I don’t usually write these House Crashing posts, but this home in particular is very special to me. Well, at least it will be over time – it’s my parents’ new house here in Richmond. Since we literally crashed their pad for a few days post-Hurricane Irene (when our house had no power) and have spent many an evening hanging out over there, we figured it was high time we snapped some pics to share with you guys.
That’s Dad and Mom right after moving day back in May (they’ve since painted the lavender door bright red). I’ve mentioned before how they sold their house of 32 years in Northern Virginia (aka, my childhood home) and relocated two hours south in Richmond to be closer to some of their kids/grandkids and downsize to an easier-to-maintain home (part of my mom’s retirement goals was to never have to mulch again). They landed in a beautiful new-ish community of duplexes about 15 minutes from our place and, despite it being smidge smaller, in many ways it feels quite grand in comparison to their previous digs. Just take their half bath as an example.
A lot of the design of the house is courtesy of the previous owners (my parents have been there less than 4 months) and when house hunting, my parents feared their style was a bit too formal for their tastes (their last bathrooms were more of the bold paint variety, not the floral wallpaper type). But somewhere along the way they figured “I’m retired, so who says I can’t have an ornate gold mirror in my half bath?”
We totally dig it. Maybe it’s partially just the pleasure of seeing my parents embrace a new style, but it’s also just fun to go into a house that takes risks or makes decisions you wouldn’t necessary think of for yourself. You know, it helps you stretch a little. And clearly my Mom is learning to love her new look, as she purchased this light fixture from Ballard Designs to replace what the previous owners had taken with them. She said she “never thought that she’d purchase something like this in a million years” but it’s really playful and goes perfectly in there.
Even at just four months in, my parents are making the place their own. For instance, the previous owners left them the great drapes and large ceiling medallion… but no chandelier. So my parents actually moved this slightly-too-large-for-the-space fixture from their breakfast nook into the dining room, where it’s much better suited. Three cheers for working with what you got.
While they’ve definitely had to purchase some new furniture to better fit the space, they’re also have fun mixing in their existing pieces – like this awesome wicker chair scored at Pottery Barn a few years ago. The side table is a new on-sale find from Ballard Design. Sherry has said it’s her favorite thing in the whole house. It has little clawed feet clutching a ball on the bottom, and it is of course her favorite finish (ORB).
That chair sits in the large open living room, which has great lofted ceilings, some sweet built-ins and a cozy electric fireplace.
Of course, the most popular conversation piece in their new home is this custom cabinet. Most of the houses in the development have a little builder-basic white closet here, but the previous owners went all out and had a piece designed using reclaimed wood and ironwork from Caravati’s (a local architectural salvage place). The old owners used it as a liquor cabinet, but my non-drinking parents display frames & dinnerware on its top shelves (those top doors flip open and slide into the piece so they’re invisible) and store photo albums and games in the bottom drawers which are hidden behind the two doors on the bottom.
The cabinet sits beside their kitchen, which has an awesome island in the middle (it houses the sink and dishwasher) as well as a killer pantry cabinet at the far right. Not to mention another pantry closet that’s not pictured (it’s on the far left beyond the magnet board on the wall).
We’re jealous of a lot of things in here – awesome black-but-still-subtly-flecky granite, extra-hight ceilings, stainless appliances, etc, etc. Good thing we get to come over for dinner regularly.
Oh, and here’s that breakfast nook I mentioned that once housed the much-bigger dining room chandelier, which they replaced with a more modestly-sized one from Ballard Designs. And see those colorful chairs? They’re from Pier 1. My mom called us up and said “come see the chairs I got for the breakfast nook, they’re unlike anything I would ever have chosen even a year ago – I’m so in love with them.” It’s so fun to watch them have fun with new things for their new house.
Just beyond those big bright windows in the kitchen is their patio. It’s perfectly sized for them… and the fence is great for keeping the grandkids from running away! We’ve already broken in a plastic baby pool out there (Clara didn’t want to leave).
The second story of the house features a large landing that acts as my dad’s office and a play area when grandkids are visiting, plus two guest bedrooms – including this one that we stayed in during the whole no-power-for-three-days-after-Huricane-Irene thing. It was already painted that warm color (wish we knew the name to share it, but my parents inherited already-painted walls in every room, so they don’t have a clue). Oh but the bed frame is from Ballard Design (my mom likes to wait for sales and use coupon codes).
We didn’t get pics of the other guest room (Clara was napping in it) or the main bedroom (that’s still sort of a work in progress) but maybe someday we’ll snap those for you to complete the tour when my parents have had a bit more time to settle in (they’re such good sports for letting us crash a house they’ve lived in for, oh, 380 fewer months than their last place).
Oh, and I can’t forget one of our favorite features of the house. This is a brick from our old house (removed during our first home’s kitchen doorway widening project) that we gave to them a few years ago. I can’t remember the exact occasion (maybe there wasn’t one) but they’ve had it out on their new doorstep since day 1.
Oh, and in related news, we heard the new owners of my parents’ old home are having a great time there. They’re a family with young kids that are having a blast befriending other kids in the neighborhood, so it seems that the ol’ cul de sac is once again seeing some of the action it had back in the ’80s when my generation was there. Though I did hear that my sister’s old bedroom is now Baltimore Ravens purple. Wow.
Psst- Check out a ton of other House Crashing adventures here, or search through individual rooms for inspiration (by color or type of room) here.
Shannon says
I’m obsessed with that little iron side table!!!! You mentioned Ballard Designs but was it a recent purchase? Online? I just checked their website and couldn’t find it….she wouldn’t happen to remember the name, would she?
Thanks so much :)
YoungHouseLove says
I think it was on clearance so it might been gone now. So sorry! Anyone know the name for Shannon?
xo,
s
Kate says
Here it is! http://www.ballarddesigns.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDetailView?storeId=10052&catalogId=10551&productId=14345&langId=-1&SourceCode=BDSBT1
The Olivia Mirrored Side Table
Andrea says
I think it’s the Oliva Mirrored Side Table: http://www.ballarddesigns.com/oliva-mirrored-side-table/tables/accent-tables/14345
I’ve been gazing adoringly at this table for months now. Can’t believe I missed it on sale!
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, that’s the one!
xo,
s
Krysta @ Domestic for Dummies says
I am obsessed with those wicker chairs in the living room… Gorgeous home! Did you help them decorate any of the rooms?
YoungHouseLove says
Not an inch! Haha. They have great style all on their own.
xo,
s
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
Love their new home. Gorgeous! That cabinet in the LR is absolutely gorgeous!!! Love the whole house. Thanks for sharing with us. :)
Christine says
Beautiful home! It looks like they are having a lot of fun living there. I see where John gets his good taste!
Alex says
My parents are talking about down-sizing and are afraid of moving on from their 20+ years in their home. I will be showing them this post to give them a little nudge in the right direction. I love that your mom is making bold choices. It just shows that we really are never too young or old for good style.
Jill says
My parents are too, Alex. They are worried that they will be downsizing but for the same mortgage payment. And there’s the thought of what to do with all of this stuff!? Some of it they are ready to toss and get things to fit a smaller home, other things are family heirlooms/sentimental pieces. It just won’t all fit in a smaller house. Plus they know the current house needs some upgrades and TLC before putting it on the market. They don’t want to spend all of that money and not get to enjoy it, and it takes away from their fund to furnish the new place. Sigh. When did retirement get so complicated???
Sheree says
I’m not sure which one of you is responsible for the photography, but you could have a career in taking photos of rooms/houses for magazines! I love the way you capture the mood! (and you make everything look pretty)
YoungHouseLove says
Wow – that’s so sweet! usually John takes the pics for House Crashing missions, but it was actually me this time. I’m trying to learn the camera. Slowly but surely!
xo,
s
Jenn @ Frost Bites says
Their house looks great and perfect for empty-nesters. I love the custom cabinet and the kitchen is awesome….just right for 2 people but big enough for family and entertainment.
Shelly says
So charming! Looks like there is tons of light too!
Kristal says
What a beautiful home! And the custom cabinet is awesome :)
Liz says
What a gorgeous house! So glad your parents are closer to you guys now so you can house crash whenever you want. The brick idea is super cute as well. I want to do that for my parents now too.
P.S. thanks for responding to my emails yesterday about the battery awareness campaign.
Mary@TheGoodLife says
Love that blue focal point cabinet. Awesome. How cute that they are being adventurous with their new place. They seem to be the most loving parents. How great for Clara!
So I had another dream about you guys last night. Seriously, it’s embarrassing that this happens. I was talking YHL with my sister on the phone, so that’s what happened! I went to sleep right after that and bam! dream about YHL. It’s to be expected, if you think about it.
Okay, so in this one, you guys had to move for “John’s work”. No idea what that supposedly was, but you ended up buying a house on the beach in Hawaii! I was reading it in the blog in my dream. Of course it came with the “what about our families?” reluctant discussion, but it was pretty exciting.
One of the things my sis and I were discussing is how you can’t really skim YHL. lol. Because then it’s basically three photos of the same bedroom and one shot of a new side table, or something along those lines. The fun part is reading it so that you can laugh when $herdog says “ooo the pillows are horizontal now!!”. And laugh about the name $herdog. So pretty much, we love reading even if you guys go out and start a passionate hobby in roofing or laying cement. Lurve ya.
YoungHouseLove says
Hilarious I love it. We’re actually trying to plan a trip to Hawaii for our five year wedding anniversary. Maybe we’ll love it so much we’ll never come back? Although we definitely would miss our family and our house- so probably not. Haha.
xo,
s
Kristin @ everythingZamora says
The wicker chair is beautiful. Oh and that custom cabinet piece, wow. Thanks for sharing.
Irene says
I love the cheery yellow in the living room.
Amy G says
That was such a sweet tribute to your parents. Not only did they raise a gracious daughter but you’re also teaching them about design!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, John actually wrote this! But they certainly did raise a gracious son (and three gracious daughters who are my awesome sisters in law).
xo,
s
Kathy G says
Maybe it’s time you quit using a byline, and put a J or S poll at the bottom, pop-quiz style. ;-)
Nice ‘rents place! Always good to have family close by, or at least family that you actually like!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- that could be kinda fun.
xo,
s
carolinaheartstrings says
That is beautiful and exactly what I want when I retire. No work!
Katie @ Chai Thoughts says
Wow–what a gorgeous place! I love it. And Ballard Designs! I am perusing their website now and am pretty much drooling.
Sarah @ w30 says
Hahaha – “they figured ‘I’m retired, so who says I can’t have an ornate gold mirror in my half bath?'” Love it! Very cute house with a lot of sweet personal touches. Yay for your folks! :)
Lesley says
Your parents have great style! It certainly does not remind me of my grandparents’ house. Adorable!
I’m in love with that rocking chair, BTW.
Kate says
That cabinet is GORGEOUS. I’m such a fan.
Meredith @ La Buena Vida says
We all know how I love turquoise, and that cabinet is no exception! In fact, I think it’s the coolest thing I’ve seen in a home in a very long time.
Beth says
Your ability to help readers “meet” each homeowner during your crashing always amazes me, but this was my favorite – I love your parents and their beautiful home!
Emma says
Wow! Lovely home. So fresh and open and I love the yellow paint in the dining room. Dude – that blue built-in cabinet looks like a portal to a parallel universe! I refuse to believe there are just framed photos and board games back there :)
YoungHouseLove says
Don’t tell anyone, but it’s a time/space continuum back there.
xo,
s
Jill says
Wow. That cabinet is super impressive. Your Mom has great taste in her Ballards Design purchases. After receiving the catalog for YEARS (and it stopped b/c I never bought anything), I have rediscovered them and am using some of their fabrics in my new bedroom scheme. It is funny how your style can change over the years (I’m normally a rustic/whimsy kind of gal), just the same with your parents! I know my parents have changed but they are waiting to downsize before they go and change everything. I can’t believe it but my Mom was actually pointing out things in my IKEA catalog that she liked. Talk about shock of the millenium. lol
Dayna says
GO RAVENS! Just had to throw that out there. Love your parents house and the idea of embracing a new style. I have inherited a lot of meaningful things that belonged to my mother and her style was way more country/shaker.. almost Amish inspired than mine. It has been challenging (but fun!) to integrate some of those items into my home – I love seeing the way your parents are blending things with the old owners’ style.
Lakshmi says
Their house is in the colors of the beginnings of a Caribbean sunset (gorgeous yellows and blues before the sky explodes into purples and oranges). How perfect for retirement!!
Donna says
Such a pretty house! No doubt they have earned it!
Anna says
It’s such a gorgeous place!! Congrats to your parents John for finding such a lovely home.
Lisa Riley says
I have the exact same rocking chair (by the fireplace) that I scored at a yard sale two weeks ago for 2 dollars. I have ORB’ed it and its gorgeous on my front porch. I actually scored two of them, one slightly different from the other one. I’m wondering who made the rocking chair or where your parents got it from as I know nothing about them! How funny? I will send you some pics of mine that I just ORB’ed. :)
YoungHouseLove says
So funny! Would love to see pics! I think they ordered it from some local company in VA twenty five years ago or so!
xo,
s
Brianne says
The rocking chair is a Bentwood Thonet rocker. It was originally made around the 1860s or so and seems to have been really popular during the 70s. You can probably google some more to find out more about it! I was curious too since we also have the same rocking chair, which my mother originally bought.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for sharing the info Brianne!
xo
s
Sandy says
I am loving those dining room chairs!! Maybe I can still get some at Pier 1!! I love their home. Thanks for sharing.
Karen M. says
Thanks for sharing – what a beautiful new home! My parents are in the process of moving out of my childhood home as well (and into a house across the street from me-eek!). Although it has been incredibly emotional for all of us, I am so happy to see my mom excited about a new adventure in her life. She has already picked out paint colors, backsplashes, furniture. I’ve never seen her or my dad take a real interest in their decorating style. And, thanks to one of your previous posts – my siblings and I are going to honor the memory of our childhood home by purchasing a custom drawing from Jennifer Ward!
Sally says
Did they ever consider moving in with you guys? It seems like between the two houses, there are a lot of empty rooms.
YoungHouseLove says
Nah, I think we all value our independence (probably couldn’t convince them to move in with us if we begged), and we have plans to expand our family, so we’ll definitely grow into this house. With all of the existing and future grandkids (who live everywhere from locally to in NYC) John’s mom & dad are happy to have a place for family sleepovers. They’ve already had both guest rooms filled at least four times!
xo,
s
Jessica Singletary says
Love their house! Especially the half bath! That mirror is to die for! What a great home! Thanks for sharing!
Kristi W. says
It’s so cute that they are really having fun and taking some risks in their new house. Good for them! I think they’ve done a great job! John’s mom really has an eye for design. Please thank your parents for letting them share their house – I know a lot of us readers really enjoy the House Crashing posts. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Will do! We’ll give them a big ol’ hug from you guys. They were so sweet about it (“Really? You want to share our house?”). Always so gracious.
xo,
s
Cheryl says
such a gorgeous home! And your parents seem like they are truly enjoying retirement and embracing their downsized lifestyle — we did the same thing a few years ago and downsized from a 4 bedroom colonial in Northern Virginia to a much smaller 2 bedroom condo in Florida. Love the lifestyle (no mulch and no grass to cut either — and no snow to shovel as well!) Sweet post!
Karin K says
Your parents’ house is lovely, and I totally covet that custom cabinet!!! Oh, how I want it.
Joy says
I have the exact same mirror that they have in the half bath and I also have the same soap dispenser. However, I don’t have the mirror hanging up any longer because it’s a little too ornate for my current style. It looks great in their bathroom, though.
Valerie says
That half bath! I am seriously in love with it, ornate and all.
Nicholin says
I love the house crash, and I’m glad you guys had someplace to stay when the power was out.
Just a comment on knowing what paint colour is in a room: I’ve heard that you should put the paint colour name and brand on the backside of the light switch plate in the room in question. That way you and maybe even new owners will know the _exact_ colour you used.
I’ve been going about it another way: I’ve been creating a file with all the paint chips and fabric samples I’ve used when remodeling/decorating. I even keep the packaging from such things as wall plates to have as reference when I go anywhere.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s such a great tip!
xo,
s
Karen F says
beautiful home, thank you for sharing it with us! and, that built-in is A-may-zing!!
Erika says
Looks like they are doing really well for only having been in their new place for four months. This post reminded me of when my grandparents downsized from their larger home to a two bedroom apartment in a small complex that they owned. It was a rancher style complex that had been built in the 50’s, so they did a few updates to make it theirs. When you showed the pics of the colorful chairs your mom bought, even though she “never would have in the past”, it reminded me of how my nonna had bright colored tiles placed randomly in the otherwise all white kitchen backsplash, something she would not have done in the past either. She said it was “just for fun”.
Hope your parents continue to settle in nicely. It’s so good to have family nearby.
Leilani says
i lalalalalaloveeee their home! Its so beautiful!
Kelly says
Holy crap, I love that powder room! And way to go on that fixture in there. That whole space is formal but fun at the same time. (Really weird for me to be loving that space, as I usually like very clean/modern in a bathroom.)
Sushmita says
the house is beautiful.so light and airy!!
would love to know where they got the following pieces:
the rocker in the living room
the center table opposite the fireplace.
the dining table
thanks!!
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s hoping we can get back to you with that info (or get them to drop in and comment). Someone did comment with the source for the rocker already though if that helps!
xo,
s
melissa says
Wow – That custom cabinet is crazy awesome! I would love to have something like that in my house.
And GO RAVENS!!!
Claire says
wow i LOVE your parents’ house! the bathroom mirror & wallpaper, the chandelier, the gorgeous, ornate door. i could take tips from them!
Aneta says
I am in love with that blue cabinet piece. At first I thought it was a grand door, but gorgeous either way!!! Beautiful house, fantastic furniture, and sparkling clean!
Thanks for sharing!
Aneta
Susan says
Wow. I love every single thing in their house. It’s beautiful! Thanks for sharing! I love the wallpaper in the half bath, and the chairs from Pier 1 are amazing! And the kitchen is great too…
EngineerMom says
So funny on your parents embracing a new style! I was shocked when my mom and dad showed me the very modern couch and chairs they’d gotten from IKEA, especially my dad’s new obsession with fire-engine red! They are the poang chairs, and dad’s cushions are all brilliantly red. He also wants to get a bright red mantle when they find a house (sold their old home, currently renting an apartment until they decide on a new one) with a fireplace!
Emily says
Love their home and their ability to embrace a new style. I’m looking forward to updates. :)
HeatherM says
What a beautiful house!
FYI- did you know you know you can DIY. Granite kitchen countertops (in black with little flecks, or any other color) for half the price of normal granite countertops? We recently did this in our kitchen, and it looks AMAZING! The Tile Shop (an amazing national tile chain and a DIYer’s paradise) has everything you need. They make 24″x24″ tiles (the depth of a standard countertop), the multiple styles of front lip/ bullnose and backsplash. And they are exceedingly helpful. We called the store at least 5-6 times during our countertop installation with questions like “What’s the difference between mortar and mastic, and which one should we use?” and they knew all of the questions that my super-DIY inlaws didn’t know. If you’ve never explored their store, you simply must. You’ll be so inspired by their sleek, creative, and modern designs that you’ll dream of tile projects for the indefinite future.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the tip! We love The Tile Shop!
xo,
s