David and I bought the house at the beginning of 2020 when my upcoming CW show “Superman and Lois” was ordered straight to series. I knew we would shoot in Vancouver, Canada, and his show on ABC “A Million Little Things” also shoots there, so we wanted to relocate to a home base in the US that was closer than Los Angeles. We had met while shooting NBC’s “Grimm” in Portland, Oregon, so we were really familiar with and love the Pacific Northwest; we ended up settling on northwest Washington. Then COVID hit, and all our furniture and mattress deliveries were paused, so we quarantined for much of the spring at our home in LA, which thankfully we hadn’t rented out yet. As soon as our mattresses were delivered, we traveled north and ended up sort of camping at the house as we were still waiting on the majority of the furniture orders. Vivian’s nursery was the only room that was complete; David and I were sleeping on a mattress on the floor and I bought a makeshift camping table and chairs from Amazon!

As some of the furniture I had ordered from Apt2B was custom, and the West Elm and Wayfair stuff was delayed due to production issues, by the time we had to cross the border into Canada to quarantine before shooting, none of it had arrived yet! Then the horrible fires started in the US. I knew my dear friend Amanda Schull (from “Suits”) and her husband had been desperate to get their baby out of smoky LA, so we told them to head up to Washington. They thought they’d stay for a couple of weeks but they fell in love with the area just like we did, and ended up staying for over two months. So they were the first ones to see/live with our furniture, and I FaceTimed Amanda on the day most of it arrived to tell her where to have the movers put everything. Her husband George has an amazing camera so he took some high-def photos, and Amanda styled everything. I was so grateful to them for helping me get the house ready from afar and also grateful that we had a safe place to offer such good friends.

Because of Canada’s strict mandatory two-week quarantine, since we crossed into Vancouver in July 2020, we ourselves had been unable to visit our new house. But as a “Grade A Nester” (as my husband calls me) I was anxious to get to it and crossed the border alone for a week at the end of December, even though I’d have to quarantine for two weeks. My grandmother died in December, and like many people around the world, I had to say goodbye to her over the phone. So being able to have that week alone (people with toddlers will understand what a rarity alone, quiet time is), in beautiful Washington to grieve was really beautiful.

The lovely thing about this house is when we relocated from Los Angeles to the Pacific Northwest at the beginning of 2020, I knew I wanted this one to be comfy and cozy and “warmer” — still cool, but less of a mid-century modern vibe than our LA house — and it ended up being that and more, as it was such a safe haven from 2020 for not only ourselves but our dear friends. 

My Style: For anyone who saw our Los Angeles house tour on Apartment Therapy in 2018, you’ll know my style is pretty eclectic, but with a lean toward mid-century modern. Our LA house is Spanish, and the Washington house is more of an English Tudor type, but I think MCM works anywhere because the lines are so timeless.

Inspiration: The deep greens and the warm earthy tones of the Pacific Northwest

Favorite Element: The high, coffered ceilings and large windows in the living and dining room. The Pacific Northwest can be gloomy and rainy for much of the year, and I love that this room always feels bright even when it’s pouring outside.

Biggest Challenge: I had to completely furnish a house from scratch, in a short amount of time. Because of shipping and production COVID-related delays, and because we had friends interested in renting out our Los Angeles home fully furnished, we had to start from scratch in Washington, from forks to furniture, and I didn’t want to spend a fortune.

Proudest DIY: Most of the artwork in the house I did myself, during quarantine. I had a lot of time to kill, and artwork can get really pricey really fast, so I ended up going to an arts and crafts store in my town and bought some canvases and paint and just played around. I’d have a glass of wine and listen to a podcast and just paint. I did the piece over the mantel, the navy piece in the bedroom, the two pink pieces in my daughter’s nursery, the white drip painting in the hallway, and I also spray-painted the pink and cream triangles that hang above my daughter’s crib (they were originally black and white).

Biggest Indulgence: The Aubrey Lounge Chairs from Apt2B. I had never had any leather furniture before this house in Washington, but I was really intent on having some warm brown leather chairs and a dark green velvet couch. I know it’s a little “on the nose,” but I thought it would look great with all the giant pine trees that surround the house. Side note: If you have a large order of furniture to place like I did, and can be patient, I definitely recommend waiting until the store is having a big sale (usually around holidays). Many of these sites do bigger discounts the more you spend.

Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? What’s unique about our home is that because David and I have spent the last seven months in Canada shooting our respective TV shows, it has become a home and a safe haven for various friends and family of ours needing to get out of their cities due to COVID outbreaks or fires. We can’t cross the border back into Canada without quarantining for two weeks, so rather than have our lovely home sit empty, we have been able to share it with others, and we love that.

What are your favorite products you have bought for your home and why? My absolute favorite pieces of furniture in the home are the Berwick dining chairs from Apt2B. I think they’re just so cool and I loved the vintage leather look and the iron frames — I built the entire dining configuration around those chairs. It’s also how I discovered the brand because I had seen the chairs tagged on a designer’s Instagram page.

Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: While we never used this function of Vivian’s nursery bookshelf because her room has a large closet, I thought it was really clever and creative that her Milk Street baby bookshelf came with a built-in, removable closet rod. A lot of people are working with small spaces for nurseries, and baby clothes are so small anyway, so I thought it was a wonderful design element.

Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? Follow accounts of interior designers and design sites on Instagram, as well as hashtags, for inspiration. Then screen grab or flag images you like, and if it’s something you think you can build or paint yourself, do it! Until being quarantined during COVID, I had only bought art by other people. But I ended up getting a lot of pleasure out of “playing” and creating art from scratch for the house in Washington.

• The white paint on the walls is all either White Dove or Simply White by Benjamin Moore

• Evergreen velvet with pecan base couch — Apt2B
• 5×8 rug — Apt2B
• Runner rug under bookshelf — Antique, eBay
• Nesting tables — Apt2B
• Candles — Target
• Side chairs — Apt2B
• Bookshelf accents — Target
• Bookends — Wayfair
• Pillows — Apt2B, with the silver doodads removed
• HG Wells book set — Amazon
• Bookshelf — Apt2B
• Dickens book set — Amazon
• Volda macrame wall art — Apt2B
• Vase — Apt2B
• Brass Planters — Apt2B
• Planters filler — Target
• 40×26 art print — Apt2B
• Moss bowl filler — Target
• Floor lamp — Apt2B
• Basket — Target
• Coffee table books — “Modern Color” by Fred Herzog (a shout out to one of the photographs in our LA house), “On the Street” by Bill Cunningham
• Torro sculpture — Apt2B
• Art above mantel — DIY quarantine art

• Chairs — Apt2B
• Light fixture — ED by Ellen, polished nickel
• Table — West Elm
• Bench — West Elm
• Chairs — Apt2B
• Decorative bowl filler — Target

• Bed — Apt2B
• Nightstands — Apt2B
• Mattress — Avocado, king with pillow top
• Bedding — Pottery Barn
• Dresser — Apt2B
• Curtains (Rhinehart Extra Wide Solid Velvet Blackout Curtains, ivory) — AllModern
• Curtain rod — West Elm
• Lamps — Apt2B
• Runner rug under bookshelf — Antique, eBay
• Accent pillow — Apt2B
• Bud vases — Target
• Dresser books — “Agnes Martin” and “Matisse: Printmaker”
• Art above dresser — DIY quarantine art

• Bookshelf — Milk Street Baby
• Crib — Milk Street Baby
• Dresser — Milk Street Baby
• Wall clock — Apt2B
• Rug — Apt2B
• Rocking chair (beach with walnut base) — Monte Design
• Side table (white) — West Elm
• Accent basket — Target
• Floor basket for toys — Target
• Accent wallpaper — Cavern Home

• Side table — Apt2B
• Couch — Martha Stewart
• Lamp — Apt2B
• Pillows — Apt2B
• Magazine Holder — Apt2B
• Blanket — Apt2B

• Wallpaper — Cavern Home
• Bed (gold) — Wayfair
• Side tables (no longer in production) — West Elm
• Lamp — Real Simple
• Mattress — Avocado
• Accent Pillow — Apt2B
• Bedding — Pottery Barn, white

Thanks Bitsie!

This house tour’s responses were edited for length and clarity.

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