100+ Plants and Two Dogs Fill This Interior Designer’s Bright and Peaceful Home

Name: Lindsay Wallstrum (founder of Leaf + Lolo, a full-service interior and plant design firm), husband, 2 dogs, 100+ plants
Location: Petaluma, California
Size: 2,100 square feet
Years lived in: 4.5 years, owned

My husband and I bought our home four and a half years ago. We took our time finding the right space for us and our two dogs. After visiting many open houses, I finally wrote down exactly what I wanted in a home. When we went to the open house of our now home, I knew it was the one—despite the dated appliances and wall-to-wall carpet. I could see past all of this and appreciate the potential.

Once the place was ours, my husband (Kyle) and I got to work on making it our dream space. He and his father replaced all of the carpet with flooring (Fun fact: I brought a tuft of dog fur when choosing our floor as I wanted to best camouflage all the shedding!)

I went to town on painting the house and over time it came to life. I think the most important thing to remember is that it takes time. I still constantly make tweaks to spaces and that’s okay. It’s a constant evolution!

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Bright, calm, peaceful

What is your favorite room and why? Our family room. I love how happy it makes me. It gets amazing light, which means lots of plants everywhere. The house came with a wood-burning stove with brick and built-in shelves surrounding it (which we painted white). I have some of our favorite photos, travel mementos, and items we have collected/are meaningful to us on these shelves.

I recently rearranged our room to make it the focal point vs. the TV. This was a game changer.

If you could magically change something about your home, what would it be? I would add skylights! Which in my book means, more plants! We still have to redo a couple of our bathrooms and kitchen, but those will come with time. Skylights are not at the top of the list so it would be magic to have that done!

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? I finally found a rug for our family room from Rugs USA, throw from Target, and runner from Anthropologie.

Any advice for creating a home you love? Number one piece of advice: Take your time! As with anything, I’ve found that rushing into things doesn’t lead to my best work.

Taking the time to find the right pieces, whether it’s furniture or decorative styling items, will lead to a happier and more cohesive space. Because if it makes you happy, how can it be wrong?

Thanks, Lindsay!

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