Name: Peter and Blair Stocker, their two kids, and a kitty named Gracie.
Location: North Seattle, Washington
Size: 2500 square feet
Years lived in: 10 years, owned

Peter and Blair live in a sweet (and deceptively large) house, tucked away amongst giant, shady trees in the Greenwood area of Northern Seattle. The self-employed duo have been cultivating the home's modern twist on traditional decor over the past ten years. Through yard sales, thrift-stores and do-it-yourself home projects, the two have managed to round up a delightful array of decor. The atmosphere of the home teeters on quirky sophistication, while still giving you the feeling that you've come back home after a long time away from family.

I met Blair by chance through our equally crafty work. Blair is a celebrated Seattle blogger, writing about her creative pursuits at home and with the family on Wise Craft. Also a creative, Peter owns his own line of chocolate bars called, Komforte Chockolates. If that weren't enough to keep them busy, together they own a retail brand consultancy called Story Trading.

As Blair gave me an extended tour of their home, we talked about how each design piece or painting has a unique story to be told about its origins and meaning to the family. From the kids' bathroom (those are book pages lacquered onto the wall!) or Blair's gorgeous hand-done string art in the dining room, the home is filled with elegant, purposeful pieces that the family has created or collected throughout the years. I so enjoyed exploring their beautiful home and Blair's downstairs crafting studio.

Apartment Therapy Survey:

Our Style: Kind of Bohemian Preppy, is that a style? We like easy spaces that mix all kinds of styles, nothing is too precious, knicks and scratches are not a problem. But our preppier side also likes things like monograms, a little toile, cocktails in nice glasses, things like that.

Inspiration: Scandinavian design and the way they maximize light. Clean and functional looks of all kinds, our own family histories (my North Carolina roots, Peter's New York ones), Denyse Schmidt, Living Etc, Lisa Stickley, Peter's travels to Japan.

Favorite Element: Every piece in our home has a story behind it (some good, some bad, mostly funny). There are many artists within our family and our circle of friends, their work covers our walls and home. I love that it feels like friends and family are always around.

Biggest Embarrassment: The kids' rooms are a bit of a disaster, they are on our list to work on. We redid those rooms a few years ago, and its time again. Kids are such magpies, don't want to part with anything.

Proudest DIY: The whole house is a DIY project, but these days it would probably be the anime wall in the kid's bathroom (we explained how we made this wall here). I love hearing kids' friends go in that bathroom and say "whoa!" I also love that each night my kids sleep under quilts I made for them.

Biggest Indulgence: We were honestly stumped on this one. If we ever need a new cabinet or bookshelf, the first place we look is Craigslist. That said, maybe the TV we bought ourselves for our 17th wedding anniversary this year would be our biggest indulgence. We are homebodies, love to watch movies in the evening, and have spent many years watching a 20" screen, which our friends jokingly referred to as "retro." This new TV feels like we've entered the 21st century, but we gulped when we bought it.

Best Advice: Don't wait indefinitely to find the perfect piece of furniture, life's too short. Grab a secondhand piece and redo it with paint, fabric, anything. It'll be an original and you'll have a story to tell. Also, if possible, get kids in on the decorating, its more fun for everyone, our daughter helped Peter do the anime bathroom wall. I love to hear my her ideas on decorating. Try to change things up seasonally; we have special little seashells, kid's artwork, bright pillow covers, all kinds of things that we bring out for the summer months, then we change it all up again in autumn. Because I work from home, I putz around when I'm creatively stumped, and that's when things get changed around.

Dream Sources: I'd love a sofa covered entirely in Historically Inaccurate Toile Fabric! If money were no object, I would like to shop flea markets all over the world... Paris, London, Amsterdam, etc...

Resources of Note:

PAINT & COLORS

• Family, Dining, and Living Rooms - Benjamin Moore: Vanilla Milkshake
• Main Floor Bathroom - Benjamin Moore: Forest Moss
• Master Bedroom - Benjamin Moore: Paper White

LIVING ROOM

• Sofa: Dania

FAMILY ROOM

• Furniture: Pottery Barn
• Coffee Table: Craigslist
• Squirrel and Deer Art: Elizabeth Soule

DINING ROOM

• Table and Chairs: IKEA
• Bench: David Smith

KITCHEN

• Counter chairs: Crate and Barrel

Thanks, Peter and Blair!

Images: Andie Wurster

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