House Crashing: A Brilliant Bungalow (Take Two): a house log

You may remember when we took you on a virtual tour of one of our go-to homes ever- this charming bungalow in Charlotte.

It belongs to our friends Matt & Kristin (and their adorable pooches Simon & Sage):

And we simply cannot get sufficient of it. Hence the second post. You might remember some of the vivid spaces like this…

And this:

And this (see the whole original House Crashing tour right here):

It is a seriously unforgettable home, right? Which must be why when we found ourselves back at their casa for another visit about a year later we re-saw so many things and kept thinking “that is such a genius idea.” So much so that we in fact chose it was worth pointing out five genius decorating ideas a la Matt & Kristin that you can easily implement in your own home. It is sort of a part two of the tour mixed with some pointers about what Matt & Kristin do to truly make their house stand out- so you can shamelessly steal their crafty tricks for your quite own abode. So without further idea we bring you five genius why-did not-I-think-of-that-ways-to-pimp-your-place:

Idea #1: Group bold art for a cheerful and graphic gallery effect. Every time we visit Matt & Kristin we are inspired to save up for some real art. They do not break the bank on the original pieces that they collect, but they are not afraid to spend a little money for one of a kind canvases (in fact they enjoy gifting each other strong art for birthdays and anniversaries). And they truly know how to make it even more impactful and eye pleasing- by hanging similarly strong and colorful pieces together in a semi-balanced-but-still-unusual arrangement (the two smaller frames under the bigger one in the middle is simply “off” sufficient to look oh so right). The best part about this idea is that if you do not have any cashola saved up for other people’s original art you can consistently make your own by purchasing a few distinct sized canvases and using bold hues to color block plain shapes and designs for a similar effect.

Idea #2: Who says interior doors have to be white? Not Matt & Kristin. In fact every single interior door in their house is stained a vivid ebony color- and it totally makes every space in their modestly sized bungalow pop with drama and definition. It does not hurt that they have lovely interior french doors that lead to their office…

… but even bifold closet doors look extra elegant with that moody black tone- and basic bedroom and bathroom doors look special as well…

So go ahead and stain your natural wood doors the same ebony hue (or paint your white ones a rich dramatic black tone- like Benjamin Moore’s Black Satin or Deep Caviar). It might be simply the splash of sophistication that your home is begging for.

Idea #3: Window sashes can be black too. You may have even noticed Matt & Kristin’s excellent black window sashes from the exterior picture of their bungalow that we shared above. But even if your house does not have true black sashed windows, there is nothing that says you cannot paint yours – especially the interior frames (assuming they are metal or wood, which will both take a few coats of latex paint beautifully). So go ahead and slap on some rich black paint (and scrape off any drips that get on the window panes with a straight razor). It is kind of like eyeliner for the windows- so stunning and crisp. It is certainly an remarkable way to add definition to your space. And if you have vinyl window frames you can still add a dose of deep sophistication with white curtains or roman shades that are lined with crisp black ribbon (we enjoy when the ribbon runs around the perimeter of either one- and you can even Hands-on that detail with iron-on hem tape and a thick roll of ribbon from the craft store). Or you can even opt for black curtain rods to bring that elegant linear effect to your home in a snap.

Idea #4: Personalize your pendant. Kristin picked up this pendant at a local shop in Charlotte that in fact offers a ton of distinct fabric options when it comes to their drum shades. And we enjoy that she went with something a bit more daring than the average white or cream shade. So go ahead and spring for a special patterned pendant for the room that you are looking to amp up (we enjoy Stacy Garcia’s stunning designs) or even recover a pendant light that you already have (or pick up a low-cost drum shade and give it some serious style with less than a yard of fabric). Here is an old post all about recovering a lamp shade – see, it truly is something you can do yourself. Bam, you are one step closer to having this remarkable breakfast nook…

Idea #5: Create A Vivid And Functional Drop Zone For Cards & Letters. Kristin adored this deep wooden bowl (the orange tone was what truly won her over) so she snatched it up without truly knowing what she’d use it for. Then she noticed a pile of cards and letters from friends & family and tossed them into the bowl (and placed it in a pleasant convenient location in her front hall). The result was a sweet collection of correspondence from enjoyed ones that Kristin simply did not have the heart to toss right away (“it feels so mean to open a card, read it and then simply throw it away”).

Now she has a bona fide landing spot for all those cards and about once a year she goes through them and keeps only the few that truly should be saved for good (and tosses the rest without feeling nearly as bad since they were enjoyed in the bowl for a while instead of being promptly discarded as soon as she opened them). Plus it is truly lively for her to go back through all those letters and cards at the end of the year one more time. Is not that a smart (and sweet) idea? It is one part organization, one part sentimental and one part straightforward on the eyes.

So there you have it. Five quite doable ideas that you can pick and choose from to supe up your house Matt & Kristin style. What do you folks think? Do you have any go-tos that you are itching to implement? Are you shamelessly dreaming of moving in (do not worry, we threaten to do that every time we visit). Or have you spotted any other straightforward ideas in their home that anyone can do (or come up with alternate ideas that you’d enjoy to toss into the mix)? Spill it.

Psst- Cannot get sufficient of virtually making your way through other people’s homes? We cannot either. Which is why we compiled an whole page full of every House Crashing adventure that we have taken on to date. Glad house snooping…