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Can you adopt me?

In other words, I love it.

Not my style. Looks too theme'y or like a movie set or g-ma's house. But this is just a personal preference thing. I like more of a mix of styles not just one type of style done hardcore. Too severe for me. I can't tell if there is too much going on - which I would say is not usually an issue for me b/c I loved that crazy patterned color splash house tour from a few weeks ago where it was so rich and layered and wonderfully busy - or maybe it is just the odd placement of things on walls and generally around.

Ok that all sounds too critical. It really is a nice place and I love that you have gone for exactly what you like. If it was my taste, I would think the place is fab.

Go Silver Spring!

Really beautiful. Congrats!

OMG its so dreamy. I love your style. Great use of older style furniture but feels so up to date and fresh.

The dining room is gorgeous!

Good details everywhere and no offense but I cannot believe you guys are in your 20's. Old souls with good taste.

This is one of my favorite tours, favorite one this year.

I love your house! I must say I am very intimidated that you're in your 20s, have 3 kids, have this gorgeous house, write out your menu on a chalkboard, and the menu does not involve any Tombstone pizza. Are you superheroes?

This is a really beautiful place. The pale sea green and blue colors in the common rooms are so peaceful, and the furniture has the depth of many years of use.

My Dutch Colonial has a very similar narrow stairwell, and I really like how you brightened yours with the vintage window.

A lovely house.

I love your nursery! The dining room wall hangings are fantastic and unexpected and the whole room looks cohesive to me because of the color palette. The kitchen is really beautiful and I love how the red pops and that you utilize your chalkboard.

The rest of the house seems very traditional in its elements but doesn't seem to reflect the young and fresh vibe that the dining room gave off. Maybe that it was feels more comfortable in those spaces?

Thanks for letting us take a virtual tour!

umm...not sure how I formed that second to last sentence so terribly.

Read: Maybe more traditional feels more comfortable in the rest of the house.

Really nice place! And wow... way to make those peach tiles work!

The decor flows beautifully from one room to the next, and I really admire the way so many peices from very different styles work together so well. But I recognize that that's partially from the very limited color palette. I would love to see a few more pops of color, perhaps in the artwork, which is easy to change out, but that's just a personal pref, of course. I liked the idea of the color pallettes on the wall, and thought the display of the child's artwork was the happiest spot in the house (thanks to the color). I liked the nursery. Is the shelf unit next to the chair just a cupboard with the doors removed?

I'm completely floored- such a romantic, cozy space.

yes! i love it! this house is not my style, but it's gorgeous. looks peaceful, comfortable and put together. the nursery is especially nice with the pops of yellow.

(finally! a dc house tour i like! lovely home, MUCH better photography than we've been seeing!)

It's charming and timeless.

And... paint colors please? Especially for the dining room and Georgia's room?

I love the baby's room!

Nicole I am interested in the paint color used in your dining room. It's in the same family of tones as my back living room and bedroom which would be perfect in my hallway for a back drop color to finally hang my b/w photography.

I think this is a very beautiful home, and you certainly have a lot of lovely antiques. My only comment is that it seems to have a very "cool" feel to it, which would be great in the summer but not in the winter. In fact, I just put a sweater on after flipping through your photos.

So I guess I would suggest adding a few accessories that would warm it up a bit. But overall, you have a done a great job.

Lovely! Your color palette is perfection, and your personal touch is evident everywhere. And what a great eye you have.

i LOVE this, and it definitely IS my style.
wow.

I second the request for paint colors....

I third the request. What's the paint color in the dining room?

I was thinking the DC house tours were really lacking, but this one just makes up for them all!!! Keep it coming with the better quality house tours ATDC.

Lovely. Just lovely. Doesn't look at all like my house, but that's cool. I love how it's a "total" look-- not out of staginess, but out of a consistent vision. I love all the little touches.

i love it. very inspiring for a fellow flea market maniac.

Absolutely lovely. Does Colin have a single brother with just as great taste?

Wow. Just... wow. Love. Please add me to the list of potential adoptees.

How very delicious to see that there still are people out there with taste. How refreshing to see somebody who appreciates the patina of antiques without needing to "freshen them up" by garish paint. And their books are not color-coded, either...

That's the problem with house tours of people who like vintage things. I'll search my entire life for another one of those daisy chandeliers but I'll never find one.

Great job. Am stunned that you have children. I'd have to keep mine locked in the stair cupboard to get my place looking like that.

PAINT COLORS:

Dining room: Restoration Hardware's Silver Sage (also used in the bathroom for a totally diff. look)

Living room and Kitchen: C2's Holiday

Stairwell and hallway: Restoration Hardware's Latte

N & C's bedroom: also C2 they can't remember the name, but it's the next lightest shade up fro "sprig"

Georgia's room: Benjamin Moore's Grant Beige

Good news, habourbridge, the daisy chandelier is on of the few non vintage pieces, it's from Land of Nod

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe there is a children's furniture catalogue where you can get that daisy chandelier. And it was fairly reasonable, too. So don't despair!

Now, if I could only remember what it was...

PS I love the mirrored dresser in the bedroom, and the 25 cent frame in the stairway--what a perfect fit.

I love everything about it! Put me third on the list of potential adoptees, please. I am great with small children and will fit in perfectly with the decor.

I love how you've been able to work on a budget and integrate your pieces with the style of the home. I was blown away with what you did with the bathroom, instead of pulling out the odd color-combination you made it work and the result is chic and eclectic. There's really nothing I don't love about this place from the dining room to the baby's room, the color palette is echoed throughout but doesn't feel dull or redundant and you've found classic pieces with bits of character, gorgeous!!!

For those who are looking for a daisy chandelier, let me tell you that last night I found one at a thirf store in Silver Spring, and I just paid $7.50!!

This is an awesome store let me tell you.

Lovely house and finally a nice House Tour. Well done Leah!!

did i miss something? what's everyone freaking out about?

I love the sketches, there's something very relaxing about nice life drawing.

the bathroom and nursery are lovely

You are very talented! So subtle and beautifully balanced. The dinning room is my favorite, but the bathroom is a triumph. Not many can work with what they've got to make a space look harmonious and intentional.

I love your home! It is so nice to see something other than mid-century modern.

Very nice home. Finally a DC house tour I like. Its definitely not my style but its very well put together based on great finds from flea markets/estate sales.

why does it say the owners are Colin and Nicole but LeahDC is responding. Wow I love the internet just wish I used a different name handle than my real name...

You´ve done a beautiful job with the dining table and the chairs. I'm impressed you did it self. And the colors.. hmm delicious!

Delikatissen

Exquisite....and no MCM anywhere!

Lori, Leah is the AT blogger who compiled the house tour.

Just looking at the pictures makes me breathe deeply and relax - lovely soothing calming home

What a lovely home. I'm amazed that you've put together something this "complete" with three kids, while still in your 20s.

And it's nice to see a home with personal style, rather than one with the trendy checklist of bird decals, woodsy wallpaper, Eames chair, Flor tiles, antlers, Keep Calm, and Ikea.

Don’t be fooled. Silver Springs is pricey. If you are a school administrator in your 20’s with three kids don’t expect to live like this, even if you do thrift shop. The “standard-issued colonial” she speaks of are highly coveted due to the proximity to DC and ran upwards of a million during the recent boom.

With that being said, it is a lovely well put together home. I loved the tour.

This is the best house tour I have seen on Apartment Therapy. Fantastic job!!! Your home looks great!

Nice place, but we don't really need to know how much things cost. Thanks for the tour.

I really love your home! This mix of old and new is totally our style and just what we try to accomplish. Amazing!

http://www.makemineeclectic.wordpress.com

Thanks for your kind comments and constructive crtits everyone! I have to admit that I have not wanted to check the comments until now, because I've seen some pretty nasty ones on this site before, and I really did this tour as a favor ... so sorry for the delay :) I think Leah gave you all the paint colors. BlueLM, the shelf is a cupboard without a door, painted highgloss white and B&M's Nacho Cheese. jlg, I laughed out loud when I read your comment about our home probably running "upwards of a million dollars during the recent boom," because it is just not even vaguely close in our case! It is difficult but possible to find affordable housing, but in our case we did look for a really long time. For those of you who commented on needing a bit more color, I work with very bright paints all day, and want to come home to something a lit softer --though I do love it in others spaces. Thanks again. Nicole

What a gorgeous house. I love the paint colors. It's nice to see a beautiful maryland home.. I know there's more of them out there.

I would never have guessed that the same paint color (Silver Sage) was used in the dining room and bathroom. It looks beautiful in both rooms.

Nicole-I stand corrected. It looks like a million bucks to me and you should be very proud!

oh so lovely! i love the "vintage" vibe. i am quite the vintage lover myself! :) i just uploaded my own living room updates...

kindly,
vintagedress
vintagedressblog.blogspot.com

Nice home, but, please ditch that star!

Hi! Very nice home. I have done my place in very similar tones - black and white and light blue. I really do love what you've done. It's peaceful and beautiful - like a newly fallen snow. About the comment of warming it up with other colors - I have lived with this same color palette as yours for several years now and only recently have I decided to sew a pillow to add a little splash of color. It is a small bright spring green pillow with a band of black & white giraffe.You could go with something very small like this if you wanted to add a drop of warmer color. The only negatiev comment I have is that the door hanging above the stairs seems like a guillotine to me. I'm a little afraid of it. If you wanted, you could have something softer, like a tapestry up there. Otherwise, it's a fantastic place you've put together - really astonishing for your respective ages. Just love it!

Nice- love how the bathroom looks. Great Job. I have a cowbell outside my house like yours. Found mine at a swap meet.

My two favorite parts of your decor....
the salvaged antique pantry door (what a find)....
and your paint pallettes!

I really like your lighting and the mirrored antique candle sconces in the dinning room.
This is very much my style, I just lack the ability to make it look half as beautiful as you have. You should be very proud of your home!

Perfectly lovely.

Nicole, Thanks for sharing your house, and I'm glad you did not let the couple of snarky comments get you down. I don't know what it is with AT that people are so bitchy sometimes, it's kind of a bummer.

Speaking of which, I love the window thing hanging on the tall wall halfway down your stairs, and don't find it guillotine-ish at all. We have a very similar stairwell, and may well try to steal your idea.

WOW! have i just found my main inspiration for our house... i think so!!!

i like this house tour.

hurray for big houses!

The place is very well done, considering the modest budget.

Not everything has to be hand-me-downs, however. There are very good quality decorative prints for the walls to be found online, at very reasonable prices. (Some are offered on canvas, too!)

That picture above the bed.. perhaps it should be substituted with a panoramic picture . A longish shoestring piece makes the entire room that much more interesting.

Beautiful home and love the christopher walken reference - more cowbell!

Some people have the gene. Nicole is clearly one of these people...
What a beautiful, interesting house.

You have done a great job putting together pieces to fit your home. In our area of the midwest, I find the best quality of furniture in older antiques (for the price). You just have to keep looking for bargains.

My daughter (also named Nicole), is an education major minoring in ART and French. We bought a condo in her colllege town for her to live in, and rent two of the three bedrooms to her friends to help cover expenses. We were able to furnish the entire place for less than $1,500. About two-thirds of this was spent on new sofa, 3 new mattresses including one custom-made 3-quarter matt for her antique bed. Lots of pieces were free, or very inexpensive, requiring small repairs and sometimes paint. She's accented with her own art; paintings, mosaics, sculpture. She gets a ton of compliments from visitors who can't believe a 20 yr old lives there. Best of all, she did a lot of the work with me, and is learning how to invest time for a later monetary payoff.

This was a bit long, but I truly know first hand the work you've put in, and say WELL DONE!

The whole house is lovely (a few pieces not to my personal taste, but they combine very well) and I really enjoyed the explanations on some of the pictures - knowing the background to a photo always makes the tours more compelling for me.

My favorite part, though, was the photo titled, "morecowbell." Awesome.

I just had to comment again on how lovely this place is. I've been through the tour about a dozen times now. So inspiring!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE everything about this place. I want to move in. So much charm and character. I really enjoy how they worked with what they had.

To Jenny in DC,

Don't single my comment out as "snarky" when your profile is littered with them. I gave this place 99.9% kudos and made mention of something that I noticed that I might change. It was a suggestion. Get a life!

Beautiful house! I love the cool color scheme and the fact that every piece has a story. I am going to send the pictures of your bathroom to my parents. They have the same tile in their guest bathroom and I'd love to give them an idea of what they could do with it. I've never seen a better handling of those old tiles. genius!

I really enjoyed this house tour! You have a lovely home that looks like a real family lives there. I have a similar taste...love vintage, antique pieces. I love the little personal touches like the childrens' framed artwork. I also like the way you worked with the original bathroom tiles with the black trim...and the color you have on the wall. The artwork on the bathroom wall looks great, along with your other pieces. You did a really wonderful job...thanks for the tour!

I think Georgia's room is so dainty with that little pop of yellow! Your home has such a clean crisp look to it. I could see myself living in a home like yours and can imagine any friends that come to your home feel the same way, comfortable! I like that you don't let finances stop you from getting the look that you want, I completely agree with you! Great house tour, wonderful photos! Thank you!

Beautiful! I think I would like to see the star in the dining room go on the wall in Georgia's room. It fits with her decor and ends up competing a bit with the photograph on the sideboard (Cartier-Bresson?). Just a thought.
Love the whole house. So cozy, a real family who love living together.

hats off to all who use and recycle ... its an amazing concept to save and conserve and have a great quality of funriture...

Gorgeous home. Well-done!

So charming and fresh :) Really homely!

Those doors are amazing.

The bedroom is a nice color, and the kitchen is very homey, i love the black white and red.

I keep coming back to the photos of your home. It's lovely. Truly well done.