Things that Make a House a Home

What I love most about my home, and the homes of others, is the small details. These details come in all shapes, sizes, textures and mediums. Whether it’s wallpaper or a plant – those are the details that attract my mind and eyes immediately. I had this reaction to our house when we came to see it for the very first time. The previous owner, a young woman, had completely gutted and decorated what had been a two-flat and turned it into a home for this very interested couple and their cat. She implemented ideas that I would have never thought of doing. Lots of black and white. Painting over textured wall paper. More black and white. A garden in the city. It was helpful to have some sense of setting and decor for us to move into and add our final touches. The house is old as hell, like over 100 years old, so she basically gave it a massive and total face-lift. Sidenote: one would think it would be haunted as hell too, but to our surprise, and relief, there was and is no ghostly funny business. Phew! With no ghosts in sight and a cool-ass design, this old-ass house eventually turned into our home. Recently, I have been eyeing the last room we need to play around with and update. It got me looking around our home to get inspired with ideas. While wandering around, I noticed all the details I love so much about our little home in the city. The home we created over the past couple of years and where we have played host to many party guests and weekend visitors. Here’s a peek inside our universe:

My favorite detail. Our mantle, which has been here since the house was built, is my creative space for seasonal displays.

This space is what I refer to as our “Beetlejuice hallway and staircase”. Would have never thought in a million years to paint the stairs in this fashion…I’m obsessed with it.

When it comes to decorating our walls, we try to go local. There are so many bad-ass talents in and around the city, so we do what we can to support our artists. These are two of my favorite pieces in our home. The first is a local dude by the name of  Tim Jarosz at 312 Gallery. Anthony is obsessed with his work as it adds the perfect urban touch to our home. I love how it looks with our lighting. The funky one below it with the cartoon skulls was created by Kill Taupe – this is my personal favorite of all the art in our home. Clearly because it’s funky, cool and a constant reminder of Halloween. 

Wallpaper. Who would have thought it would have made such a strong comeback. Kind of like Britney Spears, right?

Our guest room is one of my favorite rooms for a couple of reasons. Our favorite people stay there when they come to visit is one reason. Also, it’s freaking cozy! And lastly, it’s where we house many of our worldly finds.

Here are two pieces that, when I look at them, I am teleported back to where I found them. Ganesh from Bali.  Seashells and sea glass from Australia and Positano, Italy.

In an unbelievable stroke of luck, our home came with a backyard and garden. Obviously, living in the city doesn’t always offer that element of nature, but somehow, some way, we got lucky. Our garden was a huge labor of love and somewhat of a back-breaker. We had to dig everything up and start from scratch. I love our garden so much–it’s my nature baby.

Some outdoor pieces we have collected along the way to personalize our outdoor space.

I love that Egon has a spot to sit and watch people pass by. It makes me laugh when pedestrians laugh at him from the outside. For more Egon, go here.

And, of course, our bar. People…go out and buy a bottle of Montenegro. It’s an after dinner digestif packed with herbaceous and delicious flavors.

Thanks for taking a little peek into our world. Being home is one of my all time favorite feelings. xo

Love it. Live it. Share it.