Kristy’s Home with “Comfort and Character”

Name: Kristy
Location: South Tampa, Florida

My husband Marc and I bought our 1960s ranch home over a year ago in the up-and-coming Port Tampa City area of Tampa, Florida. Marc is a pool designer and I own a home staging and interior styling company, so it was important to us to choose a home that catered to our design tastes…. a quaint and modernized cottage home with an open floor plan and timeless features. Our three bed, two and a half bath with ample home office areas and a “clean slate” for our collected decor treasures was a perfect fit. Though the designer in me would describe our style as “Eclectic Farmhouse”, we simply surround our home with things that make us happy and a “style” emerges.

Our Sputnik chandelier, seemingly an eyesore when we first moved in, is now one of our favorite pieces in the home. The working original fireplace and navy-backed bookcases provide the perfect showcase for our constantly changing decorative favorites. The art above our bed, gifted by my father, is an original “Highwaymen”, a group of 1960s African-American artists who sold their wares on the highway during the peak of the civil rights movement. Our Ikea cabinets and farmhouse sink stay true to our budget-friendly farmhouse aesthetic, and our mis-matching furniture pieces provide comfort and character. A layered, collected look abounds in navies, blues, grays, and yellows. I feel GOOD when I’m in our home… which I share with my clients all the time. Design isn’t about how a room looks, it’s about how it makes you FEEL.

Thanks, Kristy!

• Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy? Contact the editors through our House Tour & House Call Submission Form.