This Vintage-Filled Missouri House Has Seriously Stylish Kitchen Shelves

Written by

Tessa Cooper
Tessa Cooper
Tessa Cooper is a home decor and lifestyle writer and freelance photographer. She's been contributing to lifestyle publications for more than half a decade. Aside from Apartment Therapy, her photos and writing have appeared in digital and print publications such as The Spruce,…read more
published Dec 3, 2021

This Vintage-Filled Missouri House Has Seriously Stylish Kitchen Shelves

Written by

Tessa Cooper
Tessa Cooper
Tessa Cooper is a home decor and lifestyle writer and freelance photographer. She's been contributing to lifestyle publications for more than half a decade. Aside from Apartment Therapy, her photos and writing have appeared in digital and print publications such as The Spruce,…read more
published Dec 3, 2021
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Bedrooms
Square feet

1100

Sq ft

1100

Name: Joshua and Angela along with a Great Dane named Hank, Clyde the mastiff, and Luna (aka Tuna) our cat, though they have been behind on their rent!
Location: Springfield, Missouri
Size: 1,104 square feet
Type of Home: House
Years lived in: 11 years, owned

Photographer and prop stylist Angela Houska and her husband Joshua Widner’s home is like a cabinet of curiosities. The house’s layout has a great flow that invites guests to move through the rooms slowly, almost as if they are on a museum visit, making it an ideal abode to show off their collections. A self-described “collector,” Angela is known for scouring flea market shelves and curating items for her Depop shop, Sol Sister Vintage. As for the goods she keeps for herself, she has a knack for seeing potential in sometimes unassuming tchotchkes, giving them new life with a little buff or paint. Joshua is an entrepreneur with a keen eye for design himself. His cafés and bars are well-known locally for quality drinks and fare, but also for their aesthetic charm.

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Credit: Tessa Cooper

“Our house was built in 1925; we love the original crown molding and overall charm of the home,” Angela wrote. “It’s in a great location, within walking distance of our favorite coffee shop.” Though Joshua and Angela spent eleven years in their collection-filled first house, they have recently moved on to their next dream home: a custom house with dreamy architectural details.

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Apartment Therapy Survey:

My Style: We have a bohemian and Scandinavian style with an emphasis on feeling comfortable and cozy. We love natural textiles and vintage pieces. 

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Inspiration: We take inspiration from any and everywhere; mostly from our travels, nature, art, and Angela’s vintage finds.

Favorite Element: Our favorite element in our home would have to be the kitchen. We love to host and entertain and the kitchen is where all the magic happens.

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Biggest Challenge: A challenge for us would be the live-in remodel phases. Learning how to live among the chaos that happens with a remodel can be overwhelming, especially with two big dogs. We overcome that by spending time outdoors as much as we can.

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Proudest DIY: Our proudest DIY would be the kitchen! Joshua’s grandfather is an incredible carpenter and made all of the open shelving. (At 81 years young, by the way.) He also helped us bust down a wall to open the space up. We had so much fun with him and with the Beatles spinning on repeat during the entire kitchen reno.

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Biggest Indulgence: We splurged a bit in the kitchen on appliances; adding a new fridge and a dishwasher, which was a total game changer after many of Friendsgivings having gone without.

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Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? We were able to convert the spare bedroom into a walk-in closet. Traditional 1920s homes have little to no closet space. We designed custom shelving units to better suit our needs and the space.

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And with no room for a pantry, we utilized the old microwave cubby as a space for food storage.

What are your favorite products you have bought for your home and why? We love our Feit Smart LED light bulb in the living room. It connects with your wifi and can be controlled from anywhere via your smartphone. It allows you to get your lighting just right and you can get creative with changing the colors.

Credit: Tessa Cooper

Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: We love all things beautiful and useful. Yamazaki Home has some amazing storage solutions that are functional and also easy on the eyes. Like these magnetic fridge spice racks! I (Angela) also enjoyed making our spices more aesthetically appealing by using my DyMo and glass jars with wooden lids.

Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? Make good lighting a priority. Proper lighting has the capacity to create a good atmosphere much more than most furniture or decor can. The right lighting can totally transform a space and impacts overall feeling and mood. We live by the rule that our home feels the best at 20% luminosity, so dim those lights and supplement with candles or lamps with warm LEDs.

Resources

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ENTRY

  • Vintage Piano from the late 1800s, it was a St. Louis Show Boat piano
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LIVING ROOM

  • Light Pendant, green storage cabinet and couch — IKEA 
  • Vintage Sting Poster and custom frame — by Grandpa Gordon
  • Arch Mirror — West Elm
  • Monki Body Pot Vase — ASOS
  • Glass Blown Egg art — Deborah Czeresko @dczeey
Credit: Tessa Cooper

DINING ROOM

  • Chandelier — World Market
  • Picasso Boy with a Pipe 1905 Art Print — ETSY vintage frame
  • Ceramic Love Doves — Vintage, Puerto Rico
  • Shelf— Anthropologie
  • Mushroom Lamp — Vintage, Lines & Luminance
Credit: Tessa Cooper

KITCHEN

Thanks, Joshua and Angela!

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