Jenni & Jeff’s Contemporary and Modern Austin Farmhouse

updated Feb 20, 2019

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About this tour

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Home Type

Location

Style

Bedrooms

Square feet

1497

Sq ft

1497

Name: Jeff and Jenni Swedlund and their son, Decker
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 1,497 square feet
Years lived in: 2 years; Owned

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Jenni and Jeff come from different parts of the country—Seattle and Chicago—but met on common ground when they were both living in California. Six weeks after Jenni moved to their beach town, they met in a sequence of events involving tequila shots, mistaken advances toward a waitress, a whispered coaxing from a friend, and an ocean swim.

(Image credit: Breanne Johnsen)

The couple married four years later and moved to Austin not long after in search of the American dream of settling down and bringing a bundle of joy into the world. Only a year later, they purchased their first home and found out they were pregnant with their son, Decker!

Jenni decorated the home from top to bottom and realized that her true passion was interior design, so she started an online interior design company, Shilshole & Co.

(Image credit: Breanne Johnsen)

Apartment Therapy Survey:

Our Style: Contemporary/Modern Farmhouse

Inspiration: Beach meets Texas Traditional

Favorite Element: Breakfast nook in kitchen

Biggest Challenge: Baby-proof design

What Friends Say: Love the subway tile and kitchen nook, great dining table, “Where did you get the dining room light fixture?”, and “It feels bigger than it is!”

Biggest Embarrassment: I’ve never swept under the rug in the dining room! It’s gross. Haha. And I kill all the plants in our house on a regular basis.

Proudest DIY: The kitchen nook. We made the benches out of IKEA shelves and made the padded cushions!

Biggest Indulgence: West Elm couch and Pottery Barn rocking chair. But they get sooo much use.

Best Advice: Great design doesn’t have to cost a lot. And if you get stumped, ask for help from friends or a professional. Don’t be afraid of interior designers! I started my company, Shilshole & Company, for people who want to save money but still have a gorgeous house to come home to. Online interior design is a fast, inexpensive, and easy way to design your spaces from scratch or just give it some updates.

Dream Sources: Love everything from West Elm, some things from Pottery Barn, lots of things from Target, and really love Magnolia Farms, the boutique from HGTV’s show Fixer Upper’s Joanna Gaines just north of Austin in Waco.

Resources

(Image credit: Breanne Johnsen)

PAINT & COLORS

Living room: Olympic Grey Ghost
Dining room: Olympic Riverdale
Front door: BEHR Marquis Pageant Green
Guest room: Seagull Grey

(Image credit: Breanne Johnsen)

ENTRY

Console dresser: Salvation Army
Lamps: Target
Mirror: Target

(Image credit: Breanne Johnsen)

LIVING ROOM

Couch: West Elm
Rocker: Pottery Barn
Pillows: West Elm
Fur blanket: Pottery Barn
Rug: West Elm
Coffee table: Craigslist, whitewashed by Jenni
TV console: Target
Storage benches: Overstock.com
Ghost Chair: Kartell
Stump side table: made by Jenni’s best friend, Allison Beal, from a plaster stump she found at a garage sale
Light fixture: West Elm
Side table: Target
Lamp on side table: Home Goods
Wall hanging: Hand-made
Jeff and Jenni’s wedding photos: by Fondly Forever Photography
Pool photo: by Jenni
Cactus illustration: Renegade Craft Fair
Frames: IKEA