Home Tour: My Neighbor’s Rustic-Chic Home

As you probably know by now, all things aesthetically pleasing make me all warm and fuzzy inside. From the way Starbucks graphically designs their napkins, to the clothes my clients choose for sessions, to the way houses are decorated–these are just a few of the many things that give me that ooey gooey feeling that makes me wanna curl up with a book and a nice warm mug filled with a frothy Chai tea latte.

Along with fashion, food, and other heartfelt posts, sharing beautifully designed local dwellings has been another goal of mine. As all topics I often peruse the internet for myself (and the age of Pinterest), I figured, why not host them right here? So, here you go!

My next-door neighbors moved in about a year ago, and their house is impeccably decorated. It gives me such cozy feelings every time I walk inside. Caitlin, mom of two littles, has chic and classic design taste and an eye for all things soft. You might remember her from this mommy-daughter session I did a few months ago.

As you peruse through, Caitlin also gives a few tips on what inspires her taste the most and where she finds some of her best buys. See for yourself…

WHAT INSPIRES YOUR DESIGN STYLE?

 Before Robby and I got married, he lived in an apartment in downtown Hammond. My favorite part of the apartment was the exposed brick walls. I knew I wanted to include brick in the interior of our home.

 I love combining both masculine and feminine ideas. The rustic look of the brick worked nicely to toughen up the cream colored furniture and spindly, cursive shape of the chandeliers. For every ruffle pillow and vase of flowers, I hope to have a touch of leather, burlap or dark wood. I never wanted to be one who turned away mounted deer horns if they mean a lot to the proud hunter.

 I want everyone to have a point of view with what they’d like to see in our home. I’ll have to remember that when Weston wants Ninja turtles in his room. 🙂

WHERE ARE YOUR FAVORITE PLACES TO SHOP FOR YOUR HOME?
Discoveries, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Z Gallerie, TJ maxx, Target, and antique stores.

WHAT ASPECT OF YOUR HOME DO YOU LOVE THE MOST?
 
 I really love our open concept style living room/kitchen. It’s great for cooking while watching babies. 
 
I also really like the way our kitchen turned out; namely how the living room brick is repeated in the backsplash. It really helps the cream cabinets pop and gives the area a cohesive look. 

EVERYONE ENDS UP HAVING SOMETHING THEY WISH THEY WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY WHEN BUILDING A HOUSE. AFTER LIVING IN IT FOR A BIT OF TIME NOW, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WISH YOU WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY OR INCLUDED?

With two babies we seem to have toys all over. Adding a play room would keep all of their toys closed in a room and not scattered in the living room. Thank goodness we have some closed storage for their toys!
WHAT TIPS WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WHO’S NOT SO DESIGN SAVVY, WHEN MAKING THEIR HOUSE A HOME?
Establish a theme and invest in a few furniture pieces that represent that style. Our theme is definitely rustic and once we decided to go in that direction, we had a starting point.

There are SO many easy ways to decorate on a budget. I love to breathe new life into old furniture by using Annie Sloan chalk paint to give it a new look. I have 10+ pieces of furniture that were hand-me-downs or throw aways that I tweaked or painted and worked into our design.

Happy Thursday, my friends!