Comfortable and not overdecorated -- could plunk myself down and feel right at home (although I'd probably girl it up). Understand the issue with rugs and dogs -- what is their attraction to them? Have found they do OK with sisal and cotton rugs but still seem to end up running and bunching them up. Slipcovers have been a good compromise for sofas and furniture, too. Love the garden. If I win the lottery, I'll give you a call about purchasing so you can buy your farm and have even more space to take in big dogs -- maybe then I can rescue more little dogs! Kudos!

i love all the outdoor spaces! that's one thing my house completely lacks and i'm sure it makes entertaining and fostering dogs so much easier!
i also like how you don't have things are kept pretty minimal - however, i feel like the living room gives off a "waiting room/office lobby" vibe. Maybe it's all the brown leather without anything to soften the look?
I have two black labs - carpet remnants have been our saving grace. They hold up wonderfully and are cheap! You can get most cut to a specific size and then have the edges bound so they don't fray.
Really lovely home.

Love it! Especially the paint colors. Really good choices all around.
This isn't really a comment on the house, but... word of caution to anyone who is admiring the Ikea couch (particularly it's price tag, which I think is definitely the most exciting thing about it) -- We bought the same couch a few years ago and it has since... well... melted. If you sit on it with wet hair or spill a drink on it, the fake leather starts starts to peel. Within a few months the couch looked like it had been the site of a dog fight or something. On a budget? Don't buy that couch!

Awesome job--I wish that I handled the challenge of pet-friendly decorating half as well as you both have. And I love the outdoor spaces, too!

Lovely home and Pit Bull!

All that furry goodness! They look so happy that I would happily live with the brown. I can't have leather because of the kitties, but everytime they run to greet me I'm like "leather smeather"!

I was happily perusing the pics of your beautiful abode when my eyes fell on a copy of Bimmer magazine, and then a model of an 02 on your office shelf...and then HUZZAH! a 1970 '02 in your garage! It's wonderful to see other design junkies on AT who love these cars too. (We've got two 1974 BMW 2002's at our house - one in verona red, and the other in 'turkis' - metallic turquoise). You two have done a spectacular job with your outdoor spaces, and I would never have guessed that you have multiple doggies from your interior pics - all furniture & accessories are intact and in great shape - which is a testament to your savvy design choices. Thanks for sharing your home with us!

It's so nice to see an Akron home-tour! I know the Highland Square area well. I think "eclectic" is a good description of your style. Your home seems comfortable and well-loved but also put-together in a thoughtful sort of way.

Great tour. I can't believe that cool table in the living room came from Target. Happy New Year.

I purchased sisal rugs from homedecorators.com. They aren't soft to bare feet, but they have heavy rubber backing, don't move, and reduce wear and tear on wood floors. They are also reasonably priced. My cats have been clawing at the rugs for two years and the rugs still look great. I bought the Rio rugs.

LOVE the orange exterior doors! And I love that you love your dogs so much that you style around them. I'm looking to add another rescue pup to the family right now--you're making me think that I should increase that number...

This house is 50% incredible
50% grandma vibe

Love this! So clean and organized. Great kitchen too!

Puppies!

Wow! There are like... 8 living rooms outside. Love this place!

Beautiful home, and I'm glad you included some pics of the doggies!

This is quite possibly the loveliest home I've seen on AT! Good for you for your commitment to rescuing our 4 legged furry friends!

Lovely, cozy, and authentic. Great home! I also just had to comment and say how I loved the green ivy tendrils crawling around the lamp in the kitchen. :)

Three cheers for Highland Square! I've lived on Casterton and Portage Path and miss the Square dearly! A lovely home and loved the little Kent/Akron-centric details (Harriet the Spy, etc.) Thanks for letting us enjoy!

Who is the artist of the painting above the sofa? ♥ it!

I can't say enough good things about this place! I love that it's elegant but casual and homey, and I adore all of the original features like the built-ins and lights and doors... Your dining room is one of my favorites!

Two little nitpicks: Those kitchen cabinets most likely aren't original because 1920s cabinets would've been "inset," with the doors flush with the frames. Your overlay style wasn't unheard of, but I'm wondering if someone didn't just put new doors on the old frames at some point. And your home isn't a DCR because it doesn't (I think...) have a gambrel roof. I'd just call it a derivative of the English cottage style. Nonetheless, it's 100% charming and you have fantastic style. I wouldn't change a thing, except maybe that your pups don't go with the decor so they should come live with me! :)

homeowner here. Thanks for all the very kind comments! It's a work in progress, but we're getting there.

to nik111- i actually love your comment, because we were going for part grandma vibe. Several pieces we have in the home were inherited from my grandmother and made the long trip over on the boat from Europe. It's my way of paying tribute to her.

to ellejaydub- the view you see of the home (with the "front door") is actually the side of the home. The front of the home has a clear view of our gambrel roof, it just didn't make it in any of the shots.

to AZLove84- I will do a little research on the artist of the large painting in our living room and get back to you. All I know at this time is that it was purchased at an art fair in the early 80's from a young Akron U art student.

All of the dogs are ADORABLE! <3

I could totally flop out in that place. I was coveting that couch 2 years ago but now I'm glad I passed. Love the french country feel of the eat-in corner. SO loving the dining room except the curtains.They look out of place.Heavy
and wrong color.

Very cute!

ellejaydub is right, the kitchen cabinets aren't from the 20s. The cabinets would have gone all the way up to the ceiling -- even if the ceiling was 12 feet! Cabinets with a soffit above did not become common until after WWII, when stock cabinets entered the scene. But with great original details such as the arched doorways, there is plenty of style to spare!

I LOVE the turquoise in the hallway by the stairs. Could you let us know what it is?

Beautiful house! Thanks for sharing.

I really really really like all of this! If I said I wanted to be your friend to get invited to your parties, would that be weird?
Did the fireplace screen come with the house or do you have a source for it? It wants to come live at my house, I am sure of it.

so proud this is from my hometown! :)

fantastic job!

beautiful fire place screen. love it!

quite lovely. Your outside space is amazing!

what's the hallway color? the bluegreen?

everything is lovely!

i love your space! awesome. especially have a soft spot for your extended family of rescued animals.... i am in love with the vintage lamp in your living room! i see you inherited it from your clearly dapper grandparents, but any idea who the designer is? covet overload......

I love the way you have pieces of animal art (small paintings, owl on the mantle, etc.) throughout. All of it is beautifully personal. As another poster wrote, the whole place is authentic. That is hard for many of us to achieve... we let too much trends affect (or maybe I should say infect) our homes.

Wonderful use of plants. Each one is like a perfect, green brushstroke. (Especially in the kitchen!)

I, also, would like to know what turquoise-y paint was used in the entry hall.

tell me - when did you get that cool coffee table from target - i often see cool pieces published from target buy almost never do i see them in the store or on their website....

Homeowner here, again-

first off, I can't believe I didn't respond to 74turkis2002! We were hoping that someone would see our bimmer-love and respond. I (Mae) am so jealous you have a turkis 2002. My all time favorite color. You weren't the turkis at V@V this year were you?

Mefitia- you are welcome to attend any of our parties! The fireplace screen was left by the previous owner, so I didn't actually purchase it. But one of my neighbors has the same one and said she purchased her's at World Market about 6 years ago. It came black. I painted it gold.

fairyred- i wish i could find more out about this lamp, I'd love to have more by this designer. I just have no idea. No markings at all. All I can put together is that it had to have come from either- the former Yugoslavia, Austria or Germany.

34newbdwy- We bought that coffee table about 5 years ago @ Target. However it's obviously aged very poorly- top is all scratched up and looks horrible. So I just took 4 bamboo place mates that I had and placed them on both surfaces of the table to cover the wear and tear. I like it better now because it appears 2-tone.

Paint in the foyer- Benjamin Moore, Medici Malachite

AZLove84- the painting is titled- 'Animal Mother' and it's by artist Kevin Geiger. I actually believe now that it was from the early 90's and not the 80's as I wrote earlier. But no dates to confirm yet. We're going to try and find the artist.

Thank you all for the feedback. It's both scary and exciting to let people into your home!

Can I ask you how the Ikea Sater (sp?) sofa is working for you? Looked at them last week as a cheap yet good looking option for our living room (won't get much use). It was heavier then I expected.

Thanks for showing your great place.

oh yes, i forgot to mention that. This sofa has been a god-send to us. We've had it for probably 2 years now (which sofa's have never lasted that long in our home). My 100lb doberman and 80lbs pitbull jump on and off that thing about 50 times a day like it's a trampoline. Not a single scratch mark or tear on this sofa. I clean it with just about any type of multi-purpose cleaner and wipe it off with papertowels. An earlier poster mentioned something about how her sofa melted. That's horrible! We haven't had any issues with ours.

it's funny someone should mention the brown leather giving it a "waiting room/lobby" vibe because that's the first place my mind went too because the lobby for my apartment building has the same Ikea couch.

Not that that's a bad thing. It's just something I noticed. Love the owl, and the fireplace.

Akron represent! I got the same owl at home goods.

Glad to see exterior shots of both the home and the garden. I wish more house tours had exterior shots so we could get a complete feel for the homes.

Lots of charming features, and adorable doggies!!

This is a prime example of everything beautiful in a house. Love the older homes, love the art work on the wall in the living room, love everything about this house, and best of all, I love the owners for loving animals and being animal 'rescuers'..thank you for that!

This is such a stylish, fun home. I just want to curl up on the sofa with a glass of wine and chill out. Great place!!

I think you've singlehandedly sold me on an IKEA leather sofa. I currently have a fabric loveseat that has held up over the years (though fuzzy and covered in hair) but I need a bigger sofa. And I have a big 70 lb lab mix and two cats that love to hang out on the couch. Looking at how nice yours still looks make think that it will certainly last until I choose to afford something fancier.

Thank you Mae & BJ for your lovely home tour! It's a true inspiration.

Loved your home. I, too, have a lot of pets (7 cats) and understand the daily struggle of maintaining a pet-friendly, yet attractive, decor. Sisal, jute and sea grass rugs work with cats as does matelasse bedding. Upholstery is trickier since they take their claws to just about anything. I've learned to rely a lot on washable (and replaceable) slipcovers, strategically placed pillows and throws and distressed leather -- all of which works with my 30's bungalow meets Paris flea market meets global boho chic decorating style. Also adore your outside spaces. I'm turning my attention to my yard now and you've definitely given me a lot of inspiration. Cheers from Mississippi!

What a lovely, friendly and homey place you've made. Nice job!

Great job! I have a 72lb rescued American Bulldog and am currently decorating. It's definitely a challenge (especially as he's black and white so the hair shows up on everything!) Reassuring to see that its possible to be stylish but still dog-friendly.

Beautiful, comfortable and inspiring home. I laughed so hard reading your comment "BJ asks for my money and pretends to throw it away". We have wood floors and three dogs...I can relate to the rug issues! I looked at your beautiful kitchen and had the thought "wow, they have counter surfers too." (my money is on the dobbie, ours was)
Thank you for inspiring me that a beautiful home and rescues can coexist! This home is a definite "inspiration bookmark"!
p.s. Fantastic job on the outdoor space.

LOVE the outdoor space- you guys did a great job, and also having dogs, I think the gravel is really practical. Thanks for the inspiration!!

LOVE the artwork!

I am...speechless. What a gorgeous house. I love the mix of old and new, the artwork, the paint colors. Your living room is wonderful. I commend your restraint in the kitchen--it is just perfect. Love the black & white curtains.

are the round mirrors in the entry hall vintage? If not, can you provide a source? Love them.

1) LOVE the whole fireplace vignette/setup/whatever.

2) seriously jealous of all the gorgeous outdoor spaces - kudos on those

3) I love how wonderfully considered this home feels, without being unreachable. Makes me think my house could be this pretty too, even without 'iconic design/ridiculously unique' stuff I always think it needs to have the same effect.

p.s. As others have mentioned, it's doubtful that your kitchen cabinets are original. You cabinets likely were put in after the original sink--which would have been wide with a built-in drain board and may have been free-standing--was removed.

I just love love the living room, the art is great and wonderful light and feel. The dining room is pretty great too.

Dog cuteness for sure and BMW wow love.

I like the fact that Mae and BJ have a Jewish refrigerator. I imagine that it's a bit of a nuisance when it shuts down at sunset every Friday, though ;)

The whole place is a fine example of Eclectisism done right.

That vintage 3-bulb lamp is jaw-dropping. Really lovely house tour, thanks for sharing it!

Just awesome , everything, I could move right in, cars, dogs, I'll take it all :)

Fellow Akronites/Highland Square residents! Love it!
I live up on N. Portage Path but I drive past your house quite often en route to and from the freeway.
Your house is super awesome and it's great to see it featured here on AT - keep up the great work, neighbors!

Oh - and thumbs up for profiling the cars as well! Always fun to see there are other car enthusiasts in the area :)

LOVE LOVE LOVE. Love the gray on gold.

Super nice yard, house, everything. Love that you are a rescuer, too! Dining room colors are great!!!

This is so nice. It seems to really work for you and your furry family. Well done.

I was really expecting this to be 66 comments of calling out the word 'ballance.'

well, the only thing that really bothered me were the different style of table lamps on top of the side board, use one or the other but not together, for the rest I like what you did with the house it looks very comfortable and easy to maintain knowing that you have pretty big dogs!

Love this place...Looks like a life well lived, with meaning.
I think I need another pet!

Hi! Love your home...and yard too! Can you share source for the wooden walkways please? I'm originally from CAK, great to see some great design from the area!

dkk- rounds mirrors were purchased from IKEA (i think) about 7-8 years ago.

treebee- Thank you, my husband and I actually made the walk-ways. Here's my email- Milena1948@yahoo.com, feel free to send me a message. We can take some photos of the walkway up close and send some step by step instructions on how to construct if that's something you'd be into?

Thanks for all the puppy-love everyone.

beautiful home-stylish and so inviting at the same time :) love it !!

also think that it is wonderful that you rescue and foster the furry ones :)

Wow, this place is big!

I like the outside. It's pretty. And I REALLY like that old school BMW. Rrrrrrrrrr!

I especially like your romantic, pretty dining rooom (that pale blue!) and your outdoor space. And the sweet puppies!

Kudos to you for all the good work you do for the pups!

Love it!
Big question - couch what brand and where did you get it?
We had one that looked like it - had cushion straps - black leather and really comfortable about 5 years back.
I was going to replace it later but forget the name and was looking for another.
Thanks.

Oh our sofa had removeable cushions with cushion straps and full leather pillows on the sides. If anyone know of this type of couch please let me know just remember white label under cushions. Thanks