Sarai shares a home with her partner April, and their adorable 10 month old pup, Lambo. During the week, she is a 6th grade English teacher and on the weekends, she’s a home consultant. Ultimately, Sarai loves helping others to feel more at home in their own spaces, and she’s partnered with brands such as Bloomscape and Everlane. You can follow her on Instagram @apron.saint for all the lush plant tips and fresh, modern minimalist home inspiration you might need.

“There are so many things I love about this place: the view, the block, my fantastic neighbors, my very short commute to work, proximity to my mom’s house. However, the huge south-facing window in the living room is what sealed the deal for me. The light and the layout created the perfect conditions for my plants and I to grow. When my partner April moved in a year later, it really started to feel like home. Immediately, it became ‘our space’ and we started looking for ways to maximize square footage and to squeeze every ounce of happiness out of our life together here.”

My Style: Mid century, minimal, and green.

Inspiration: I wanted my home to feel lush and inviting, but also uncluttered and minimal.

Favorite Element: My favorite element is definitely my plants. They add life and vibrance to the space in a way that decor and paint alone cannot.

Biggest Challenge: Our biggest challenge here is definitely square footage. We don’t have an additional storage unit. Everything we own is here in this condo and sometimes it can be a little tight. Navigating co-working from home was an adventure.

Proudest DIY: At the beginning of quarantine, we painted our bedroom. We wanted it to feel larger and sunnier. We did the walls in a bright white and carefully painted our circular “headboard” by hand in a cheerful yellow. There was a lot of careful measuring involved. Other DIY projects included mounting our own television, and hanging the light fixture in our bedroom. I’m the resident furniture assembly expert while April’s steady hands are perfect for paint jobs.

Biggest Indulgence: The biggest indulgence was definitely our recent kitchen remodel. It was totally worth it. I love to cook and I needed a kitchen that reflected that. We also hired painters for our two-tone living room walls. I knew the lines had to be crisp, and I didn’t trust myself to execute that. Hiring painters feels like an extravagance, but I think sometimes it can be worth it for that professional finish.

Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? We use our sofa as a clever room divider to break up living and dining areas. If you’re on the rug, you’re in the living room. Everything else is multipurpose space. We both ride fold up bikes that fit neatly on wall mounted racks and our clothes hamper is built into the linen closet. Everything has its place.

What are your favorite products you have bought for your home and why? My favorite thing to buy for our home is great candles. Scent is really important to me. Right now, my favorite is the cardamom and vetiver candle from Paddywax. It’s become sort of a signature scent.

Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: People mistakenly believe that to maximize space, you have to use all of it. That’s not true. Empty corners actually feel really luxurious in a small home. They are delightfully minimal. The idea is, if you have things crammed into every corner, you’re not really living small. We try as much as possible to create a few empty spaces in our home.

Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? Every small space needs a big mirror. Mirrors are like portals to bonus rooms you can peer into but not enter. They add light and dimension to your space. You will notice that mirrors are strategically placed opposite from windows in my house to double the natural light.

• Living Room — Sherwin-Williams “After the Storm”
• Bedroom — Valspar “Yellow Songbird”

• Brompton Bikes

• Nomad Sectional by Burrow
• Kettle Coffee Table by Burrow

• Tate Dining Table — Crate and Barrel
• Cylia Dining Chairs — Lulu & Georgia

• “Pressing Matters” — Artist Symphony Johnson framed by Framebridge

• Jones Six Drawer Dresser — Inmod
• Andover Side Table — Poly & Bark
• Light fixture — Colorcord

• Hemnes Sink Cabinet — IKEA
• Light fixture — Colorcord

Thank you Sarai and April!

This house tour’s responses were edited for length and clarity.

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