A Maximalist ‘Grandmillennial’ Apartment in a Historic House Is Absolutely Filled With Art
Name: Jaime Lynn Henderson and my mini golden doodle Henry
Location: Warrenton, VA
Type of home: Apartment in historic house
Size: 1,200ish square feet
Years lived in: 1 month, renting
Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: I just moved to a beautiful old home in the tiny horse and garden town of Warrenton about 45 minutes outside DC. I am an artist who moved from Chicago to live closer to family and enjoy the countryside’s inspiration. My “two bedroom” unit is technically two living rooms with an added-on kitchen and bathroom to make what was once the formal and informal parlors of this old house into a stand-alone apartment. I’ve always been a sucker for a good gallery wall and have collected favorite vintage and thrifted art over the years to combine it with my own personal artwork or friends’ artwork from my years in Chicago as an artist (I got my MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2009).
I now work from home in this beautiful apartment with Henry the Goldendoodle and my two gorgeous old gas fireplaces (the entire reason I rented this apartment)! I’ve always lived in big cities where I’ve only been able to afford a studio apartment but now that I have two large open-concept rooms to enjoy, I can actually use one room as a den/painting studio and have enough room for my easel and supplies! It’s a dream. I love being at home and being surrounded by all my favorite things. My philosophy is more is better and there are no rules about what you can and can’t hang on a wall.
Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Grandmillennial eclectic colorful artistic vintage
What is your favorite room and why? The main living room—I love the airiness, high ceilings, and light pink accent wall with the fireplace. It’s been an extra joy to have the fireplace ledge to use to lean artwork against to get even more of my favorite pieces and prints up in the space!
What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? Two vintage prints in old gilded frames at an estate sale—one is a large dramatic Flemish-style oil painting of a floral arrangement and the other is a beautiful long pastoral landscape of a red barn!
Any advice for creating a home you love? There are absolutely no rules. Fill your space with things that make you smile and use your space however you see fit that accommodates your lifestyle. For example, the rooms in this old house have very, very little storage so I’ve used the huge built-in china hutch to house all my shoes! Works just fine for me.
This submission’s responses were edited for length and clarity.