What's your favorite part of the house?
I love the whole home! I love the kitchen, and the fact that you can stand in the kitchen and see into the living room (I love the living room, bright and colorful) and into the playroom (painted pink!) and into the office room (with our great old desk and a collection of old globes).
What colors did you use in the house?
Yellow, orange, pink, red, blue, green. All of them! I love lots of color. I love bright pillows. I love soft yellow painted walls. I love fun upholstery. I love pink. my husband has gotten used to that, I think.
What part of the house causes the most disagreements?
We've had to negotiate on lots of things. But I did finally get to paint an entire room pink, and I have been adding pink accents here and there. Maybe he doesn't notice. But our standing argument is that my husband would like a bigger TV. I say no.
What's in your fridge at all times?
Lemons, Chai, and something with chocolate, I hope! I usually have some kale and celery and lettuce for salads or for juicing. We have assorted condiments: ketchup, mustard (I like spicy, my husband likes yellow), soy sauce. Butter, definitely butter. More Chai, or some kind of iced tea.
What is your neighborhood like?
Austin TX is a great place to live! It is a wonderful, vibrant, artsy and musical city. I like it that the unofficial motto is "keep Austin weird."
We moved here from NYC five years ago. We loved New York, but after having a couple of children, we decided to hightail it out of the city and raise a family in Texas. I love cowboys and I love cowboy boots.
We live in central Austin, in a neighborhood of older homes built in the 1930s, small lots, sidewalks with children riding bikes and young mothers strolling their babies, a grandparent walking a dog. Its a wonderful place to raise a family.
What is your home like?
Our home was built around 1930. It has lots of light, nicely proportion rooms. It is a brick house, and the front of it is covered with ivy. I love that. We have a swing bench in the front yard, and an oak tree that is great for climbing.
Because it is Texas we can spend time outside year round, so in the backyard, we have a kind of outdoor living room with a couch, some chairs, a hammock, a ceiling fan (also blows away the mosquitoes) and a rug. We have some bright throw pillows that are made out of oilcloth, and that is key, because the squirrels have ripped open most of the other pillows to grab the stuffing and use it for theirs nests. But I still like squirrels.
It is a two story house, four bedrooms, a fireplace upstairs and down. It reminds me a bit of my grandmother's house and I loved her and I loved her home, so I like that it has that association for me.
I have decorated it with lots of items from nature, shells, and branches, cool crystals, beautiful stones, wooden furniture; lots of vintage pieces, an old desk, some cool lamps, a farm table, a vintage chandelier; and lots of handmade and homemade things -- my children's framed watercolors on the wall, handpainted plates my grandmother gave me, a bright orange embroidered pillow found at a thrift store. It's nice to have things that bring nature inside, or that bring happy memories to us.
I try to be mindful of how I decorate my home, and I try to make it a loving and peaceful place.
I really do believe that there is hardly anything more important than home is. Home is about love and about nurturing yourself and your family. I feel grateful to have a home and to have one that feels beautiful to me.
Tips and Tricks
- decorate with nature
- decorate with vintage
- decorate with homemade/handmade
- following those three points above will make for a warm, welcoming and inviting home!
- but in the end, for a happy and loving and beautiful home, The Beatles said it better "All You Need is Love"
