Richmond Townhouse Home Tour: Katrina’s Creative, DIY-Filled Family Home
We love showing a wide variety of homes on our House Crashing tours, so when Katrina invited us to explore her Richmond townhouse and photograph the space, we couldn’t wait. She’s a resourceful, creative mom who mixes found and collected pieces with her own DIY projects. Her husband Nate and their son Luke make this house feel thoroughly lived-in and lovingly personalized.
At the entry, a cozy, enveloping wall color—Gauntlet Gray by Sherwin-Williams—sets a warm tone. Rich wood floors span all three levels, a labor Nate completed himself. Vintage fixtures and quirky touches, like wooden shoe molds repurposed as coat hooks, give the foyer an instantly unique, collected feel.
Upstairs, the living room continues the deep gray walls but introduces lighter elements—furniture, the mantel, and lots of reflective frames and mirrors—to keep the space bright. Katrina transformed affordable starburst mirrors with Grecian Gold Rub-N-Buff to achieve a polished, gilded look.
One of the most charming details is a pallet covered in delicate white paper butterflies, which Katrina sourced from Etsy and used to conceal a hole over the fireplace where a TV might have gone. The combination of rustic wood and fragile butterflies creates a striking, unexpected contrast.
Luke’s play area blends old and new: an Ikea bookcase anchors the space, while an old map, an oversized clock, and mason jars painted white and hung on the wall add casual, eclectic charm. It’s a functional, kid-friendly corner that still feels styled.
As you move past the play area, the living room evolves. Below is an image of the space before Katrina and Nate made it their own, followed by the finished look, demonstrating how small choices deliver big impact.
The dark walls help balance the light-colored furniture, and a series of large frames introduces pops of yellow. Katrina made these architectural-looking pieces herself using simple frames, yellow paper, and inexpensive medallions spray-painted silver—an accessible DIY that adds strong visual interest.
Small details abound: a paper-mâché deer head from Z Gallerie was customized with wallpaper scraps and accented with extra butterflies from the mantel, carrying that motif across the room. Katrina’s modifications turn store-bought decor into distinct, personalized pieces.
She’s not shy about making the townhouse stand out. Subtle updates—wide painted stripes inside the kitchen pass-through, burlap curtains crafted from old grain sacks—add layers of texture and character. The grain-sack curtains are reversible in effect, showing designs on both sides and feeling intentionally collected.
From the kitchen, the pass-through provides a great view into the rest of the home. Katrina’s kitchen has gray penny tile that caught our eye, dark wood countertops, painted cabinets with dark hardware, and an enviable built-in banquette. A large white mirror functions almost like a window, and a shelf above the banquette holds woven baskets for extra storage. The overall effect is practical, comfortable, and stylish.
The lighting and furniture selections feel effortless yet refined. The chairs and table were local finds that suit the space perfectly, creating a relaxed eat-in area that’s also great for gatherings and daily family life.
Mirror detail—Katrina scored a great deal at an auction, turning a budget-friendly find into a focal point above the banquette.
While the first and second floors wear the same rich gray, the third floor—where the bedrooms are—shifts to a softer blue (Oasis by Olympic). That color change gives the bedrooms a lighter, airier quality and marks a pleasant transition through the home. Staircase art, including wood planks wired with vintage glass bottles, adds personality to the ascent.
Katrina and Nate’s bedroom features a lofted ceiling, white bedding, and a tufted headboard. A vintage gate repurposed to hold jewelry is both functional and decorative, while a coral-pink lamp picks up tones in Katrina’s homemade artwork—pastel crayons on canvas sealed with clear resin for a glossy finish.
The nursery is gentle and whimsical, with light furnishings and a tree decal kit that Katrina personalized by drawing small chalk “creatures” peeking from the branches. A curtain detail shows Katrina’s playful approach: inexpensive Ikea curtains transformed with Sharpie markers to create a watercolor-like, painterly effect.
Thanks to Katrina for welcoming us into her home and sharing so many approachable decorating ideas. If you’re looking for inspiration—from paint choices and thrifted finds to DIY projects and kid-friendly styling—this Richmond townhouse is full of practical, stylish examples. Our favorite spot? The eat-in kitchen nook—easy, cozy, and perfectly lived-in—while others on the team loved the airy color shift that distinguishes the top floor.
Update: Katrina previously kept a design blog but no longer updates it; she shared it with us during the visit.
