Name: Ryan and Michele Tansey with Buster & Lizzie (golden retrievers) Princess & Mr. Paws (softest cats ever) and our human roommate Jon McJilton
Location: Central District/Madrona; Seattle, Washington
Size: Built in 1903: two stories with unfinished basement. Three bedrooms, two baths plus office. 1380 finished 700 unfinished
Years lived in: 1 year, 3 months; owned
I know I have a great house tour on my hands when I find myself smiling as I edit the photos. You may remember Michele and Ryan Tansey from an earlier post, Real Life, Well Designed: A Wedding at Home. After such a gorgeous post, I had the pleasure of exploring the rest of this couple's home!
Being in Michele and Ryan's home made me feel like a kid again; around every corner, there is an element of surprise and discovery to be had, plus lots and lots of animals to snuggle with! They let me have my run of the house, and I ended up with more photos than I knew what to do with. (Believe me, I had a very hard time editing them down).
As the owner of the online vintage furniture and clothing store, Reinspired Home, Michele has her pick of some of the most unique and beautiful vintage pieces and collectibles. Each item has a specific place, while still keeping a relaxed atmosphere intact. From pristine, leather wingback chairs to found photos and paintings, the home is a treasure trove of vintage finds. I so enjoyed being able to explore!
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: This is the hardest question. I'd say our style is an eclectic mix of found items that we decided to give a new lease on life. I don't know exactly what to call it but my style guru is Emily Henderson. Watching her show is like being inside my own head, my husband thinks it's uncanny.
Inspiration: My inspirations, in no particular order: Anthropologie, Ralph Lauren, Pendleton, grandmas, cabins, the flea market in Paris, ALL flea markets, shabby cottages, primitive antiques, Mad Men, my pets, greenhouses, botanical prints, Hollywood regency and Seattle.
Favorite Element: Aside from how beautiful our home is, I'm really the most proud of how organized we are. As an avid thrifter and owner of an online vintage furniture and clothing store (Reinspired Home), I have a ton of stuff. Taking on the challenge of getting everything in its place was the craziest but most rewarding job of my life. I'd say that a huge part of decorating a space for most people should be de-cluttering. I mean real de-cluttering. Getting everything out of the space completely and putting back only what belongs and what you use, not the stuff you might use someday, and not the stuff you want to keep but it doesn't have a home: this is survival of the fittest for your possessions. Display your best and favorite things and let the stuff you store, what you really need to be there, help dictate what kind of pieces you buy to accommodate. For example, I can't live if my coffee table doesn't have a big wide surface, a shelf and a drawer. I'm also known to have a linens problem, so I reinspired an antique grain bin that I got at Goodwill for 34.99 to be my linen closet. Who has a linen closet in a grain bin at the end of their bed? Who cares! Be creative with the things you love so they can also be useful to you. The biggest challenge is that now if I get a new set of linens, I have to get rid of something to make space for it. Set limits for yourself and stick to them.
Favorite Room: It's gotta be the master bedroom, the dark purple paint makes the room feel fun, grown up and romantic. Plus, I love that I can be as girly as I want to be with vintage flowers and gold everywhere. Every time I walk into this room I feel proud.
Biggest Embarrassment: Windows, as over half of them don't even open. As a first time home buyer, I thought, "so it needs new windows, big deal." Big deal is right! I don't want vinyl, and the wood mullioned windows that I want- let's just say I'll be saving for a while.
Proudest DIY: The whole house! No really, it is incredible. My husband thought I was nuts for wanting this house, I saw a blank canvas. A big, crazy, wood shingled blank canvas. You can see the before pictures on our Facebook page. I just wish there were more of the yard because the transformation out there is huge too. We've done most of the renovations ourselves or in tandem with small independent contractors. The end result is that this house is part of me. I feel like this house is something that I personally created with the blood, sweat and tears of myself, my husband and the people that love and support us. What a great way to feel about your home.
Biggest Indulgence: Going out and buying something new, I mean brand new, as the first owner ever of this 'thing' is a big indulgence for me. As far as decorating goes we only have a small handful of new things in our house. One is the burlap shower curtain in our downstairs bath. It was made by HilltopOriginals on Etsy. It really warmed up the way the navy paint felt in the bathroom. Second are the bamboo roman shades throughout the home. I ordered them on Overstock.com to custom fit our windows. They look plaid when they're closed at night. What a find! Our final big indulgence is that incredible hounds-tooth English roll arm couch in our living room. It's basically the couch I've been dreaming of my whole life and it was custom made by a friend of mine, the owner of Couch Seattle, as a wedding gift.
Best Advice: This is my advice for anyone thinking about buying a house that needs some love. We're doing our renovations in two phases, on the cheap and on the not-so cheap. Phase one was to do as much work as we could ourselves while leaving the layout of the house the same and really try to work with what we've got. After a little over a year of work most of the house looks and feels great. We didn't spend that much money and we will be happy while we save up for phase two renovations, the big stuff. Phase two will be things like new windows, getting a claw-foot tub in the upstairs bath, opening up the ceiling in our bedroom, opening up the wall between the kitchen and dining room, and renovating the basement. We've got lots of ideas, but we're not in any rush because we have this beautiful home that we can enjoy right now. Not all renovations need to be huge to make a big impact, and the really big changes are better made once you've lived in the home for awhile and have a better sense of what your needs are for that particular space.
Dream Sources: An estate sale in an old cottage in France. I'm the only person who showed up so they are giving me everything for practically free. Including their freshly baked bread, cheese and wine. This would be incredible.
Resources of Note:
PAINT & COLORS
- • Front Door - Benjamin Moore: Rainforest Foliage
• Living/Dining Room - Valspar: Sharkfin
• Kitchen - Walls, Chalkboard paint, Cabinets, Tarragon: Valspar
• Downstairs Bath - Benjamin Moore: Newburyport Blue
• Stairway & Upstairs hall - Valspar: Iron Frost
• Master Bedroom - Valspar: Tannin
• Master Bath - Benjamin Moore: Chestertown Buff
• Trim paint - Valspar: Lemon Edge
ENTRY
- • Vintage Green Piano: Craigslist
• Flowers (throughout house): Erin Donne
LIVING ROOM
- • Everything (except couch): Thrifted!
DINING ROOM
- • Round table: Craigslist.
• Chandelier, $90: Craigslist
KITCHEN
- • Kitchen island: Craigslist (an old craft table at a school or day care--there are names of different kids written all over it. The most noticeable one is on the top, someone carved "Rodney" so now that's its name. Rodney, the Craigslist treasure)
• Cabinet handles: Ebay
• Chandelier: Ebay
• Antique Kilim Rug: Craisglist
• Pot racks, glass front cabinet, bulk storage containers: Ikea
BEDROOM
- • Vntage red leather Chesterfield couch from England
UPSTAIRS BATHROOM:
- • Credenza: Craigslist
• Sink, with hardware: The REstore
• Mirror and Curtain: Thrift store finds
STAIRWAY/UPSTAIRS HALL/RYAN'S OFFICE
- • Shot backdrop for Ryan and Michele's women's Etsy shop, Tekoop
Thanks, Michele & Ryan!
Images: Andie Wurster
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Kitties!
Love the kitchen, it has a nice "cottage in the winter" feel to me.
How delightfully quirky and prefect! Their home looks like an antique store that I want to live in and never leave!
Oh yes. I especially love the kitchen -- painted cabinets that AREN'T white. Yay!
Beautiful house! I love the kitchen especially!
Also, hi! from another Tansey across the boarder. It's not a very common name so it's nice to see it here. :-)
I love the kitchen and that chesterfield (drools).
It's very homey. Thought it seems like there is a lot of 'stuff' it all flows nicely and you can tell there is thought but into it.
I remember the at home wedding that was posted here and I went the pics a bunch of times just looking at the background to get a glimpse of your home. Nice to finally see the whole thing.
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There is a fine line between clutter and interesting, and this house is perfectly interesting. These photos make me want to get to know the owners. The house is so clean even though there is so much to look at. Can I move in?
Dangerous to enter this house, I would never want to leave it again, it feels so homey and safe.
I agree with Mama Gigi--this could easily be a nightmare of clutter, but it manages to avoid it and become lovely and cozy because the owners are obviously extremely organized and careful about arrangement. The master bedroom is dreamy. That Craig's List chandelier in the dining room is stunning. (I could do without the antlers and deer head on the wall, a pet peeve.) All in all, a great place.
I think it's beautiful.
The colors on the walls: what are they? They are the perfect foundation for showcasing for the deliciously, delitefully intricate editing job they've done. Those colors are also a good testament to the mantra, "If the rooms are dark, don't make paint provide the light: let lights provide the light."
The chandelier in the dining room is KILLING me. So gorgeous. Then the kitchen and master bedroom tie for my favorite room - love the green on the cabinets and the bead-board.
This is amazing! I'm drooling over every photo. It looks like the kind of place I'd want to go for Christmas. Also, I love your "dream source"!
Excellent!
I love your home! Especially pic#7 and your dark bedroom. Very cozy and comfy looking while brimming with character and surprisingly nonclutterness!
What a darling house- so much warmth, history, and character. Loved it :)
The wood chest vanity in the bathroom - I die. The Chesterfield? I die again. Delightful.
So beautiful. And I'm impressed; I have a hard enough time keeping my house presentable with one golden. Not sure how yours looks show worthy with two!
I really like this home. The windows in the stairwell, the skylights, the vanity in the upstairs bathroom, the unique collection of pictures, etc. It always makes me happy to see older items given new life :)
Such an interesting home! Yes, there are a lot of things, but it's displayed nicely. I like a lot of things, too, but have trouble trying to figure out where to put everything. Also, any home that has a lot of beautiful plants is a plus in my book. ;D
It's so funny that you mentioned Emily Henderson because she popped into my head when I saw the house tour (which I did before I read the interview/article here). I was going to comment on how much I like the layers of texture, colour, eras, etc...it's simply gorgeous.
all the wall colors are fantastic and that chesterfield sofa, wow!
What's he doing sitting on the counter?
This is my favorite house tour of all time so far. Love it.
Love love love!!
Funny, I have the bird print duo that you have in the green mat by the gold chair, only mine are framed separately.
Love, love, love (except for the purple walls - sorry!) Bookmarked.
I love your house; it perfectly embodies the image of "home" to me. You have done an amazing job.
Where did you get the white vanity/sink combo in the bathroom? Was it Menards or Home Depot? How do you like it? We are leaning towards one like it.
This is the house that keeps on giving! One of my favorites ever. Thanks for sharing :)
The house looks cosy, and your pets are adorable. I love that they attended the wedding!
The wall colors are inspired! And inspiring. Incredible choices.
Could anything look more Seattle? It's so cozy
looking. Very nice.
@Sophie24 - Snarky. I can vouch that there was not a speck of dust to be found in that home. It was PRISTINE.
Beautiful! Can i move in? I won't take up much room, i promise! I also love to decorate with plants. And a house is not a home without animals!
love your photo pics. but surely, there is no place like home...i can honestly say that i love my home, having my incredible husband & adorable kids is the best/most wonderful part.
It's beautiful! And how wonderful to see so much color. Hats off for the recycling of all those objects instead of getting new things. I loved it, esp. that charming bedroom under the eaves and your lovely green kitchen.
What do you keep in the suitcases in your entryway? Love the look, so I'm just wondering (I don't have room but curiosity begs to know).
You guys have a great story. Love your "Dream Sources" quote. Your eye for vintage is great.
I'm such a coward about using dark colors on walls, so you're giving me courage, and ideas!
I admire some of the charming vignettes, but there is a lot of "stufff" around. Still, it looks well-designed and very neat and clean.
The bedroom wall color is darn sexy!
Sigh. I adore this house. If I had free license to decorate with as many antiques as I like, having a house decorated even half as good as this would be the goal. Unfortunately my husband hates antiques, so it remains a pipe dream. Be proud; your house is incredible!
Amazing. This house looks like it belongs to people who are either fabulously rich or fabulous at thrifting.
I'm the only one who thought "too much STUFF?" Way too cluttered and overdone for me. One doesn't need rooms and rooms and rooms of clustered framed things to get the point across.
This is one of the most gorgeous home posts yet. I read every word from Michele and appreciate her candidness and advice. Her home is filled with beautiful treasures and I love that she doesn't need to spend a ton of money to make it amazing. You can truly feel this couple is in love with their home. Bravo.
I want to be you.
I just love this home's warmth, coziness and use of vintage items in a way that looks fresh and new, not stodgy or dated. I also admire the gutsy use of dark colors throughout. Beautiful and homey.
I like it, too. I did think it looked like the kitchen cabinet doors were missing (as opposed to intentionally removed), but then we got to the photo of the homeowner on the counter and I didn't care anymore - love that shot!
The first floor bathroom is lovely. There's no room for clutter and the light is actually on. In the rest of the house though there's so much stuff in such dark spaces that I can't fully appreciate anything. I don't know how you deal with so much stuff on your kitchen counters every day. Not my style at all.
Michele and Ryan, Nice work! You have made such a warm and inviting home. I love your style too; Rustic, yet elegant.
Man on the counter. I thought this site was rated PG.
It's warm and cozy, like a grandmother's house but with quirky elements.
I'm a young person with an old soul and I'm one of those who love vintage stuffs. I love, love this home's decor. It's warm and cozy.
I. Love. This. House.
such a warm house. I bet when it's raining you become soo sleepy.
very warm and inviting home! Lovely!
I love the blue used in the living areas...and the rangehood painted to blend in with the cupboards. Gorgeous house, oozing with charm and interesting pieces artfully displayed together...:)
I was in my teens and twentys during the seventies. It really captured that homey-hippie vibe from that era. Nice job in updating such a earthy, comfy style. This home made me a bit nostalgic. What a long strange trip its been. Thanks!
@ mosiacwench I agree with you, just looking at the pictures I could feel chaos at all the stuff. I am not a fan of vintage or clutter but I do like the window at the end of the staircase and the cabinet in the bathroom.
Great tour...looks so inviting, cozy and original. Gorgeous colors and love the plants...that is what makes a house a home. Awesome job!
I've never seen a sea foam green piano! Did it come that way or was it painted?
Lovely animals. Darling house. Too many dark colors in what can be a gray climate.
Totally fab. Even though I am a pink girl I fell in love with every photo. Very stylish Mad Men, Dickens, Inside a Black Apple and relaxing. The lack of clutter was impressive considering all the house contained. Massive inspiration and one of my fave tours. I felt I had entered inside the combined minds of Agatha Christie, Mad Men and Charles Dickens. Love. Excuse the gushing but I seriously loved!
I really appreciate what you had to say about 'clutter' Michele. I'm a bit of a clutter bug, but that doesn't mean I'm able to live in mess & chaos. A big thing I've learnt about clutter is, the one thing you need to deal with it is 'time'. That's the reason most of us drown a little in our stuff. We don't make the kind of time we need.