A Stunning City House Tour: a house log

We are back with an amazingly vivid home to share, and this one is in fact located in downtown DC. We had a blast meeting and greeting Adam and Amber, and of course when they showed us around their Capitol Hill rowhouse we could not contain our excitement. Here is the glad couple now…

But back to the whole “could not contain our excitement” thing. Do you see why? This is the view as you step inside. Their home is a modest 1000 square feet but they certainly squeezed all the beauty and function that they could out of it. Everything from the small scale sofa to the mini dining room that they created (the round table can in fact accommodate six people in a pinch) makes their home usable yet oh so striking. And touches like oversized art and a giant lamp add interest and play with proportions in simply the right way (if everything was mini it would not look half as chic).

We also enjoy how the single step up into the dining room delineates that area from the living space without closing anything off. And even the airy iron banister keeps things feeling open so your eyes can sweep through every corner of the space without interruption when you enter. Of course the mirrored buffet, the leggy metallic dining chairs, the glass based lamp, and the delicate chandelier keep the airy and spacious vibe going strong.

And have you noticed how sweet that table setting is? Amber is in fact an excellent event planner, which did not surprise us a bit. Every nook and cranny of her house was inviting and insanely charming.

But this home is not simply straightforward on the eyes, it is full of genius small space ideas. See that eggplant colored chest to the right of the flatscreen TV? It is in fact where Adam and Amber keep all of their TV components so they can swiftly be hidden behind closed doors when they entertain. It is a strong solution for anyone looking to mount their TV above a fireplace without leaving their DVR box out in the open nearby. And the icing on the cake is that the deep plum colored component cabinet was in fact an affordable Craigslist find. Jealous yet? Yeah, we were too.

Oh and the view as you climb the stairs is fairly remarkable too. Looking down on their living and dining spaces truly emphasizes how well they’ve used every inch of their home without creating that cramped and cluttered feeling that could certainly sneak up on anyone with this modest floor plan.

But onward and upward. Literally. Here is their second floor hallway that connects the guest bedroom/office to their bedroom (on the other side of the house). We were especially smitten with those two-tone doors (which Amber simply taped off and painted with the same gray color – Stonington Gray by Benjamin Moore- that she used on the walls to accent the six panel detailing). Is not it architectural and lovely? And it is such a low-cost (free, in fact) project for anyone to take on with their extra wall paint and some blue painter’s tape.

And did you notice that pop of orange on the hallway chest in the photo above? Let us take a closer look shall we? Amber in fact loves making brooch bouquets with vintage pins that she finds on ebay or at the flea market. All she does is use green floral wire to attach them to wood skewers and then she uses green floral tape to wrap the whole skewer for a stem-like effect. Mix in a few real blooms and you’ve got the most charming little bouquet around.

But on to the guest bedroom slash office. Do not you enjoy that bold peacock blue? We adore how fearlessly it pairs with the punchy pomegranate colored CB2 daybed. And a collection of mixed and matched art along with a patterned curtain and a printed pillow truly finish off the room in style.

We cannot forget the bathroom, full of cheerful pops of green and a printed shower curtain to keep things interesting. An abundance of white tempers these splashes of color and pattern for a fresh and vibrant effect, and we enjoy that the bathroom is fairly much as it was when they moved in (no major bucks were spent renovating) so it truly shows that sometimes simply a few accessories can amp up a space and make it feel crisp and current in a snap.

And behind yet another lively tone on tone door, we bring you their bedroom…

The especially tall ceilings are accented by dramatic high-hung drapes, and Amber plans to Hands-on a giant upholstered headboard (using this walkthrough) for the wall behind the bed to balance out the height on the window wall (fingers crossed that she sends us photos of her masterpiece when it is completed!).

And we noticed a second door related Hands-on project that we enjoyed, this one involving those metal radiator sheets that you can buy at any home improvement center on the low-cost. Adam simply cut out the horizontally slatted tops of their closet doors (they did not like their shutter-like appearance since the rest of the doors in their home were of the flat six-panel variety) and inserted the patterned metal pieces in their place.

And they are lucky to have two closets in their bedroom, so it feels pleasant and balanced to have one set of metallic doors on each side of the room. Especially since Amber stores her two extra dining chairs in the bedroom (which have the same hammered gold tone as the metal door inserts).

As for the kitchen, it is still a work in progress. But Amber has promised to send us some follow up photos down the line when they at last tackle it. And speaking of fearlessly tackling Hands-on projects, Adam had in fact simply completed this brick patio in their backyard simply a day before our arrival. How’s that for made-it-myself mojo? Of course they still have to get some furnishings (and Adam’s even talking about building in a grill area) so we will be sure to share those photos whenever they get ‘er done.

And because we know you folks appreciate a source list, here is some info on the paint colors and furnishings that grace Amber and Adam’s lovely home:

All paint except for office (including door trim): Benjamin Moore’s Stonington Gray, office paint: Benjamin Moore’s California Blue, liv. room couch: Crate & Barrel, pillows: West Elm, coffee table: secondhand store, side table: Target, lamps: Crate & Barrel, leather chair: TJ Maxx, purple TV component piece: Craigslist, tall floor lamp: Ikea, cowhide rug: Craigslist, dining table: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, chandelier: Craigslist, mirrored buffet: Horchow, dining room rug: Dash & Albert, dining room art: Crate & Barrel, dining chairs: purchased at a deep discount from an event rental company, office daybed: CB2, hallway dresser: Crate & Barrel, hallway lamp: Ikea, hallway floor mirror: Ikea, shower curtain: Marimekko, bath accessories: Target & vintage finds, bedroom curtains: Anthropologie, bedding: Martha Stewart for Macy’s, throw pillows: West Elm and Land’s End.

So there you have the latest house that we paraded through with our camera in tow. We enjoy how inspiring other people’s spaces can be (from providing two totally unique and chic door makeover ideas to brooch bouquets and even TV component hiding ideas). Plus the fact that they saved money by DIYing things like the back patio and were not afraid to look on Craigslist for items that would not break the bank is the icing on the cake. Thanks so much to Adam and Amber for generously inviting two house-loving strangers into their home to poke around! There is nothing we’d rather be doing. Now lets play the what is-your-go-to-part game. Everything about their home is simply so stunning it is hard to pick simply one fave…

Psst- We are consistently on the hunt for a mouthwatering house (or ten) to crash, so if you or anyone you know has a casa that is feature-ready simply shoot us an email along with some photos of the space and if we are ever in the neighborhood we will be sure to drop in.