These Newlyweds Turned Their First Home Into a Cozy Bungalow

Name: Ashley Wood, husband Max, and cat Avi
Location: Schenk-Atwood Neighborhood — Madison, Wisconsin
Type of home: Single family home
Size: 1,068 square feet
Years lived in: 6 months, owned

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: My husband and I moved to Madison about a year ago so that he could pursue a PhD at UW Madison. We moved from Boston, Massachusetts, where home ownership felt like a pipe dream due to soaring real estate prices. We were both public school teachers at the time. When we made the move to Wisconsin, we started looking at homes to buy. It had long been my dream to find a home that we could renovate and make our own. My dad is a civil engineer and has a background in construction. I grew up collaborating with him on house projects and building custom furniture. Max and I also love historic architecture and knew an older home that needed some love was going to be a good fit for us.

Our house was livable but in rough shape when we purchased it. The kitchen was outdated and illogical in its layout (the fridge blocking the doorway to a bedroom is just one example… bonkers). The yard was overgrown with weeds and the living area walls were bright orange and yellow. Our largest project was gutting and renovating the kitchen. We ripped up the old slate tile and tore out the cabinets. Max laid all the new tile himself. My dad and uncle came to town to help us paint and assemble new ready-to-assemble cabinets. It was a family effort and our work paid off — the kitchen is one of our favorite rooms.

In addition to the kitchen makeover, we painted every square inch of wall space ourselves, including the exterior siding and trim. I worked with a local nursery to find native plants for the yard and dug out a charming patio and fire pit that we didn’t even know we had! It was a labor of love, quite literally, as we got married in the backyard in July of 2022. This home is sentimental for so many reasons. Together with our family, we put countless hours into making our first home truly ours. Having our wedding at home allowed us to share all of our work with our dearest friends. I think the whole endeavor proved that we are a strong team. And now, post-wedding, we are still looking for new projects to tackle, but, we are enjoying relaxing in a home that we deeply love and see as a reflection of us.

My background is in art and poetry (I currently teach high school English) and Max is a PhD student studying U.S. history and education policy. I think our interests are reflected in the architecture of the home. We like old things! The house is a 1920s bungalow with some lovely details like scalloped arches leading into the various rooms, a large multi-panel window in the dining area, and original 1920s tile in the bathroom. As we renovated and decorated, we worked to highlight these details.

I have long been hoarding a collection of original artwork, prints, and other knickknacks from traveling that I never had quite the space for in my previous apartments. In this house, I finally got to hang and display all the items that I had been saving. Our gallery wall is comprised of some of my own photographs, old maps that depict places that are important to the two of us, artwork I have collected, and other reminders of places we have traveled like postcards and museum posters.

Our furniture is similarly collected from various people and places. We have some really special pieces — a leather chair that was my grandmother’s and a bookcase/TV stand I built myself — as well as a mix of items from IKEA or found on Facebook Marketplace or hand-me-downs from friends. I like mixing textures and colors — an old wooden table with sleek, contemporary chairs and neutrals with pops of orange and green. I think the eclectic style makes the house feel warm and personal. Each piece has a story.

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Cozy bungalow, eclectic, sentimental, art-filled

What is your favorite room and why? My favorite room in our dining room, which is open to the living space. I love it because I have forever dreamed of having a large dining table where Max and I could both work, read, make art, host dinner parties, and play games. The giant window brings in lots of light and the gallery wall is a great conversation starter. It also has a view of our bright yellow front door, which is one of my favorite details of the home.

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? We just bought this great Art Deco mirror that we put above our IKEA bar cart! I found it on Facebook Marketplace for $20. It is one my best Marketplace finds. The bar/utility cart was also a steal — $32 at IKEA.

Any advice for creating a home you love? Find items you love and go from there. Don’t worry about “matching” or if things go together. Play with color, material, and texture, and even various styles of furniture. If each element of your home brings you joy, it will come together!

This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity. 
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