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Name: Emily & Andy
Location: Silver Spring, Maryland
Size: 1,200 square feet
Years lived in: 3 months, renting

You may remember Emily's pretty style from Emily's Well-Appointed Apartment. Now, she's moved, and here to share her new space with us. We like the new paint colors and her new window treatments. Mostly, we like the lesson in carrying a style from one place to another—remaining consistent while trying new things.

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Emily is a pro at window treatments, and uses the skill for her business, M House Designs. (If you're quick, you can catch her tonight speaking about window treatments at Red Barn Mercantile in Old Town, Virginia.)

She's clearly also a pro at knowing her style and sticking to it. She's a big proponent of the design rule "buy what you love," and it shows as you compare her previous home to this one. By choosing furniture items that she loves, she's able to move them from place to place and pull her look together in a snap.

Another lesson that Emily can teach us about living in a house and moving to a new place is that paring down reaps multiple rewards: Less clutter means more time to play with her daughter, or cook, or sit down with a book and some tea. Less clutter also means less to clean, as well as easy moving days.

Apartment Therapy Survey:

Our Style: A little bit vintage, a little bit modern, family and environmentally friendly with a dash of southern graciousness.

Inspiration: Southern homes where the house and life are scaled to the family. We have just enough room to meet our needs and no extra fluff. These old craftsman bungalows were well built and the space is easy for a small family to commune. We manage to sit down together for dinner every night whether in the dining room or on the patio. There just isn't room for everyone to sit in front of the TV in the family room, so we end up spending a lot more quality time together. And we edited so much before we moved, so we have less clutter and are living better.

Favorite Element: The cheerful yellow kitchen. My daughter can draw at the desk while I cook or she can have her own prep surface for cookies.

Biggest Challenge: Space and a dimly lit house. Since we are in an old wooded neighborhood, we do not get as much light as I am used to getting. I have been collecting fun lamps in each room to help with lighting. We even hung sconces on either side of the bed because we just didn't have room for tables and lamps.

What Friends Say: It is a cozy and welcoming house and everyone loves the dining room table.

Biggest Embarrassment: Only one bathroom; it is tough when you are having a party or we are getting ready to go out.

Proudest DIY: Outfitting an old cabinet to be the entertainment center. We mounted the TV in an old cabinet with french doors. The reflective doors keep it from feeling so massive and it really helps with a lot of storage. When we are not watching TV, we close it.

Biggest Indulgence: My bed from Blanc d'ivoire; it's nice to end the day feeling like a princess. I think my husband even likes it.

Best Advice: Buy what you love and what will make you happy every time you see it. You will find room for it.

Dream Sources: Etsy. I buy pottery, art, linens, children's toys, clothes, clocks; you name it and I can find something handmade on Etsy.

Resources of Note:
PAINT & COLORS

    • All paint colors were already up in the house except the bathroom which is White Satin by Benjamin Moore.

LIVING ROOM


DINING ROOM


KITCHEN


BEDROOM


Thanks, Emily and Andy!

Images: Al Peasley

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