Meg & Joe’s “In Full Bloom” House Tour

Name: Meg, Joe, & Wells Piercy and their toy poodle Jack
Location: Uptown; Chicago, IL
Size: 2,400 square feet
Years lived in: 1 year; owned

In Meg and Joe’s living room, there’s a blackboard with a family friend’s delicately drawn reminder to “live life in full bloom,” and the Piercys have certainly taken this advice to heart. With a two-year-old, a small business that’s rapidly expanding, and a number of other obligations, they are frequently on the go, which one might expect to lead to a slightly chaotic home. But on the contrary, Meg and Joe’s condo–like its owners–inspires, invigorates, and immediately puts you at ease.

Classic, tailored features like neutral living room seating and mid-century case goods mingle with decidedly glamorous elements. A gallery wall of antique mirrors, crystal chandeliers, gold accents, and a brass and glass dining table showcase Meg and Joe’s love of metallics and sparkle. A scented candle (“Bob’s Flower Shoppe” by Trapp Candles) made the house smell of springtime, petals, and cut stems, and soft sunlight filtered into all the rooms, including those on the lower level, making their home feel even fresher and more spacious.

This timeless elegance gives Meg and Joe’s home a sense of calm, sophisticated comfort. Yet their home is certainly not prim or starchy. Soft textiles, cushy furniture, and down pillows invite guests to linger, while playful touches give their home a sense of levity and joy. Hot pink lampshades in the living room (an homage to Emily Henderson’s bedroom lighting), a striking teal headboard underneath a gilded battle scene, an under-the-stairs play nook for Wells, and a sign in the stairwell that commemorates Meg’s mother’s tenure as Miss Kansas all add humor and personality to their home.

The key to this frolicsome yet chic mixture is, in large part, due to Meg and Joe’s ability to find bargains, as well as a solid knowledge of how to fix up old items to make them look as good as new. A passion for thrifting, a keen aesthetic sense, and a love of DIY projects led Meg to her hobby for repurposing and refinishing furniture, which quickly became a thriving furniture design business. After storing and selling their bulky wares from their home for a year, Meg and Joe recently opened a retail space for their company, MegMade (pictured below).

The love of well-crafted antiques gives a definite sense of history to their home, and in addition to the many amazing bargains that they’ve scored over the years, Meg and Joe have incorporated a number of family heirlooms–like the dresser in Wells’s room and the stunning eighteenth-century French stove in the guest room–which have woven even more love and respect into the fabric of their home. And truly, this is a house filled with a sense of love. Meg and Joe are warm, sincere, and open people, their son Wells (who was at daycare during the shoot) seems to be perpetually happy and smiling, and even Jack, their 6-pound toy poodle, is a cheery, affectionate little fluffball.

There are a number of items and ideas from their home that I would have liked to make my own, but one of my favorite concepts relates to the typographical art in the master bedroom. Each year, Meg and Joe make a new promise to each other that helps them work on areas where they may have been lacking. By hanging these promises up as a daily reminder, they are able to act more intentionally and supportively toward one another. It seems to me that it is precisely this type of care, collaboration, and mindfulness that has made their home into such a unique and inviting space.

Our Style: We like fun and functional, with a little pop of bright. When people come over we want it to exude joy and comfort. Put your feet up and relax.

Inspiration: I love everything about Emily Henderson, Summer Thornton and Mandy from Vintage Revivals.

Favorite Element: I love a deal, so I think the things I like the most are the ones that were steals. I love the medicine cabinet and the bronze floor lamp, but then again I love our Rattan basket chair and our son’s fort under the stairs. My favorite changes weekly.

Biggest Challenge: We’ve had several, but lately, hanging wallpaper. We almost got divorced over it…just kidding, but they make it look easier than it is for sure!

What Friends Say: Our friends love coming over to see our latest creation and everyone always comments on the joy they feel in our home. Mission accomplished!

Biggest Embarrassment: Our master bathroom is our least favorite part of our whole house because it still has the old orange tile squares everywhere and is poorly laid out, but we are saving up for that one!

Proudest DIY: We remodeled our whole downstairs bathroom. Next time we will not choose the smallest subway tile because it took forever.

Biggest Indulgence: Because most of our pieces are vintage and deals, our biggest indulgence was our West Elm couch and we still got it for a phenomenal price.

Best Advice: Don’t decorate all at once, do it in stages, that way you can think through each room and not rush. Find what you love, don’t settle.

• Couch: West Elm
• Herringbone chairs: Salvation Army and re-upholstered by Slipcover Source
• Coffee table: MegMade
• Behind couch table: MegMade
• Lamps with pink lampshades: Salvation Army
• Medicine cabinet: Brown Elephant Resale Shop
• Chicago map with wedding location: Etsy
• Pillows: MegMade
• Hallway wallpaper: Thybony
• Lamp: Mercantile M Salvage Shop
• 3 matching mirrors: Crate and Barrel
• Mirror Wall: Redeemed Vintage
• Wolf bust: Cody Foster

• Buffet/credenza: MegMade (Salvation Army and painted Benjamin Moore Black)
• Cabinet: Crate and Barrel
• Chandelier: Auction
• Big vase: Crate and Barrel
• Plates and chargers: Grandparents
• Persian rug: Parents
• Mastercraft table: Salvation Army
• Chairs: Craigslist from Neiman Marcus

• Paint color: Celery Salt by Behr
• Light fixture: Lowe’s
• Appliances: HH Gregg
• Owl cookie jar: Target

• Pillows: West Elm
• Headboard: Brown Elephant and lacquered Seaside
• Lamps: Target, Nate Berkus
• Painting: Auction
• Chandelier: Auction
• Empty frame: Redeemed Vintage
• Blanket: Slipcover Source Chicago
• Side dressers: Auction

• Couch: Craigslist
• Ottoman: HomeGoods
• Lamp: Redeemed Vintage
• Floating TV Stand: IKEA Vanity with Wood Top
• Frames: Target
• Rattan basket chair: Brown Elephant
• Magazine rack: Craigslist

• French stove side table: grandparents
• Bedding: Ralph Lauren
• Pillow with our wedding invitation: wedding gift from London
• Wardrobe: Auction
• Lamp: Auction

• Crib: family
• Dresser: Grandparents
• Shelving: DIY
• Chicago Poster: Ork Posters
• Bicycle Poster: Neighborly
• Bicycle tire: thrifted
• Rocking Chair: Salvation Army
• American flag: Grandparents
• Hope chest: Thrifted

• Hallway dresser: Auction
• Silver bowl and tray: Auction
• Mirror: MegMade
• Picture Frames: IKEA
• Thomas Table: Family
• Wall cabinets: IKEA with an added wood top
• Shelves: IKEA
• Couch: DIY
• Car rug: IKEA

Thanks, Meg & Joe!

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