When Julia invited us to tour her home—a quintessential Pennsylvania cookie-cutter house on the exterior where she’s limited in what she can change, even the front door color—we fell in love as soon as she virtually showed us inside.
Julia shares the house with her husband Jarrid, their 10-year-old son, their six-year-old daughter, and three cats. The home strikes a delightful balance between quirky, playful details and elegant, classic choices.
The palette is mostly soft neutrals with white molding, but unexpected touches—like a cardboard deer head alongside a crystal chandelier—bring personality. You can glimpse the living room down the hallway in this shot.
I love how classic pieces—a round mirror, a tufted sofa, and a white pedestal table—sit comfortably with bold geometric patterns like the rug and the curtains. Julia painted the curtains’ stripes onto plain Ikea panels, and the transparent coffee table keeps the room feeling light and airy. Most of her furnishings come from thrift stores and estate auctions; the notable splurges were kitchen counters, the sofas, and the bed. Ikea also plays a key role in her resourceful decorating approach.
She’s even managed to keep orchids thriving—no small feat—and when living with two kids and three cats, she opts for indoor/outdoor rugs because they’re simple to clean and durable.
Julia describes herself as a fan of whimsical decor—cuckoo clocks, gnomes, and deer figures feature throughout the house—which adds a joyful layer to the otherwise refined interior.
She converted a lamp into a chandelier above the sink, and the counters she splurged on are showcased here. She also painted a blue stripe on the stools—such a sweet, personalized touch.
Upstairs, a hallway connects the bedrooms. The ceiling fixture there was crafted from a bowl by Julia, and she painted the dresser and lamps to coordinate. A painting in the hallway, from a German WWII-era artist who knew her grandmother’s family, is one of the home’s most treasured items.
In her daughter’s room, Julia rescued a headboard from a neighbor’s trash and refreshed it. She painted horizontal stripes on the wall and paired them with narrower black-and-white stripes on the headboard and bedding for a bold, coordinated look.
Opposite the bed is a curated art wall, displayed with a simple wire-and-clip system that makes it easy to swap artwork as tastes change.
Julia enjoys hands-on projects with her daughter—one example is a cuckoo clock they painted together and then hung in the girl’s room. Those collaborative projects add sentimental value and make the home feel lived-in and loved.
She’s still hunting for bedside tables the right size and is considering reupholstering the chaise herself. Meanwhile, lofted ceilings, an elegant chandelier, and DIY family portraits above the bed bring warmth and personality to the master space.
Julia painted a dresser in a bold color and added neon handles for a fun contrast. She mounted white animal heads on wood slices from the craft store for extra visual interest—playful touches that reinforce the home’s eclectic vibe.
The backyard is lush and inviting, and there’s a particularly awesome feature for cat lovers: Julia built an outdoor cat enclosure with a wire tunnel that connects to the house via a cat door in the living room window. The cats clearly enjoy their outdoor playground.
Thanks to Julia and Jarrid for sharing their charming, creative home. Jarrid prefers baking, cooking, and yard work over DIY projects, so their skills complement each other well. Julia documents many of her projects and methods on her blog, and standout details from the tour include the bowl-made light fixture, the painted striped Ikea curtains, and that ingenious cat tunnel—likely a favorite for many readers.
