Name: Ed and Ellie Grover
Location: Roseville (near Sacramento), California
Size: 1,872 square feet
Years lived in: 1 year
Ellie and Ed bought their first house about a year ago. While they would have rather purchased a good ol' fixer upper, market conditions meant a brand new house made more sense. Fearing that her home would fall into the tract home rut, Ellie quickly set out to "make the new look old and add a little character to the cookie cutter-ness."
The fact that Ellie is a fine artist, a photographer and a pro at taking junk found on the side of the road and making it display worthy definitely gave them an advantage when making their home their own. Having lived in their home for just a year, it is still a work in progress, but the fun is in the details here.
From the newspaper birds in the living room to the wood planks on the breakfast nook wall to the wall of photos in the stairwell, the place is anything but run of the mill. Ellie's home is full of inspiring DIY projects, but she's too modest to say so. And even though she won't admit to it, we think it's the perfect case study of how anyone can take any home, regardless of style or year built, and make it 100% their own.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My/Our style: Hmmmm, I guess I would say my own weird quirky style :) I have like a sort of vintage look but I'm not really afraid to throw in anything else that catches my eye!
Inspiration: I LOVE old things! I just love the way they sort of tell stories with all the years of use and layers of paint. I would love to create rooms full of old treasures that are just begging to be discovered. My inspiration most definitely comes from the look of feel of the worn and weathered. I like warm and cozy spaces, interesting splashes of color, and lots of texture!
Favorite Element: Probably the fence wood wall my husband and I constructed. I wouldn't trade the texture on that wall for the world - it makes all the difference in that kitchen and is the first thing I look at when I walk into our house!
Biggest Challenge: The green picture wall! It was SO tall! Not only was it a challenge to paint, it was a huge challenge to configure the placing of all the photographs. I ended up kind of nerding out and making a to scale model on Adobe Illustrator - I arranged all the frames on the model before we even hung them!
What Friends Say: This is funny. I just recently moved from suburban Bakersfield in Southern California (where people just die over decorating and stuff) to Northern California, where most people couldn't care less :) I actually love the fact that people just kind of let you be who you want to be - whether you have a crazy stylish house or you just went with tan walls and your college couch! However, I do have people ask me for help quite often when they are thinking of doing their own home projects.
Biggest Embarrassment: Before the green wall was green we painted it an AWFUL color of yellow. It was so much work and we both just starred at it and said - this has to go! So it was back to Home Depot for the 20 millionth time to cover our huge mistake. :)
Proudest DIY: Hmmmm. I already mentioned the wood wall - and since that's kind of a given I'll talk about something else... our "media cabinet". I love that we found the perfect antique to hold all of our electronic devices for the TV! Random fact about me, I really don't like having a TV in plain view (I would love for it to be inside a media cabinet with closed doors!). This was a comprimise for my husband and I. We ended up with a sleek TV and no wires or chords - with a sweet piece of furniture I could live with. Everything turns on through closed cabinet doors using an RF signal converter (and don't ask me what that means!).
Biggest Indulgence: Our bed and bedding. We have never really had a "bedroom" and when we moved into this house I knew I wanted to make our room a cozy place to be. Buying a bed I loved and bedding I was actually excited about seemed like a big expense all in one bundle, but it was SO worth it! I absolutely love to be in my room!! By the way, I think we really scored on our bed buying it from Ikea, most every header/footer combo we looked at was in the $1,000 range until we found this awesome bed for only $300 - I love Ikea!
Best advice: Thrift stores are amazing. Everything can be painted. Don't be afraid to get a little crazy and try the ideas you've always dreamed of!
Dream source: I'm not sure what this means.... but if you're waiting for me to mention Anthropologie at some point during this survey I think I'll just go ahead and mention it here. I feel like Anthropologie and I are good friends, somehow they just know everything I'm thinking before I think it :)
Resources:
Thrifted/Antiques:
orange chairs, both white dressers, old bench in living room, dresser under the TV, yellow lamps, black end table, most of the knick-knacks (frames, candle holders, flour/sugar canisters, vases...)
Stuff we made ourselves:
• The coffee table we made from an old work/art table - we just cut the legs off! It's awesome and heavy and dirt/dent proof :)
• The kitchen wall with the wood was made from old fence wood we found thrown out in a field. We put a thin sheet of wood behind the area we covered, screwed it into the wall and wood glued most of the cut pieces onto that - with a few screws to hold it all into place. The shelf in the living room was made with that same wood (and some Anthro fixtures) and the mirror in our bedroom was also framed with it as well.
• The green wall of photos, that's like 15" tall. It was crazy to hang all those! A lot of those frames were thrifted or mirrors we turned into frames :)
• I also liked making those little candle holders with the green Pellegrino bottles - I just melted then end of the candle and stuck them down while the wax was still moldable.
• The painting in the striped room was done by me as well as most any photographs or random stuff you see hanging around.
Other:
Our bed, yellow chairs ,dining room table and hanging lights are from Ikea. Our bedding is an Urban Outfitters coverlet.
(Thanks, Ellie and Ed!)
Images: Ellie Grover
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Recipe: Chopped Brown Rice Salad with Grapes and Pecans
Beautiful and fresh. I would love to know that grey/blue color in the kitchen area for my walls?!
Wow! You guys have done beautifully well...!!! Everything in the house is warm and inviting, the bed a reward after your long treasure hunt. Love shabby chic and the weathered flaking layers of paint. And of course, your wooden wall is THE best, you're absolutely right. Spot on with changing up colors, too...from subdued to loud to dark, contrast is a good thing. Your wall in the LR is begging for a faux fireplace, made with repurposed/recycled wood. With a little alcove for white candles it would warm it up a bit.
But the current weathered bench is a warm, touch, too.
Great work, you guys! Ahhhh, home...
A sweet house. Very personal. So says this northern Californian who loves personal houses. :-)
the wood wall is beautiful
your home looks as if
you have been collecting
for some time
nice job
Love what you did!
So many amazing colors blended together perfectly! That wall color in the living room is freaking amazing!! Be proud of your home, it's beautiful!
Laura
http://www.justalittlebit.net
I love what you've done. I just bought a cottage in East Sac so I may be knocking on your door to take a look at that awesome wood wall. Thanks for sharing!
Lovely home. You have a nice sense of style. But I always question the choice of wall-to-wall carpet. If it was already there and it's too expensive to replace, I get that. If it was a choice, however, I'm just wondering why. It doesn't seem to go along with the rest of the furnishings and decor.
I live in Sacramento. Please tell me where you got that green desk!!!
I LOVE the striped walls. LOVE them.
Don't mean to put a damper on things, buuuuut:
it still looks cookie cutter to me with yard sale finds thrown around.
I do love the green photo wall and the guest(?) bedroom. The orange accents are great.
Wow, I really love the wood flooring wall thing you did.
A few years before we moved into our place, we looked at a home like this, maybe even by the same developer. I just couldn't envision doing anything interesting with it, so we passed.
Clearly, you have much more vision than I do, because you managed to make this look really personal, which is a hard thing to do.
Ellie, I'm from Bakersfield! I know EXACTLY what you mean about the whole craziness about not letting people decorate or paint apartments/rentals. Its awful. But love the look of your new(ish) home!
I love the entire place. But, I especially love the wood fence wall and the horizontal striped bedroom. It makes me smile that you said you drew the photo wall in Illustrator before hanging anything. I do the same thing in AutoCAD whenever I do walls of photos and get made fun of all the time. So, good going!
Way to make a silk purse out of a sow's rear! Love it.
What really made me stop, read, and look, were the references to Bakersfield and Sacramento. Had no idea you all even knew these places existed in California. Thanks for including the Central Valley.
Generally, I'm not a fan of wall stripes; to me, they always feel too stiff. But the way you use the orange/gold accents against the grey and white ones here is just wonderful. I'm also a fan of the chalkboard tree.
i love that sideboard in the dining room, and the yellow chairs, all so fresh & inviting
Ahem. "Tract" home.
Love what you have done with your house..its so freaking beautiful!! I am sure you guys are proud of your work/house and you should be!!! We moved into our rental apartment few weeks back and your house tour has totally motivated me to decorate it.
I would like to know how you fixed those open cabinets in your dining area, I have some wine crates that I want to fix on the walls but not sure if simply nailing them to the wall would be enough - Anybody any suggestions???
The dining area was the best part and looked very fresh. Pretty bedroom!
I really think home tour posters on AT should use some sort of spell check program. There were so many spelling errors in the narrative it was distracting.
Very inspiring! You have beaten back the "tract house" vibe most successfully.
Good taste, nice furniture and artwork...unfortunately, though, I cannot get past the wall-to-wall carpet. If not for that I would have a hard time telling this was a new tract house.
The color combinations and textures are very sweet, but I feel like the scale if off in the living room - lots of little accessories that are too small to make an impact and get a little lost in the huge room.
I disagree with LovelyFrugalHermit, and I would challenge LovelyFrugalHermit to take a limited budget and transform a new home into something that breaks the cookie cutter mold!
You HAVE created an interior that transcends the cookie cutter image with creativity and adventure. I'm impressed by the bold green wall with the photo arrangement, and I also love the wooden wall in your dining room. All of your color choices are great. I'm fond of two of your vintage chairs, the orange velvet-upholstered chair and the other low-slung chair with the orange and gold (floral?) upholstery ... Urban Outfitters bedding is so perfect, it's irresistible ... Keep on thrift shopping! In years to come, you'll be glad you did! I'm usually very snotty and critical on AT, and I think your place deserves high praise!
Its new and the result is commendable, maybe a greater intervention in the kitchen (those cabinets) and floors (that carpet) is in order, to me the bathroom is garish but it is made up for with the beautiful striped room, interesting green accent frame wall, and the textures that have been added to the place...overall its very lovely
I love it. I love how the color yellow unifies the whole space. I think you did a great job of battling the bland with interested pieces and painted furniture. Its very relaxing and what I imagine is the closest a suburban home can get to charming and stylish. Well done! (I also LOVE the wood on the wall-fantastic!!)
*coarsetalk* Wow, thanks for the attack. Your first sentance amused me.
When I saw you were living in Roseville, I had to stop and see your house tour. I live in Rocklin and am also in a cookie cutter house, trying to do my best to NOT make it cookie cutter. You did an amazing job and I love everything about your house...great job!!! You are an inspiration!
What a great first home!!
You have a great eye for reusing items. Very resourceful! I may use a few of your ideas. Thanks for posting this. It is inspiring! Nice Job!
Wow, you have just given me hope that if my dream of an old fixer can't come true the first time 'round, there's still the possibility of creating something unique and cozy in the meantime. Your home is really inspiring.
"What really made me stop, read, and look, were the references to Bakersfield and Sacramento. Had no idea you all even knew these places existed in California. Thanks for including the Central Valley"
Sacramento being the state capitol I am sure they (AT SF) is aware..
You have a fun sense of style and have made a nice home.
This is nice. I love the wooden planks and the striped wall. Not loving the carpet, but I assume it was already in place.
As for if this still looks like a tract home a) who really cares, as it looks good and b) millions of people live in tract homes--it really isn't something to be ashamed of. The space is personalized, suits your lifestyle and looks great--tract home or no.
It was the reference to Sacramento that made me stop and look also, being as I'm currently living in Sacramento. I enjoyed the house tour - it's nice to see realistic and achievable style!
Loving this!! Love American houses anyway. So clever with space. But not quite getting the garden....
I grew up in Sacto, and my sister lived in Roseville for years, so I assumed I'd loathe this. But it's nice! I like the simple lines of the exterior.
The decor shows the occupants' style without being cramped and cluttered. And the use of color isn't overpowering (which seems common nowadays). This is just lovely.
The outside of tract homes are supposed to be nondescript, so all you have to do is keep up the maintenance and maybe do some basic landscaping. Most people who buy tract homes want to focus on their lives indoors, not outside with all their nosy neighbors.
I love the AT is branching out in NorCal with this home tour! Ellie has such personality infused into her starter home. I love how budget friendly it is - with thrifting, and repurposing, and a few IKEA finds thrown into the mix, she has managed to create a warm and cozy environment that is filled with texture and color! I've been to her house in person, and it is beyond amazing - almost like walking into an Anthropologie store...creativity and artistry ooze out of every corner. She is always creating something new to add to her nest, and I love that her home is an ever evolving palette for her latest whimsy or vintage find. Bravo, Ellie! And for all of the readers who hate "tract" homes...shame on you! Ellie rented a spunky old home prior to this (http://elliegrover.blogspot.com/2009/01/welcome-to-331.html) and I know she LOVES amazing hard wood, crown molding, and period details...but not everyone can afford to purchase an old home. So I think she has done a marvelous job transforming this space into something budget friendly AND truly unique.
I cant say that it's all my style but I love- love- LOVE your evident Joie de Vive!!!!!!!!!!!
As a professional Interior Designer, I wouldn't change a thing!
Kudos!!
truly, that dining area is incredible! i'm filing it under my inspiration cache of ideas. thanks for being brave and including an exterior photo and garden pics! i really have a feel for the whole home!
My favorite is the green photo wall.
And that orange chair in the guest room. My parents had the same one all of my childhood, and I would sigh and roll my eyes at it...not knowing that I'd want one for my home in 2010!
The fence post wall is a-mazing! I love it and have been wandering around trying to figure out which wall in our house will get a makeover......
This place is so fun and lively, yet also classy. color me impressed. I bet in the future you could do crazy things like put down wood laminate flooring, and add molding or chair rails, to give it an older/more individual feel.
I think it's so challenging to work from a new white box and transform it to have character. That you have pushed it as far as you have already is awesome- I can only imagine what interesting successes you'll create after 5 years.
A gorgeous use of old and new!
Not everyone lives in a vintage fixer upper so it's nice to see tours of newer homes because they present their own set of design challenges.
Love the striped wall in the guest room. Where did you get that day bed btw?
I don't know why, but I like this. Feels very real and nonpompous. Feels like a comfortable house.
So incredibly creative Ellie! And your photography is amazing. You should post your business info.
WHere's the living room?
Seriously, what purpose does it serve to call the dining room (nee dining area or dinette) a "nook"?
And what is with the door in the kitchen? It looks odd. It is the spot my eye is drawn to more than any other on that floor.
Bizarre.
kushkush, I'm guessing here but, I think the room with the sofa, t.v and bench is the room they call the livingroom.
I agree if there is no other separate area or room for dining then the dinette or dining room should not be called a nook.
From looking at the floorplan that door in the kitchen is to the pantry. Nice idea but it breaks up the lines of the kitchen too much. Maybe replacing that new door with an antique one or a painted wooden screen door would help.
Love the typewriter in the case and your bold green wall.
i really enjoyed looking at your home, you can tell alot of love and care went into it.
My one suggestion would be to put something more substantial under the television, something wider than the telly......maybe spanning the area between the two windows.
From a native Sacramentan, great job on taking the Roseville out of your beautiful interiors! I lived in newer North Natomas for a while and we had those same archways and beige carpets. Your style distracts (in a good way!) from those harder-to-update elements. I too save mini Pellegrino bottles and reuse them around the house...cool! :)
Your home is fun and provocative. Plus i can tell you guys love it!
Where are the nightstands from? IKEA, but adorned with antique hardware? I like the simplicity of them.
Oh, and where is your shower curtain from?
I live in Roseville myself, so of course I was excited to see this house tour -- especially since I grew up in Sonoma County in houses built in the 1920s or earlier, and have been grinding my teeth over needing to buy a tract home if I stay here (somehow it's not so bad to be in a modern apartment you're just renting). I love the weathered wood and soft colors, which work so well with the landscape around here in the summer, which is all the yellow grassy hills and oak trees. I especially love that oak photo over the bed -- maybe I should check out Ellie's site for a print! Also, it's making me want to spray paint my black metal four-poster white more than ever.
A few questions answered....
The green desk is actually from Target purchased with wedding money 5 years ago :) - we painted it an alvacado green shortly after we got it!
The nightstands are telephone tables from BB&B (again, old...5 years or more) we painted them yellow - the hardware is from Anthropologie.
The shower curtain is from Target - (Dwell Studio for Target! yes!)
And I've had a few other questions e-mailed directly to me that I thought I should just post...
The paint colors, (you guys are making my brain hurt for this!), I believe the light gray is called "lighthouse" - it's BEHR and the vintage blue is from a Ralph Lauren collection which has sadly been discontinued.
Lastly, the Kitchen table and chairs are both from Ikea!
Thank you all for your sweet words and suggestions, I've loved reading them all!!
I also live in a "tract" home and I was very inspired by this! I've spent the last 2 years desperately trying to remove the cookie cutter feel of my home from the interior and it's very challenging.
To all the naysayers: not everyone lives in an area or has the finances/time to purchase a hundred year old antique fixer-upper with crown molding and wood floors and all the other things that make decorating with character really easy. (I happen to live in Tampa and all those cool old houses are either in borderline sketchy neighborhoods or very, very expensive areas downtown near the water.) I was very excited to read this post and I absolutely love everything about this house. Even the *shudder* carpet! Good job, Ellie!
After viewing this I do see a few bits and bobs i do like but their furniture seems so random and the rooms lack cohesiveness and scale. Not sure what's going on in the garden box out back??
I grew up near Roseville and am offended that she said no one cares about interior design in northern California, so not true!
What a charming home with refreshing, quirky furnishings! I'm impressed that your place is new, because it looks like it has its own wonderful stories to tell.
Lovely!
Really great job on this! I have been turned off by houses like this in the past for my lack of vision.
I am saving your dining room in my inspiration folder. Nice job! I do agree with kiacook and josie12 about the living room though. Otherwise, a fantastic job making a tract home interesting.
Fun, quirky style. Really like it. I always read all the comments of the tours I like, and I don't think carpeting is evil, and if your dining area is a nook, so be it. Live and let live.