House Crashing: Where Soft Meets Bold: a house log

Yay! We at last went through over 1,000 photos that we snapped during our ATL adventure and we cobbled together the first of a few House Crashing posts for ya. This one is all thanks to Jae, who lives in the Atlanta area, and invited us over to snoop around and take some pics. Her house is an excellent example of embracing color and boldness in some spaces, while balancing it with light and airy rooms. Such a lively mix. So without further ado, let us get crashing…

Look, here is Jae to welcome us in. She could not have been sweeter in person. We were laughing the whole time we were there (Katie B came too and we all chatted like old friends). And you know we enjoyed her yellow door!

When you step into the foyer, there is a boldly painted dining room on the left, with bright patterned curtains and plenty of cheerful art. This house totally “happies you up” the second you step inside. And the black and white striped rug mixed with those black frames was such a lively play with all of the white trim and beadboard going on as well. See, Jae is all about the mix.

Here is another shot of her vivid dining room, complete with a dining set that she found on craigslist (she painted and upholstered the chairs herself)!

I told you Jae has a strong sense of humor. We laughed so hard when we saw “House Crashed!” written on her chalkboard in honor of our arrival.

I was in love with all of the over-sized glass vases that Jae had collected over time and sprinkled throughout her house (some with fresh and free branches from outside). Now we are in the eating nook of her soothing and serene kitchen. I could totally have sat down and helped myself to some tea and biscoti. But I resisted in the name of chatting up Jae to learn more about her house while John snapped away in the background.

Here is the other side of the kitchen, complete with glass fronted cabinets, fairly flecked granite counters…

… and the most vivid mosaic marble tile for the backsplash. Seriously I petted it. Could not. Assist. Myself. And perhaps my go-to decision in the whole space was the black window sash. It was STUNNING in person. This excellent shot of drama in a serene and airy space. In other words: momma likey.

Here is a shot of the peninsula area with industrial stools, a stainless range hood, and fairly corner shelves for all of Jae’s fairly things.

Off of the kitchen was this laundry room/pantry (the left wall had floating shelves that were so handy for kitchen leftovers like dishes and bottled drinks and stuff). And check out that clothespin chandelier inspired by ours. We totally blushed. It was an excellent little room. And for those with wood trim, we were glad to see it here- so you can see how wood trim looks pleasant with other wood-colors accents (like the wooden clothespins that make up the light and the wood-toned woven basket on that shelf on the left).

Speaking of dark trim, Jae’s living room in fact had dark brick, and original wood trim along with a wood fireplace surround! Again we were glad to see it since so many homes we crash seem to have white trim going on. This space certainly still felt crisp and welcoming while also being cozy and warm. And Jae talked to me and Katie about poly-staining the wood (so it is all a richer tone, like dark walnut) since her husband does not want to paint it. Sounds excellent, right? Here is hoping she keeps us posted! Oh and that fairly mirror above the fireplace is from Ross and the next item on Jae’s to-do list is to replace that fan.

This is my go-to detail of the living room, since everything from the cork-filled glass lamp to the pop of blue in the purse and pouf (from Joss and Main) made me smile. Oh and the console/desk is from Target.

Now let us make our way upstairs to the serene and fully welcoming bedroom. Is not it like a breath of fresh air? Jae and her husband brought in the wainscoting to the back wall to ground the bed, which was in fact free! Yup, she traded her old bed with a friend who liked hers better since she preferred this sleigh bed that her friend owned. Talk about a smart trade. I enjoyed that. And see that skirted table next to the bed? Totally a low-cost-o thrift store table that she and her mom slipcovered for a pleasant elegant look. You’d never guess a tired old table is hiding under there.

And once again, being true to her playful side, I enjoyed that Jae used ornaments as monograms to mark her side of the bed and her husband’s.

Oh and this is a sneak peek into the bathroom that they are still in the middle of renovating (here is hoping she sends pics when they are all done). We could not take a panned out shot of the room since it was half-done, but we convinced Jae to let us share this detail since that double sink is in fact a dresser that her hubby converted into a vanity by adding two sinks and faucets along with a slab of granite to the top. Cannot wait to see how the whole room turns out!

So a large thanks goes out to Jae, for so graciously letting us snoop around and snap pictures to share with you folks! You can see more of Jae’s excellent house on her journal. But first let us play the what is-your-go-to-part-game. Mine is totally that black window sash in the kitchen and the charming come-hither laundry room (yes, in person it in short seduced me). And John cannot get over their remarkable kitchen and that excellent double sink that they DIYed.

Psst- Addicted to snooping? You can check out over 30 other house crashing adventures here.