A Bohemian Meets MCM Dallas House (+ Perfect Patio)

Name: Melanie and Dalton Tarver
Location: Dallas, Texas
Size: 1088 square feet
Years lived in: Owned 3 years

Melanie writes: “My home is a mid-century traditional built in 1950. I have lived here for three years with my husband Dalton and two pups, Addie and Mr. Cooper. It’s in East Dallas which has a bit of an eclectic vibe and really feels like an escape from the city without being too far.”

Melanie continues: “Dalton and I have complementary styles — I’m a bit more bohemian to his mid century modern but it mixes well and mid-century style furniture tends to be on the right scale since the house isn’t huge. I work as a photo producer at Wisteria so some of our larger pieces are from there. Our main source though is probably Craigslist — and of course IKEA!”

Our Style: Bohemian meets mid-century modern

Inspiration: I always think back to one piece of advice Emily Henderson shared on her blog — I think it came from a former boss of hers — “pretty goes with pretty” — basically — if you love something and are drawn to it you can be almost guaranteed you can make it work in your space. It can be tempting to run out and buy something to quickly fill an empty space but I try to remember to be a bit slower and buy what I (we) love. Although sometimes you need to run to IKEA and just get a damn rug.

Dalton is a videographer and photographer so he has a really great eye and I always trust his taste and vision.

Favorite Element: The patio — for sure! It was designed by the former homeowners, DJ and Brannon Perkison. It almost feels like a tree house and adds a ton of livable space.

Biggest Challenge: As much as we love all the big trees that have proven to be a bit of work.

What Friends Say: One more drink! Oh, and pass the bug spray — because we love to be outside and the mosquitoes are fierce right now. It’s a catch 22.

Biggest Embarrassment: The garage ceiling incident! Dalton went up in the attic to check on a small roof leak we had fixed from a prior storm and on his way back to the ladder he took a wrong step and went right through the drywall. I went to the garage after hearing the loud crash only to see Dalton literally hanging from the rafters!

Proudest DIY: Fixing…the garage ceiling incident. However, whilst fixing the first incident another small misstep in the garage ceiling again led to yet another incident, but that was promptly fixed as Dalton was already fixing the first incident.

Biggest Indulgence: Can it be a fantasy indulgence? We have dreams of adding a second bathroom — I’ve got it all sketched out. After 10 years together Dalton and I have never had two bathrooms. We joke that it will actually be the end of us if we do it.

Best Advice: To take the leap and buy — it can be a really intimidating process but in the end it’s really rewarding and was a good move for us. Oh! Also, if you love color go with white walls. I also got this tip from Emily Henderson. I used to always paint my walls crazy colors but I also buy tons of color so it could get a bit bonkers. Thanks, Emily!

Dream Sources: I work for Wisteria so as you can see tons of the bigger pieces are from there. They have a great eclectic mix and recently a lot more mid-century pieces that I’m loving!

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