A Former “Neon Pet Disco” Turned Family Home

Name: Lisa, her husband and their two kids
Location: Wilmington, North Carolina
The basics: 4 years, owned — 3,100 square feet

Lisa and her husband purchased, what sounds like a pretty busted foreclosure property but you certainly wouldn’t know that from the current state of things. Their home is full of vintage and global finds, and the space is bright, breezy and casual, yet pretty.

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: We purchased our home almost four years ago, as a foreclosure. It was an absolute disaster. Every room was a different shade of a neon color, and the carpets were still wet with animal…accidents. Since then we have redone and refinished almost every surface of the home ourselves. It is a far cry from the neon pet disco it once was. Now it is white and bright, with natural textures and neutral colors. The renovation gave us the courage needed, to finally fulfill our dream of owning our own home decor boutique and design business. We own and operate Threve Mercantile and Interiors in downtown Wilmington. Our entire life revolves around making our house our home, and helping others do the same, and we wouldn’t change a single thing.

What is your favorite room and why? Our family room. It connects to our kitchen and is literally the heart of the home. My favorite thing is to be in the kitchen cooking, while the kids and my husband are running around or hanging by the fireplace.

If you could magically change something about your home, what would it be? I would love to have the exterior painted! It’s at the very bottom of our to do list. We have plans to paint the brick a creamy white, and I just think that is going to be an incredible transformation.

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? I got an incredible carved wooden Antique Chinese student bench for the store. As soon as I opened the package, I knew it was coming home with us. It is insanely gorgeous. There is even Chinese lettering carved under the seat, where I imagine bored little students occupied themselves.

Which fictional character would be most at home in your place? I honestly tried to come up with a super artistic, and cerebral sounding answer to this question. The truth of the matter is, my current fictional character roster consists of the cast of Disney’s Moana and Marvel’s Avengers. I’m pretty sure, if you put any of them in our house, my kids would follow them around chanting and singing their praises. Then my husband and I would probably turn on some records and cook some food. That’s bound to make anyone want to linger a little longer, I’d hope!

Lisa’s words of wisdom: Try not to scour social media for ideas. If you are looking to buy something for your home, ask yourself if you love it. If the answer is yes, buy it! Don’t worry about trends, or what is hot right now. Put things in your home, that you love, and that makes you happy. That is what home should be. A place filled with things and people that will make you smile.

Thanks, Lisa!

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