Name: Holly Marsh
Location: South Carolina
Size: 2400 square feet
Years lived in: 4 years
Holly's former life as a Kindergarten teacher has its creative little fingerprints all over her cozy little home. Maybe it's the familiarity with craft supplies, or maybe it's the inspiration of little minds dreaming big, but Holly tackles her home with a daring, fearless attitude that isn't afraid to try new things or see a project fail.
When Holly quit her job to stay home full-time with their daughter, Ross, she threw herself headlong into not only crafting and thrifting for her own purposes, but sharing her latest projects and finds along the way on her blog, Life as a Thrifter. Since she began blogging, she has been featured on sites like HGTV, TLC's parentables, Babytalk magazine, and of course, has had her very own Apartment Therapy Nursery Tour.
It was her amazing handmade and hand-me-down nursery tour that led me to seek out Holly and ask her to share the rest of her home with us. She graciously agreed, and shares with us not only images of her home, but lots of tutorials on how to make the things inside it! She is truly a woman after my own heart — her attitude toward design is "why not?" and she shops within her home and changes out her decor constantly… I know I've seen her dining room and entry look about ten different ways, depending on the season!
Holly has personal touches in every single room of her home — she has lovingly attended every corner and seen to it that her little family is surrounded by things that they love, things that they made, and things that others have loved before them.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My Style: Vintage-eclectic
Inspiration: Definitely when it comes to decorating, my sister-in-law and mother-in-law have inspired me greatly! They are expert thrifters and taught me the ropes several years ago.
Favorite Element: I love that our house feels open yet cozy. It's the most wonderful thing to be cooking in the kitchen and at the same time feel connected to my husband and daughter playing in the living room.
Biggest Challenge: Storage. Because there is so little storage, I find myself giving to the Goodwill just as much as I take from it.
What Friends Say: A friend once told me, "… it just makes me feel happy!" And, put simply, there's been no better compliment than that.
Biggest Embarrassment: When we initially moved into the house, almost every room needed repainting. Although all those paint samples look stunning on a piece of paper, that's not always the case on your wall. I'll confess we had to repaint the entire kitchen because I didn't get it right the first time.
Proudest DIY: Currently, the nursery. I love every single inch of that room.
Biggest Indulgence: Artwork. Both my husband and I love to travel. Since our honeymoon, we decided to buy a fun painting wherever we go. Although sometimes pricey, looking at all the pieces we've collected over the years always makes me smile.
Best Advice: Start with a favorite item to showcase, like a painting or personal memento. You'd be amazed how far that one thing can take you!
Dream Sources: I'd love to travel around and shop more big-city flea markets.
Resources of Note:
ENTRY
- • Paint: Butternut (Sherwin Williams)
LIVING ROOM
- • Paint: Butternut (Sherwin Williams)
• Chicken paintings by Earnest Lee
• Curtains: handmade
• Kids' chalkboard table: handmade
• Orange cushions: couch cushions covered in shams
DINING ROOM
- • Paint: Offbeat Green (Sherwin Williams)
• Table: World Market
• Chairs: thrift stores, painted white
• Cork display: handmade
• Buffet: thrift store
KITCHEN
- • Paint: Marquis Orange (Sherwin Williams)
• Appliances: KitchenAid
• Play kitchen: handmade by my father-in-law
• Handwritten Art: handmade
• "Catch-all" shutter: handmade
MASTER BEDROOM
- • Paint: Antique White (Sherwin Williams)
• Bedding: Pottery Barn
• Mr. & Mrs. mirror: dry erase on a mirror
• Bench: flea market
LAUNDRY ROOM
- • Paint: Marquis Orange (Sherwin Williams)
• Photo display: handmade
• Clothes rack: fan belt rack from flea market
• Light: antique gas station fixture, ebay
• Photo holder: old crib frame
GUEST ROOM
- • Paint: Quilt Gold (Sherwin Williams)
• Bedding: Pottery Barn/Anthropologie
• Bird art: handmade
NURSERY
- • Paint: Jamaica Bay (Behr)
• Crib, bookshelf, and light: IKEA
• Letter wall: Woodland Manufacturing
• Bedding: fabric by Amy Butler (Lotus: Full Moon Polka Dot/Tangerine) (here's a tutorial on sewing a toddler pillowcase)
• Yardstick mirror: handmade
Thanks, Holly!
(Images: Holly Marsh)
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Definitely one of my most favorite home tours. I love all the bright colors and cheery it is.
Such a vibrant, happy home!
Some people just really have an ability to make "eclectic" work. She's nailed it. Nice work! =)
Agreed on the "eclectic" front. Usually people aiming for that look just end up with a very disorganized and un-purposeful looking environment. Here, everything feels like it fits together well and visibly without being matchy-matchy.
And the bright colors are amazing.
I love your home Holly! It looks like a fun, warm family home - well, well done!
So cheerful and fresh! The perfect antidote to beige, greige,and whatever the latest -eige is. Thank you for sharing.
The books on the ladder in the entry kind of made me cringe ("Euggh, those spines are totally ruined") but man oh man was this a great home! LOVED the window shutter/memo board idea.
Happy happy vibe! Made me smile just to move through these photos--and I'm a neutrals and cool colors person. Warmth and whimsy top to toe.
Lovely! It's rare you see someone who isn't afraid of color AND uses it well. I'm big on lots of color, this just feels like such a happy home.
So warm and inviting. I love that this house is tidy, and stylish and looks lived in - unlike most of the homes I see featured in. It seems like this house is one where it's o.k. to spill something, or get glitter on the floor. A great place for a child to grow up.
I have to agree with your friend - this house makes me smile and feel happy! It's such a lovely mix of colors (and the accent in one room ties in with the main color of the other room) keeping orange as the tying element, I believe. Well, I have to say some of your ideas are so original (to me, at least) such as the wonderful use of empty frames "framing" the plasma tv, kind of like hiding it in plainsight, that was great! I also like the way you whimsically decorated your lampshades with newspaper branches and birds, the dog silhouette brings "modern" to your room, and the 30 MPH reminding you all to slow down...wow, very inspiring, thank you! Hopefully decorating is just inspiration and not obsession... ;-)
In addition to extending my compliments, I'd like to ask Holly a question. Are most of the curtains we see made of burlap or of linen? They seem to hang so nicely. I'm in need of a lot of large , yet, affordable curtains for windows and closet openings and what you show here looks like it would fill my bill nicely. Burlap I could afford, linen not so much!
Oh, and though it isn't an issue in my house, I especially like the treatment of the wall hung TV (framing it). It makes it fit in well with the atmosphere of the house.
Holly's house is a home, just the way it should be for a young vibrant family.
~Bliss~
Really like this.
I wonder if there is a typo - the house is 2400 square feet, but it's described as 'little' and she has no storage? 2400 sq ft is big!
Apart from that, it looks like a great house.
This is my favorite house ever. Love everything about it, especially all the colors!
Glad to see a home featured on AT from one of the Carolinas! I'm an AT fan from NC.:) Wow - this home is just lovely and Holly is so creative. I picked up alot of good ideas here. Thanks Holly! I'm definitely checking out the blog. I love repurposing and updating older pieces. My favorite thing is your sign about books in the home and also the vintage piece you painted yellow to hold your bar items. Cool! The colors are fantastic, and it was bold of you to go for so many colors, they all come together really well. Way to go!:):) Thanks for sharing!!:):):)
One more thing, LOVE THE LAMP with the embellishments!
Her blog continues with the awesomeness (I just discovered).
AMYGOOG, I don't understand your comment? It's bugging me.
This is so awesome!! Holly's house is amazing!!
Girl,how many orange lamps do you have in that house? I love all the orange touches in your house and the home made-ness of it. I want to stay home and just work on my house. I don't want to have a kid to do it. Boo hoo. Oh and I agree with you that every little thing about your nursery is amazing.
At first I was saving individual photos for inspiration, but then I realized it made more sense to just bookmark this tour. I loved it all. (Yes, even the words on the wall)
I found that I can't have typographic decor around me because I have a weird compulsion to read it over and over or to count the letters or the words or the vowels or the consonants.....
MUST....Read....print......
I lucked into a really great hand painted tin realestate advertising sign in the alley that was perfect for a hard to fill spot on my largest wall, size, shape, colors, style all just right. Couldn't live with it for the above reason. I was however able to sell it.
I agree with @SUSANINTORONTO - "cozy little home" isn't how most of us would describe a 2,400 SF house.
Other than that, kudos on a smartly designed and welcoming home! Very cute.
Holly really knows how to use color and her house is one of a kind! Love the mismatched dining chairs!
Love. Love. Love.
Really its nice in look and very fresh as feel. House Design Manage very softly, the color of room, walls and doors, Its really livable
LIVE IT!
LOVE IT (probably was a Freudian slip, because I'd like to live in it too).
There are a million colors in this house but nothing competes with each other. Everything works. Nice!
Loving the green door and how she makes use of it. Am tempted to apply that to my own place. Time to hunt for a door! :D
I wish we had an "edit" button in the comment section! Just want to add that this house is very inspirational!
Love!
This is the first tour in FOREVER that I have just wanted to move in, right now and not change a thing. Awesome.
What a smashing home! The term "neighborly" applies here, doesn't it? The vibe is so warm and friendly. Definitely one of my fave AT tours.
All of the handmade items have really inspired me to get out my old card table and get busy crafting today!
I'm with @RSR - can you please tell us what the curtains are made of? They are perfect.
Alot of color combinations going on, but you make it work. I forgot how much I love orange, maybe a wall in my dining room?? Agree, a very happy place.
Wonderful fun home with so many cute details .Cheery and bright, lovingly done. I do get Amygoog's comment -- EAT ...VINO...-- a little is enough on the messages. The color combinations are amazing and work beautifully. Love all of the wall art, and the red/dog art is something unique and pleasant to gaze at. That orange is so refreshing !! GREAT tour !
It's up to the homeowner how much typography is enough. For me any is enough, but clearly she loves it so more power to her. I am impressed with the courageous and creative use of color. The dining room especially is wonderful.
Marry me!
Sorry, that just came out. Amazing home. Great touches: the wooden box for shoes, the lamps and chairs, the word signs and dog paintings. I love the way the Butternut paint works with those floors. I'll have to keep that in mind.
I have shutter door thingies in that EXACT colour, in storage. It is three doors screwed together to make a partition... I may have to steal the idea, seeing as I already have the materials and an empty space next to my front door ;)
I love everything about this house tour!
love eclectic, although this one doesn't resonate for me, I see some basic themes useful for those who love it:
her basics themes are bright, repeated color and simple, quiet on the major pieces (cabinets, TV area) - a good starter for those 'afraid' of color or worry about 'resale' value
there are two other themes: art work by local artisans and typography. those are her grooves. find what you love and reuse it enough to make it consistent (but avoid theme-y, which is where I think other comments hint they feel this tips to - but it *is* all in homeover's eye).
it's very colorful, but there's waaaaay too much crafty stuff going on. it's like she took every single craft idea on pinterest and put it in her house. just how many chalkboards with quotes and phrases do you really need?? sorry, it's just not my cup o' tea.
Thank you, thank you for all your sweet comments! It has certainly been fun putting it all together, and I appreciate you taking the time to stop and look!
The curtains are, in fact, burlap. Here is a quick tutorial on how to make them...
http://lifeasathrifter.blogspot.com/2012/02/easiest-curtains-ever-made.html
The dough bowl I found a local flea market several years ago for 40 bucks. Sadly, I've noticed the prices on those continuously rising, but I can't say I wouldn't buy another one one day anyway!
As for all the typography...letters, numbers and words...I love every bit of it...and I can pretty much guarantee you there will be more. :)
Thanks again! You all have definitely put a smile on my face!
Holly, thanks for answering my question about your curtains and for sharing the tutorial on how to make them.
What a Fun, Zingy, Engaging, Vibrant home!!
It's so fresh and funky without being to over the top!
Love it =)
LOVE !!
Going back for a second look
This home is to be lived in...so much more so than the perfectly staged San Francisco house featured on today's home page. The latter looks beautiful but I couldn't envision myself sitting down anywhere with a pile of books, a bowl of popcorn, a cool drink and a bunch of friends...well maybe in that cute black and white striped bathroom :)
This house on the other hand is made for you, me and all our friends.
It's a cheery place.
And it's a happy place.
Back for a second, third look. I just noticed the picture hangers in the laundry room & the subject of the pics…..laundry. Why can’t I be that creative? Made me happy just looking at it again.
Fun home :) That last image is too sweet.
@rsr, I'm the same way when there is text. I feel compelled to read the same words or numbers ad nauseaum. Also, I think too much typography and/or signs comes off as kitchy.
I love the eclectic aesthetic, but I think this is a little too playful for my taste. I can certainly tell that she was an elementary school teacher. To each her own.
I love that this tiny, colorful house doesn't look tiny at all. The little chubby girl digging into the bookbin at the end puts a huge smile on my face. Makes me wish I had at least one baby,sigh!
Tiny? I must've been thinking of another tour,but I still like this house. The aqua and the tangerine. Again the little girl featured in the majority of the framed pics. She is button cute. I really would love to pinch her fat, baby,cheeks.
Another cheap option for curtain fabric is to use canvas drop clothes from Home Depot -- they are about $10 each and have a tan, linen-y look to them. It's more refined than burlap but still cheap and easy.
Sorry, I know you're all thinking it, I'm just gonna come out and say it - Ross is a boys' name. No way around that fact. Hopefully it's a typo, and she's really called Rose...???
Ericaat 53, thanks for the drop cloth suggestion for curtains , should be more effective at providing privacy and blocking unwanted light as well.
your style is EXACTLY my cup of tea, heaped with cream & sugar!
i agree with the other comment about moving in and not changing a thing. honestly, i'm screaming for COLOR in most of the home tours and i can't bring myself to a lot of them because of the starkness. i think you've paired your hues beautifully. i have been hunting for a good yellow and that SW butternut is perfection. thank you for the inspiration!
also, i think the "craftiness" in your home feels down-to-earth, friendly, and YOUNG. you're obviously a hip, fun mom and if craftiness can be sophisticated, you have achieved it!
i love every single thing about the space, seriously :) great work!