Name: Sarah
Location: Duluth, Minnesota
A year ago we downsized our family of six's home massively so that both my husband and I could have more time to pursue our passions. We are both physicians and I had realized that design and self development were my passions......so we put our 6000 sf wonderful old home (with fancy acid washed marble countertops and glorious dining room to seat 16) on the market and found a foreclosed single level house that spacewise had everything we needed.
We moved in less than a year ago- it involved having a huge estate sale- getting rid of over half of our furnishings. We now feel about a ten thousand times lighter and life is so much easier with four kids (age 5-13) now- less space to clean, declutter and more togetherness both figuratively and literally!
Challenges for me were creating a old house feel using furnishings and exisiting materials (not wanting to remodel or spend much as the goal was to have a puny mortgage) and resisting the tempation to keep too much of our old stuff back in- I had to let go of a lot! The main splurge was silk curtains for the main living space. They brought that English country and a touch of glamour into the spce for me. Also I wanted to create a grand feeling- and to do this I kept some of our very high pieces and threw a folding screen on top of a bufffet to bring the Mario Buatta vibe in.
At heart I am a Nancy Lancaster fan and love that layered, collected look. We removed a raised bar in the kitchen and replaced with a simple formica top in "Soapstone" finish -that was my biz partner Suzi's suggestion- genious- and 350 bucks instead of 3,000 that the "old me " would have spent! Layering rugs over the Pottery barn braided seagrass rug also helped to create an aged ll0ok. Of course paint was also important- used alot of color to transform rooms.
Thanks, Sarah!
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This is beautiful...would love to see more.
Would love to see the kitchen (especially those countertops)!
Regarding those wall lamps on either side of the fireplace: I've never seen that before. Those lamps are in the most logical and useful of places. I can't get over it. When I had a fireplace, I had to move floor lamps around - very shiny brass floor lamps.
I'm drooling over the Welsh cabinet, that breakfront in the corner, the federalist mirror, and those landscapes over the fireplace.
Is the living room celery green? Whatever color, it plays very well with your wood tones, the Chinese red and the accents. The dark blue with the gilt wall stuff reminds me of lapis.
Light-wise, you've placed that chandelier at the perfect height. Mama from Real Estalker has been teaching us all the proper height of lights and yours' would pass with flying colors.
Love the array of butterfly prints. They go well with that "collector's" look you seem to have cultivated. I always find that striking a balance between displaying your possessions artfully, but not in a way that overwhelms, can be difficult, but you've toed that line very well.
Also, I think you've done a great job combining some very rich looking materials for a grand, but at the same time, cozy look. This house looks lovely, but at the same time not too artificed; lived in and loved. I too would like to see the kitchen though!
I am with you on the silk curtains. I was lucky enough to recieve four panels of silk dupioni which I've hung in my living room, and they give off such a sense of understated elegance without being overbearing.
This is beautiful--wish there was an entire 'House Tour' instead of just the 'House Call'
I second the request for a full house tour!
I LOVE the zebra skin on the table under the glass top! It's one of those "why didn't I think of that"s. Gorgeous place, less (space) is certainly more in this case!
I love the butterfly prints! Please can you tell me where you got them?
Hello- Its me Sarah- oh my gosh thank you all so much for such wonderful commentary- I am over the moon that you guys "get me"- or they say in Avatar you "see me". Ummm lets see - I got the lamps hung low by the fireplace idea from a lifelong obsession with British design- dang those people knew how to get that cozy feeling!!! I had seen that done and finally had a chance to do it here and its wonderful- totally convenient and fabulous with kids- no big lamps to topple or trip over. The Butterfly prints come from ALBERTUS SEBA : Cabinet of Curiosities- the BIG one- you can buy the book on Amazon (its reproduction!). When my business partner Suzi and I had a tiny Vintage shop we ripped a copy of the book to shreds and matted them and sold them for 20$ each. I have a lot of butterflies around- they make me think FREEDOM.
And yes- hoping to do a more large scale tour- which would be fun coming up(: In our work Suzi and I like to approach self- examination (digging up your authentic self shall we say?) through the portal of style and design- if you like, come join the party- and come AS YOU ARE! at www.joyjunket.com
ooo- forgot to mention my source for the Zebra Skin (faux of course)- http://cowhidesinternational.com/asccustompages/products.asp?cartID=&affID=&categoryid=103&navParent=0
my favorite is the brown on light brown pony- its soft and believable- and well darn well priced if I do say so myself! Sarah
Brave woman... coming clean about an animal hide AND ripping a book apart for art's sake around THIS crowd! :)
Neither I take issue with at all, by the way...
And your home is LOVELY.
Especially love the balance you achieved on each side of your fireplace with completely disparate solutions. But it TOTALLY works.
Confused, though... are those two shots of the same fireplace, just styled differently, or do you move stuff around a lot... and if you do, where do you keep things not in use in sucha limited (and full, in a good way) space?
Yes - Patrick- I feared the worst that I might be judged- hmmm- but to keep all that beauty trapped between the covers seemed such a shame! That book is such a treasure!!!! And- my only defense- well - it is not an antique (yet). We really loved the snakes and have the Hedgehog proudly hung in our studio- but most of our clients/shoppers wee quite perplexed (disturbed) by it all. WE still have a nice fat stack of prints we dig in to for special projects (: Yes - the two pics are of the same room- just styled differently- I get very antsy and have to move stuff around a couple times of year. I just move stuff from room to room - we have No basement or other storage- but its freeing- the more creative you have to get the more fun the game is! Thanks for your comments(:
Oh - and slipcovers are on chairs (red in one pic and white in the other)- so really only two chairs here(: www.nantuckits.com is where they come from and www.leeindustries.com has them too! Washable slips with dogs and gogurts/popcicles are a beautiful thing- I LOVE THEM!
Ok - Also had to share this rug from Jayson Home and Garden- the black felt makes it really fabulous! http://www.jaysonhomeandgarden.com/product.php?productid=4140
As Sarah's good friend I have had the pleasure of enjoying her home, company and friendship for years. I can tell you that not only is this home beautiful, it really represents her unique and stunning personal style. But more important, her house is a home that is comforting and welcoming, embracing all who enter. She is truly a beautiful and inspiring person and her home and style shows it. I look forward to seeing what she does next!!!
Delightful home! I love the midnight blue paint color and the white slipcovered sitting chairs.