Adria—who works in UX design and is also the founder of the food and travel blog, The Emerald Palate—says she never considered green among her favorite colors. But when she and Dan—a software engineer—first walked into this house in Seattle’s Ballard area, she immediately knew that the wall in the dining room needed to be green.

Framed, brightly colored posters from local farmers’ markets pop off that wall in a way they just couldn’t have without that green backdrop—as does dark wood from the table and shelving unit, and the gold chandelier. But the earthy forest-green hue in the home’s dining room isn’t the only stunning decor element in the space. This mid-century modern era house also boasts skylights, vaulted wood-paneled ceilings, and cute patterned temporary wallpaper in the kitchen, all combining to create what Adria calls “global mid-century” style.

And while the dining and living rooms are filled with deep colors and satisfyingly sturdy furniture, walking down the hallway into the master and guest bedrooms the color palette gets airier and lighter. (But not without their own bursts of color via great bedding picks. I’ll take that blanket in the master to go, please. And while I’m at it, that green wall and a skylight or two.)

My Style: I call it “global mid-century.” I love neutral, minimalist looks paired with patterns inspired by exotic locations.

I also love vintage. I’m constantly making the rounds looking for that perfect piece, whether it’s at my favorite Seattle thrift shops or a funky vintage store from my travels. I have a deep appreciation for all eras of vintage, but I try to keep the decor I pick in line with the style of our mid-century home.

Inspiration: I get it from everywhere! I’d say it mostly comes from a lot of vintage shopping. I rotate through all my Seattle favorites at least once a month and go to countless antique fairs and shows. All those pieces and displays are a big inspiration source.

I also watch a lot of HGTV (“Fixer Upper” and “Flea Market Flip” are two faves!) and follow a good number of interior designers or influencers on Instagram. Some people that inspire me are Joanna Gaines from “Fixer Upper,” Emily Henderson, Joanna from Jojotastic, Hayley from Neon Doves, Amanda Jane Franz, Jennifer at Flea Market Fab, Heidi Caillier… there are just so many!

Favorite Element: I gasped when I walked into our home and saw the vaulted cedar ceilings, double-sided fireplace, and wall-to-wall windows with views of the Olympic Mountains. It’s my favorite room in the house!

From a decor-item perspective, it’s really hard to choose because I wait until I find something I love before I purchase it. I’m a big believer in surrounding yourself with things that make you smile, and there’s so much of that in my home. For example, I love my Sarreid brass trunk just as much as I love the little bird figurine in my kitchen window!

Biggest Challenge: Patience. I have anxiety and will stare at a blank wall like a maniac wishing it was filled with a picture. But because I want to love everything I buy, it can take time to find the perfect thing.

Sometimes I’ll realized I spent four hours looking for a rug and found nothing! If I find myself doing that, I walk away. It’s best for my well-being, but it means that there’s always something I have my eye on wanting to fill or replace next.

Some of the items I had to stop trying so hard to find are curtains for our back window, new rugs for the bedroom, and art for a gallery wall behind the TV.

What Friends Say: I’ve been told it has a good flow and furniture arrangement. And they always comment on the ceilings and green wall. My one friend described the accent wall as “moody but inviting”… just what I was going for, ha!

Biggest Embarrassment: The kitchen and bathroom. The bathroom is the first thing we want to do. It has this terrible plastic tub that bubbles when you step on it!

I find it funny because we thought we’d do the kitchen first given how much we love cooking. However, after living it in for a few months we realized we’re obsessed with the flow and storage. It’s actually a great, friggin’ kitchen! It’s just dated AF.

So we’re likely going to make mostly cosmetic updates, like replacing the cabinets, counters, and appliances. We already did a quick fix of the terrible ‘90s wallpaper backsplash. I used removable Dalmatian-print wallpaper from Target and it’s really brightened up the space. I love the way it plays off the green wall. Best $30 I’ve spent.

Proudest DIY: Probably repainting our apothecary. It was our first major DIY and I was the cheerleader being like, “We can do it, it’ll be so great!”

Well, we ended up having a breakdown after we spent 18 hours over the course of a weekend and had only sanded and primed it. You see, it has 15 all-wood drawers and a ton of nooks and crannies, meaning we had to sand everything by hand and paint it all.

Let’s just say we were shaking by the end of the second weekend when we finished it. Now we look at it and will sometimes randomly say, “We did that!” We try to ignore that the cherry wood is starting to show through as the paint settled. I’m not sure we’ll ever fix it, ha!

Biggest Indulgence: I think one of the subconscious reasons I love vintage is that I’m terrible at spending a ton of money on furniture or decor. The quality to price ratio is unbeatable!

To give you an example of how resistant I am to spending too much per piece, I stalked a Sarreid trunk for four years because I refused to pay the $1,500-$3,500 they’re worth. I finally found one for $500 at Pacific Galleries.

Most of the things in my home are under $1,000. The only things that are over are my couch and mattress, but I don’t think they hit $2,000!

So honestly, the biggest indulgence was probably paying pros to paint our whole house when we moved in so we didn’t have to do it!

Best Advice: Practice patience and embrace the thrill of the hunt. I always believed every single item in your home should make you smile—even before Marie Kondo hit the scene! So accept that blank space for the few months or years it takes you to fill it. And if you’re able to fill it with something handmade or vintage, even better, because it’ll be better quality and you’ll have a great conversation piece.

Dream Sources: It was my Sarreid trunk, but I finally got it!

LIVING ROOM:
Paint Color — Sherwin-Williams Pure White
Entryway Brass Sconce — Target
Entryway Rug — Target
Records — Vintage finds at various shops and antique fairs
Green & Wicker Plant Stands — Vintage
Buffalo Picture — Kevin Russ via Society6
Arizona Print above Fireplace — Laurie Anne
Large Tweed Rug — West Elm
Small Rug — Found during trip to India
Green Chair — West Elm
White Shag Pillow — Target
Brass Side Table — Target
Concrete Succulent Planter — A maker from the One of a Kind Show in Toronto
Ceramic Marbled Coasters — Tramaker via Etsy
Pouf — Lo Vintage Finds via Etsy
Floor Lamp — IKEA
Wood Plant Stand — Simon & Mouse via Amazon Handmade
White Planter with Chinese Evergreen Plant — Swanson’s Nursery
Wood Plant Stand — Waldmade via Etsy
Electronic Piano — Casio
Burlap Basket — Found during a trip to France
Down Throw Blanket — Eddie Bauer
Coffee Table — Vintage Sarreid brass trunk
Coffee Table Tray — Bought on trip to Ischia, Italy
Kiwi Bird — Crate & Barrel
Wood Side Table — Vintage find at Seattle Antique Market
Lamp — Vintage find at a the Christine Palmer antique show in Portland
Media Console — Vintage teak find from Marketplace in Vancouver, BC
Gray and White Planter — West Elm
Couch — Couch in Ballard
White Throw Blanket — West Elm
Green, Black, and Brown Pillow — Red Bubble
Green Triangle and Leather Pillow — Posey and Belle via Etsy
Black and White Pillow — IKEA
Gray Diamond Pillow — West Elm
Brown Mudcloth Pillow — Vintage find at Fremont Vintage Mall
Brown Plaid Throw Blanket — Pendleton
Vases on Fireplace — Target
Picture on Fireplace — Woman across street painted; picked this up at her estate sale when she passed away
Magazine Rack — Urban Outfitters
Yellow Concrete Planter — Swanson’s Nursery

DINING ROOM AND KITCHEN:
Paint Colors — Sherwin-Williams Pure White and Roycroft Bottle Green
Dalmatian-print Removable Wallpaper — Target
White and Copper Planter — Swanson’s Nursery
Dining Room Table — Ballard Consignment
Lucite End Chairs — Home Goods
Bench — Custom build by Seattle maker Walnut and Oak
Sheepskin — IKEA
Wood Chairs — Vintage find at Seattle Furniture Company
Tapestry — Turkish kilim tapestry found on Facebook Marketplace
Jute Placemats — Target
Ceramic Bowl — Seattle maker Sachi Sunny Creations
Fireplace Painting — Picked up at estate sale from painter across the street
Chandelier — West Elm
Rug — Vintage from Caravan Carpets, a local store in Fremont, Seattle
Hawaii Print — Vintage airline print picked up at Maui Swap Meet
Planter with Snake Plant — West Elm
Farmers Market Prints — Picked up at a Seattle Farmers Market event
Moroccan Patterned Canister — Nordstrom
Ceramic Candle — Hollow Tree from Canada
Abstract Pink Painting — Made by my niece when she was 3 years old
Custom Home Portrait — Lindsay Doodles via Etsy (she no longer has a shop, so I used ShopScripts to get a custom home portrait for my sister when she moved)
Striped Ceramic Canister — Made by me at a paint-your-own-pottery studio
Gold Pig Bookends — CB2 (they have an alligator version now)
Tic-tac-toe — Ballard Consignment
Carnival Swing Print — Caroline Mint via Etsy
Globe Decanter — Amazon
Gold Dipped Cup — Gift from Etsy
Floral Pitcher — Leslie Hand Painted Glass, picked up at Northwest Flower & Garden Festival
White Planter with Air Plant — IKEA
Orange Planters — Vintage find at Apple Annie’s Antique Gallery in Cashmere, Washington
Watering Can — IKEA
Whale Planter — Swanson’s Nursery
Terra cotta Planter with Cactus — Swanson’s Nursery
Black and White Stripe Canister — Picked up at Seaworthy in Seabrook, Washington
Suncatcher — Made by my niece when she was 5 years old
Blue and White Planter with Air Plant — Picked up at Seaworthy in Seabrook, Washington
Bird Figurine — Picked up at Giraffe on Vashon Island, Washington
Planter with Hawthornia Plant — Rejuvenation
Rug in Kitchen — Rejuvenation
Garlic Keeper — Claylicious via Etsy
Artichoke Print — HollyRCreative via Etsy

HALLWAY:
Paint Color — Sherwin-Williams Pure White
Macrame Hanger — Made by me during macrame class with Waverly Knots
Shelves — Safavieh via Home Depot
Colorful City Print — Found during trip to Heidelberg, Germany
Bird Prints — Found on trip to India

BATHROOM:
Paint Color — Sherwin-Williams Buoyant Blue
Cactus Print — Sonia Cavallini via Etsy
Soap — Grapefruit bergamot scent via Handmade La Conner
Green Ceramic — Handmade by Adria’s sister
Polka Dot Canister — Picked up at Seaworthy in Seabrook, Washington
Planter on Vanity — Swanson’s Nursery
Candle — Green fig scent via Seattle Candle Company
Beach Prints — Find during trip to London
Spiky White Planter — Swanson’s Nursery
Santorini Print — Find during trip to Greece
Shower Curtain, Garbage Can, Hand Towel — Target

GUEST BEDROOM:
Paint Color — Sherwin-Williams Pure White
White Dresser — Vintage Craigslist find
Whale Print — Home of DODO via Etsy
Pantone Print — Vintage find during trip to Chicago
Chevron Planter — West Elm
Macrame Plant Hanger — Made by me via a class with Waverly Knots
Blue and White Ombre Planter in Plant Hanger — Swanson’s Nursery
Marble Side Table — Vintage find at Fremont Vintage Mall
Paris Print — Found during trip to Paris
Candle — Panjore lychee scented candle from Voluspa
Tin Art — Vintage find via Olde Good Things in Brooklyn
Bedspread and Sheets — Target
White Throw Pillows — Found during trip to India
Blue throw Pillow — Found during trip to India
Fleece Flannel Throw Blanket — Nordstrom
White Fuzzy Pillow on Chair — Nordstrom Rack
Chair — Estate sale find
Rug — Rugs USA
Pink Abstract Art — Picked up at estate sale from painter across the street
Pink Moroccan Landscape Art — Found during trip to Morocco
Light Fixture — Joss & Main
Mirrored Console Table — West Elm
Retro Teal Fan — Wayfair
Cactus Paintings — Made by me at a watercoloring class with Little Emmy Paints via The Works Seattle (she also sells her own prints)

MASTER BEDROOM:
Paint Color — Sherwin-Williams Pure White
Rug — Rugs USA
Light Fixture — Wayfair
Blue Apothecary — Found on Craigslist, repainted
Owl Necklace Holder — Urban Outfitters
Owl Earring Holder — Urban Outfitters
Tree Necklace Holder — West Elm
Octopus Print — Seaside Prints via Etsy
Cactus Paintings — Made by me at class with Little Emmy Paints
Bracelet Holder — Vintage butter server
Laundry Basket — West Elm
Dresser with Pantone Prints — Vintage find at Homestead Seattle
Pantone Prints — Vintage find in Chicago
Candle — Leslieville scent from Vancouver Candle Company
Pink Rug — Found during trip to Istanbul, Turkey
Hat Wall — Gap (top), found at San Diego farmers market (middle), J.Crew (bottom)
Philodendron Planter — Swanson’s Nursery
Mid-century Wood Plant Stand — Waldmade via Etsy
Two Drawer Side Table — Vintage find at Seattle Furniture Company
Ceramic Trays — Found during trip to Morocco
Lamps — Fred Meyer
Headboard — World Market
Steer Art Print in CB2 gallery frame — Minted
Gray Sham Pillow Covers — West Elm
Sheets and Comforter — Target
White Throw Pillow — Nate Berkus for Target
Blue Polka Dot Throw Pillows — Handmade gift from my sister
Blue Throw Pillow — Found during trip to India
Orange and Blue Throw Blanket — Found during my trip to India
Full-length Mirror — Target
Flamenco Print — Found during trip to Spain
Cement Planter — Swanson’s Nursery
Dresser with fan on it — Vintage find at Classic Consignment in Seattle
Fan — Pelonis
Donkey Print — Found during trip to Morocco
Kangaroo Painting — Purchased during trip to Australia
Canadian Hockey Player Jigsaw Puzzle — Gift from Dan’s mother
Seattle Anniversary Print — Hey Marcus via Etsy
Green Felt Change Holder — Gift from Dan’s mom at One of a Kind Show in Toronto
Blue Chair — Estate sale find
Light Blue Flannel Throw Blanket — Kennebunk Home
Side Table with Steel Legs — Target

OUTDOOR PATIO:
Rug, Bench, and Cushioned Chair — All World Market
White Garden Stools — West Elm
Green Adirondack Chair — True Value hardware store
Birdcage — Vintage find in Mt. Vernon, Washington
White Tiered Plant Stand — IKEA
Pink Pillow — Society6
Blue Dot Pillow — 3B Mod Living via Etsy
Blue and Green Pillow — Target
Neon and Ivory Pillow — World Market
String Lights — World Market

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