison:

I grew up near Cave Creek, Arizona and a lot of those Southwestern touches have crept into our home. It’s funny because growing up I used to detest homes that were totally blown out in Bonanza. Now I can hardly resist when I go home. I have to stop into some of the local shops and pick up a Zapotec table runner or a piece of Talavera pottery.
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We also travel a lot and love to bring home decor items back with us. Because of that we get a little eclectic and global chic thrown into the mix as well. If I had to sum [our home] up in one line I would say it’s Global Southwestern Mid-Century Modern Chic (that’s a mouthful!). Ultimately, we buy the things that speak to us and that give us that visceral response and we find a way to make them work. There’s no other way!
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Going with your gut is always the best thing to do, right? Everyone in this new world of authenticity - particularly on social media - preaches staying true to yourself.

But what if you're wrestling with what exactly that means? After all, Madison ended up emulating the very styles he thought he hated while living in Arizona. He even in initially struggled with color - not color choices, but how much of it to use in the first place.  

One thing that I wrestled with is color. A lot of people tell you not to go crazy with color because it will impact the resale of your home or that you will get too tired of it. We sort of just went with it and everyone seems to really love it, including ourselves. It’s not like we redid our entire kitchen with red cabinets - paint is so cheap and easy to fix or change or correct.

Obviously, color won out in this home. And thank goodness it did! At the end of the day, Madison and Sky wanted their home to be "energetic, interesting and fun" and "be a place that is comfortable and inviting." For them,  color did the trick. 

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Moving to the bedrooms, the home starts to take on a quieter vibe. 

In our bedroom, we wanted to be a place of tranquility. The room was inspired by a painting my grandmother did in the 70’s with a Native American man in the sky surrounded by Kachina dolls above the Grand Canyon. That picture has always brought me a lot of peace, and I think that’s a good vibe for your bedroom.
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The guest bedroom, like its master peer, also has a fun theme. Instead of a family heirloom painting, that theme is..... drumroll please.... 

LLAMAS!

This is our llama/alpaca room - you will find touches of llamas in almost every corner. I love all of them, but my favorite thing is probably the picture of the alpaca on the yellow nightstand. Sky’s mom surprised me one year, and we want to one of the largest alpaca farms in New England. I snapped this picture of one of them and just can’t get over how much personality shows through the image.
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If there's one thing for certain about this home, it's that it has a whole lot of personality. Madison, your home is so, so, so fun, bold, and beautiful. Thank you for inviting us in! 

Follow Madison along on Instagram @mvwetter for more! 

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Reader Design: Sarah's PNW Masterpiece

As most of you know, I recently moved from the East Coast (DC) to Seattle, WA - and man is the Pacific Northwest living up to my expectations. Everything is so welcome, cozy, and calm here! 

Today, we're headed to Portland, Oregon to check out Sarah's stunning home. Are you ready? When I say stunning, I mean it! 

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Sarah's home, which she shares with her husband, is a modern glam lover's dream. It's as if you've stumbled into the coolest little hotel in LA or Paris, but it's rented out privately for you...forever. Since Sarah and her husband are both creatives, it was key to them that their home be inspiring creatively and completely true to them. 

From Sarah: 

It is important to us to live in a home that inspires us and those that visit. I basically wanted our house to feel like a glam boutique hotel, similar to some we have stayed at on our travels!
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This means lots of swoon-worthy textiles (shout-out to all my velvet couch lovers out there), organic elements like plants, and brass accents. 

Besides our incredible couch, the coffee table is my favorite piece! I drove an hour to pick it up from someone selling it on Facebook Marketplace and when I got there, the guy selling them gave me a matching console table and side table! They are Karl Springer and I got an AMAZING deal. I feel like anything brass and glass is very “me”.
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Sarah has played around with various inspirations outside her "travel-inspired chic boutique" theme, including the "jungalow" style we've all come to admire - with its wicker and bamboo, tons of plants, and bright colors - touches of which are easy to spot in Sarah's design. 

In general, I stay away from trends and only buy and use what I truly love and could live with for years. But there are some trends that are just sooooo good! For me, it’s been wicker/bamboo. The “jungalow” style is so amazing and I am really drawn to many aspects of it, but ultimately, I’m more comfortable with the minimalism and glam of the style I’ve created.
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And this style doesn't necessarily have to break the bank either! Sarah stalked the beautiful brass mirror in the dining room at a vintage store until it was marked 50% off; she recovered a basic Joss & Main headboard with green velvet for the master bedroom, and her mom helped her sew the bedskirt. DIY for the win! 

I am ALL about finding a good deal. I will spend big bucks if I know I’m getting the best deal. But like in fashion, I like to calculate the cost per use, so I am willing to splurge on super practical items that will get a lot of use.

The complete product is one of the most interesting and gorgeous homes I've seen; Sarah, we salute you! Thanks for the tour. 

Follow Sarah along on Instagram @homegirlpdx for more!

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Reader Design: Kristina's Evolving Home

Kristina's Edmonton, Alberta home is a perfect balance of trendy and lived-in. Her style is recognizable enough to welcome you in, to feel familiar, but there are still plenty of surprises to keep things interesting. 

 
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My home style is honestly ever evolving. But at the moment, I’m in love with mid-century modern, with some Scandinavian decor to pay tribute to my roots! My family is mainly from Sweden and Norway, so I tend to gravitate to the style I grew up seeing around me.

Harkening back to her heritage, Kristina has figured out what works for her aesthetically but also is comfortable and homey for her family. It's a far cry from when she first started out and fell prey to something I'm sure all of us know well: opting for mimicery and copycatting to create something "on trend" without much regard to our personal styles. Perhaps those style were not yet part of us, or maybe the hype of Pinterest was too hard to resist. 

As Kristina shares: 

When I started decorating my first home, I got pulled into that shabby chic trend since it was all over Pinterest! And I really struggled with it because it truthfully wasn’t me! Over the years, I started to figure out what trends I could get behind (hello white walls!!) and which ones I could let go. I still love being influenced by the trends of course, but I’m getting better at fine tuning my own style.
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In the living room, Kristina's favorite piece has become even more special since the birth of her son. 

My favourite piece in the living room would have to be my Nana’s piano. It has been in the family for many, many years and took quite the journey across provinces to get here. Even though I don’t know how to play, its presence in our home brings me so much joy, especially when I see Jack sitting on someone’s lap, plunking away at the keys.
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In our bedroom, I absolutely love our DIY dresser, which I did on a whim with my husband. Little did I know that simple makeover would be such a hit with so many people. It’s my little success story that I’m really proud of (especially since I’m not the biggest DIYer).
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In Jack’s room, I love our vintage dresser that I spotted on a trip through BC. It was exactly what I was hoping to find - mid century, wood, clean lines - and is the perfect piece to have as he grows and changes.
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Every space in this home feels perfect for a young family - it's cohesive, calm, and perfectly curated. Kristina, thank you for showing us around; I can't wait to see what's next! 

Follow Kristina along on Instagram @inspiredbylynne for more! 

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