Teressa and Ryan’s Fresh & Friendly Home

Name: Teressa and Ryan Johnson
Location: Boulevard Park, Seattle, Washington
Size: 770 square feet
Years lived in: 1.5 years; rented

Teressa and Ryan’s home is a tiny wonderland of sorts. Theresa is the owner of Cashmere Floral Designs in Seattle, and her beautifully arranged designs are peppered throughout the space, adding a natural warmth to their DIY home. Nestled on a quiet street in Boulevard Park, the house is small but perfectly styled, warm and friendly.

Handy with a toolbox, Ryan built most of their most artful furnishings — including the bookshelves in the living room, the hacked IKEA cabinet, and the bulletin board in the new nursery. The couple’s personality and love shine through in every aspect of the house, from artful gallery walls in the bedroom to sweet messages on the baby’s bulletin board.

A perfect extension to the tiny house, the backyard is enormous, with room for vegetable gardening, planting flowers, and sitting with a drink on the porch — plus lots of room to play with a little one! It was an absolute pleasure to explore this happy home — enjoy!

Our Style: We love to put found items to use in functional, beautiful, and thoughtful ways. We like to use the things we own, so, if we fall in love with something vintage or random, our rule is that it must have a purpose and it must make sense. Otherwise, the stuff stays “stuff” and just collects dust. This has helped us streamline our belongings and allowed us to stay in such a small space without it feeling cramped.

Inspiration: Italy. hand-made imperfection. nature. color.

Favorite Element: We love that everywhere we look in this tiny space, a blend of our taste and our stories as individuals and as a married couple is represented. While some pieces might be purchased from a retail store, nothing feels generic or transitional, or just plain old “vanilla.” Yet at the same time, there is continuity and everything looks like it just belongs.

Biggest Challenge: Hosting guests because there’s no space. Also, inviting people over to watch movies. Our TV is portable and only 15″. We’re not the movie party house. We’re the good food, good conversation house (which we prefer).

What Friends Say: I get asked to help friends with their places. I also got asked to do a boudoir photo shoot in our home because the client loved the look and mood of the home. My favorite compliment to date: “This place is so friendly… so YOU! It’s a happy little home.”

Biggest Embarrassment: Seating more than 4 in the living room is sometimes embarrassing because while we might be able find places to sit, it never looks comfortable. I always feel bad about that.

Proudest DIY: The whole place is DIY! Ryan made everything that’s cool in this house. We are a good team- I have the vision, he has the execution. I love the birch trees in the bedroom, the bulletin board in the office/nursery, the walnut wrapped cabinet, and of course, the built-in bookcase. We did all of those as a team.

Biggest Indulgence: Yellow suede sofa. Our first official piece of new furniture.

Best Advice: There will always be something you like. In order to buy it, and bring it home, it needs to make your heart sing.

Dream Sources: Porta Portese flea market, Rome, Italy

ALL:

• Crosscut Hardware
• ReStore

Thanks, Teressa and Ryan!

(Images: Andie Powers)

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