Thalita is an interior design professional who believes in keeping it real. She owns Thalita Murray Design and runs the design and lifestyle blog, The Learner Observer, and if that wasn’t enough, she is also a wife and mother of twin 2-year-old boys. Leaving her job as a school teacher to become an interior designer has proven to be a struggle at times, but a choice that she doesn’t regret. She has been blogging for six years since she became a homeowner and hasn’t looked back… documenting her daily life online for everyone to learn from.

In this family home, you’ll see that Thalita has mastered the balance between having a beautiful house and having a functional house. “I may have white walls, but they get covered in crayons like everybody else’s,” she admits. Being a mother—let alone a mother of twin toddlers—she has struggled, but succeeded, in perfecting the combination of modern and traditional, trendy and classic, and simple and fun.

Our Style: New traditional.

Inspiration: Chris Loves Julia, Studio McGee, Joanna Gaines, Becki Owens.

Favorite Element: I love that our kitchen is in the middle of the house. It’s perfect because literally everything happens around that room!

Biggest Challenge: Other than my two toddlers, our completely off-centered fireplace… and all of the 1970s colors we inherited on the exterior of our house!

What Friends Say: That the family room is such an inviting place and that they want to live in the laundry room!

Biggest Embarrassment: Our baseboards still have unfilled nail holes in them from two years ago!

Proudest DIY: The herringbone brick tile backsplash. Marquis and I worked on that and it took three tries, but we did it!

Biggest Indulgence: We honestly don’t indulge much, so this is a hard one!

Best Advice: Don’t shy away from a trend if it’s something you really love—take it from the girl with shiplap in two rooms! But also, don’t fall for trends just because they happen to be hot at the moment—in short: just stick to what you actually like!

Dream Sources: West Elm, McGee & Co., Rainsford Company, Rejuvenation

PAINT & COLORS
Benjamin Moore — Wrought Iron (bedroom accent wall, laundry room doors)
Benjamin Moore — Simply White (all trim)
Sherwin-Williams — Alabaster (living room, powder room, kitchen, bedroom, entry)
Behr — Dolphin Fin (nursery)
Behr — Peach Rose (laundry room)
Behr – Pink Elephant (inside front door)

ENTRY
Makeover post
Je Ne Sais Quoi pillow — Swell Made Co.
Wall sconce — Canadian Tire
Gold hooks — Anthropologie
Ceiling light — Canadian Tire
Rug — Thrifted
Dresser — Habitat Restore

LIVING ROOM
Sofa — Leon’s
Coffee table — thrifted
Black striped rug — Target
Side chairs — Wayfair
Copper side table — Walmart
Ottoman — HomeSense Tulip Table —Wayfair
Chairs — Thrifted, fabric from Tonic Living
Bench —Remarkable WoodWorks
Curtains — IKEA
Basket — HomeSense
Desk chair — Structube
Gallery wall frames — PosterJack

DINING ROOM
Buffalo check wall post — DIY
Chairs — Wayfair
Dining Table — Leon’s, painted in Fusion Mineral Paint’s Lamp White
Mirror — HomeSense
Vases — Canadian Tire
Hutch — Leon’s
Highchairs — IKEA
Curtains — IKEA
Chandelier — Canadian Tire

KITCHEN
Cabinets — IKEA LAXARBY
Cabinet door handles — Home Depot
Sink — Blanco
Faucet — Blanco
Pot filler — Blanco
Brick backsplash tile — Home Depot
Rug — Casa Alma

BEDROOM
Bed — Leon’s
Linen bedding — Primary
Chandelier — Wayfair
Wall sconces — Wayfair (spray painted gold)
Bedside tables — Leon’s

BATHROOM
Mirror — IKEA
Art — Walmart
Lighting — Amazon
Tile — Home Depot

LAUNDRY ROOM
Cabinet color — Lichen by Fusion Mineral paint
Sink — Blanco
Faucet — Blanco
Wallpaper — Walls Need Love
Rug — RugsUSA
Doors — Home Depot hacked into barn doors as seen in this post
Lighting — Canadian Tire
Vase — AFloral
Storage baskets — Canadian Tire

⇒ House Tour & House Call Submission Form

See More:
⇒ Recent House Tours
⇒ House Tours on Pinterest