Name:Travis and Nicole and their cat, Freya
Location: St. Johns — Portland, Oregon
Size: 1,400 square feet
Years lived in: 3 years — owned
The 1,400 square foot traditional craftsman home that husband and wife Travis Blanchette and Nicole Walker share with their cat Freya is full of unique finds collected from local flea markets and art created by talented friends and family members. But what makes their soothing oasis in the Portland borough of St. Johns extraordinary is the connection to the natural world that their collections conjure: abandoned bird nests, tree fungi used as little wall shelves, the array of beautifully-tended plants on the hearth, loosely arranged wildflowers cut from their garden. Their home is resplendent with a lovely verdancy that is an homage to life in the Pacific Northwest--green and serene, with touches of genuine romance.
Travis and Nicole, who own and run local favorite neighborhood pub Leisure Public House, have created a space for themselves that is tranquil and comfortably sophisticated. Portland is known for its fantastic flea markets and vintage furniture shops, and Nicole combs through them with delightful regularity. Not finding "the perfect couch," the couple decided to have a vintage Chesterfield style sofa in the living room refurbished with chic eco-friendly fabric, updating the look of the sofa and turning it into a keeper.
The couple put a great deal of time and energy into maintaining their lush gardens, stopping occasionally to enjoy a brief nap or read a book in the garden-adjacent sun room. Nicole's green thumb is felt throughout their home, but especially on their living room mantle, where an assortment of gorgeous house plants decorate (and oxygenate) the space.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: Eclectic Traditional ("I made that up," jokes Nicole).
Inspiration: I love design books, magazines and blogs. I’m always prowling around for new ideas for our home. Yet, I’m not one to jump over to the store and buy the latest thing...partly because I’m cheap but mostly because I believe in only owning things that have meaning. I want to find the perfect chandelier forgotten in my parents basement or at someone’s garage sale, not at Restoration Hardware. Serendipity is often my biggest inspiration...and yes, sometimes I find it at Ikea.
Favorite Element: My favorite element is always the latest room, space, or piece of furniture that I have been working on. Most recently it has been the bedroom. I was feeling blue the other day and I came across one of my vintage purses that I have placed all of Travis’ love notes. It made me so happy thinking back on when I’d received each one and how lucky I am to have this love in my life. I hung the purse by my side of the bed and then put together a collection of valentines we have given each other (and framed them). I was worried Travis would think it was super cheesy...because it is...but he likes it too. It is really nice to wake up with a positive affirmation of love on your walls.
Biggest Challenge: When we first moved in we were coming from a tiny bungalow that had a totally different feel. Nothing from the old house worked in the new one. We slowly had to replace a lot of items. We had a dining room with nothing to put in it. Yet, it was so fun! I have no reason to scour craigslist anymore.
What Friends Say: I think people are a little surprised when they see how curated it is. But if people know me very well, they know I’m a nester and this is how I roll.
Biggest Embarrassment: Our bathroom needs some serious updating. Oh and we have a very creepy toilet and shower in our unfinished basement.
Proudest DIY: We do a lot of DIY, so again it is usually whatever is the most recent. We finally hung up some shelf mushrooms that I had collected over a year ago. I also turned a random piece of metal that Travis dug up from the back of the bar, into a little table that I keep one of my terrariums on.
Biggest Indulgence: The couch! We wanted the chesterfield style so I found one for $100 on craigslist and had it recovered by an amazing eco-friendly shop (www.acanthusgreen.com) with some commercial grade fabric. We will have it forever.
Best Advice: Try not take on more than one house project at a time!
Dream Sources: Our amazing friends and family. There is so much in our house that we have from them. Our friend Justin Parker from Esque Studio has given us so many beautiful blown pieces. My girlfriend Felice Koenig’s art fills our walls, my brother and sister have made us amazing items, furniture and pictures that belonged to my grandparents, old roommates... I also love me a rummage sale!
Resources of Note:
PAINT & COLORS
- • bedroom, Ralph Lauren: Raw Silk
LIVING ROOM
- • faux bois rug, Williams Sonoma
• couch, craigslist
• shelving unit, IKEA
DINING ROOM
- • furniture, Twilight Rummage Sale (at the Eagle's Lodge)
• curtains, IKEA fabric
KITCHEN
- • cabinetry, IKEA
BEDROOM
- • bed and pillows, Pottery Barn
SUN ROOM
- • blanket, Ink and Peat
Thanks, Travis and Nicole (and Freya)!
Images: Leah Harb
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Great place! I was so happy to wake up and see a house tour with color done so peacefully. That rug is awesome... and where in the world did that cookbook stand come from? I so need one of those!!!! Thank you for sharing your cozy place!
I love the rug, too (and also require a cookbook stand!)
I'm envious of your green thumb, and if there's an equivalent word for a natural decorator's thumb, you have that too!
Love how the rug looks as organic as the rest of the flora, and love the other reminders of mushrooms and plants in some of the pictures and collections.
I want to live here when I grow up!
Love the use of oxygenating plants! I also need a cookbook stand with awesome page holders. The sofa is gorgeous, I can't wait to have a Chesterfield one day.
Can the kitty use the tree in the corner as a cat tree? I would like a natural cat tree and almost bought a potted living tree, but I am still researching my options.
you have a very 'botanical' style. lots of plants and flowers make their appearance.
love the vintage bedframe and the huge bookshelf in the living room.
the kitchen seems like it's very compartmentalized. kind of 'pieced out' and doesn't have a great flow, but a great use of a small space with TONS of storage.
also, was it just me...or did the garden area seem like it was from a completely different house tour. the style was VERY different from the more traditional interior, but i still loved the bold colors.
and cute idea with the love notes =)
Lovely home! Glad to see that I'm not the only one who is into house plants. Cool rug in the living room, too!
Hooray for St. Johns! The only neighborhood with a bridge lovelier than the Golden Gate (according to the designer of both).
A calm and pleasant space, nice job!
I love your place! I live in St. Johns and I think it is really the best place to live in Portland. Then again my view out of my front window is the St. Johns bridge so I might be a bit biased! I wish I could do the plant thing- I really am not to good with it. Any pointers?
i just love it!
primarily, I love how you balanced neutrals with bright, popping colors. so many times i feel as though the color choices are restricted to one end of the spectrum... why not cover them all? you've allowed a wonderful balance and your choices are ones i will refer to in my future decorating pursuits.
my only ho-hum is the curtains throughout the house. (silly, right?) the similarly colored curtains to match the sofa in the living area combine to make a weird focal point. additionally, the lace curtains were a bit out of place in comparison to the rest of the decor. indeed, these are nitpicking details. how wonderful are the decorations, color choice, and overall design? in my opinion, curtains are the fun part of decor, allowing voluminous fabric with colors and patterns to add a bit of dimension and personality to a space.
overall, bravo! i envy your palette and the style you've applied :)
I am also incredibly envious of the greenery! How do you manage all of that with Freya? Our cat has a vendetta against houseplants, which is not helped by my black thumbs.
Love love love it! Especially the first picture, at top of this post. Really enjoy your plants, your pops of colour, the homey, eclectic feel of your home. thanks for sharing!!
i'm dying for the green faux bois rug. any ideas on how to scavenge for that exact one online?
What a beautiful home-- the perfect combo of classic and modern!
Hurray for St. Johns! It's such a lovely place. Beautiful house, too.
Love your style, you seem to just do what you like and it works! Too many vignettes, as ever, but great photography. Pussy cat gorgeous. Love letters should be private surely?
sorry - the fireplace with all the plant life and misc- ugh - and the way you hang your curtain rods on the woodwork? Would be much better placed above the window.
so adorable! i LOVE your sun room area...love daybeds... <3