Young House Love

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House Crashing: A Brilliant Bungalow (Take Two)

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

Exterior Bungalow Shot

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

Meet Matt And Kristin

And we just can’t get enough of it. Hence the second post. You might remember some of the gorgeous spaces like this…

Dining Nook Eat In Kitchen

And this:

Formal Dining Room

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

Craft Room Wrapping Paper S

It’s 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’s such a genius idea.” So much so that we actually decided it was worth pointing out five genius decorating ideas a la Matt & Kristin that you can easily implement in your own home. It’s sort of a part two of the tour mixed with some tips about what Matt & Kristin do to really make their house stand out- so you can shamelessly steal their crafty tricks for your very own abode. So without further idea we bring you five genius why-didn’t-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’re inspired to save up for some real art. They don’t break the bank on the original pieces that they collect, but they aren’t afraid to spend a little money for one of a kind canvases (in fact they love gifting each other great art for birthdays and anniversaries). And they really 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 just “off” enough to look oh so right). The best part about this idea is that if you don’t have any cashola saved up for other people’s original art you can always make your own by purchasing a few different sized canvases and using bold hues to color block simple shapes and designs for a similar effect.

Living Room Sectional Bob M

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 gorgeous ebony color- and it totally makes every space in their modestly sized bungalow pop with drama and definition. It doesn’t hurt that they have lovely interior french doors that lead to their office…

KK Ideas Black Doors

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

KK Ideas Blackdoor2

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 just 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 awesome black window sashes from the exterior picture of their bungalow that we shared above. But even if your house doesn’t have true black sashed windows, there’s nothing that says you can’t paint yours – especially the interior frames (assuming they’re 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’s kind of like eyeliner for the windows- so stunning and crisp. It’s definitely an amazing 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 love when the ribbon runs around the perimeter of either one- and you can even DIY 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.

KK Ideas Black Window Sash

Idea #4: Personalize your pendant. Kristin picked up this pendant at a local shop in Charlotte that actually offers a ton of different fabric options when it comes to their drum shades. And we love 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’re looking to amp up (we love Stacy Garcia’s stunning designs) or even recover a pendant light that you already have (or pick up a cheap drum shade and give it some serious style with less than a yard of fabric). Here’s an old post all about recovering a lamp shade – see, it really is something you can do yourself. Bam, you’re one step closer to having this amazing breakfast nook…

Dining Nook Eat In Kitchen

Idea #5: Create A Gorgeous And Functional Drop Zone For Cards & Letters. Kristin adored this deep wooden bowl (the orange tone was what really won her over) so she snatched it up without really 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 nice convenient location in her front hall). The result was a sweet collection of correspondence from loved ones that Kristin just didn’t have the heart to toss right away (“it feels so mean to open a card, read it and then just throw it away”).

Kk Ideas Cards1

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 really 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’s really fun for her to go back through all those letters and cards at the end of the year one more time. Isn’t that a smart (and sweet) idea? It’s one part organization, one part sentimental and one part easy on the eyes.

Kk Ideas Cards2

So there you have it. Five very doable ideas that you can pick and choose from to supe up your house Matt & Kristin style. What do you guys think? Do you have any favorites that you’re itching to implement? Are you shamelessly dreaming of moving in (don’t worry, we threaten to do that every time we visit). Or have you spotted any other easy ideas in their home that anyone can do (or come up with alternate ideas that you’d love to toss into the mix)? Spill it.

Psst- Can’t get enough of virtually making your way through other people’s homes? We can’t either. Which is why we compiled an entire page full of every House Crashing adventure that we’ve taken on to date. Happy house snooping…

Comments

  1. Yansy says

    Thanks for sharing youngsters! I love this home and all of the amazing touches you share with us.

    P.S. Love how the nursery is coming along. Your little bean is going to love it!

    Reply

  2. shannon says

    this post makes me so excited for 2 reasons:

    1. i love when you house crash. love it.
    2. kristin and her hub’s house was my favorite house you have crashed so far.

    so imagine my excitement when i get to see this precious house in round 2. her style is exactly what i imagine for my house someday. and i love all of her ideas!

    thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  3. Michelle @ Design Palate says

    Thanks for the responses, Sherry and Kristin. If you’ve got another moment, K, I’d like to ask a question on re-upholstering. I once got a fabric rocking chair and matching square footstool re-covered and it cost more than $600 for the fabric + labor. I haven’t done it since due to cost. Did you have a pro recover your wingback chairs or do it yourself? If the former, is $600 bucks typical?

    Reply

  4. Briony says

    Charming home. I am in love with their sectional sofa and sad that I’d have to live in Ontario or BC. to get it. Thanks for the inspiration!

    P.S. Brittany Gegan’s paintings are awesome!

    Reply

  6. malibou says

    I also have a bowl for snail mail, though seeing yours makes me think I will be looking for something a bit groovier than what we use now.

    I have also taken to reusing cards I get throughout the year by cutting off the picture and gluing it on to cardstock to make a new card.

    Reply

  7. Erica says

    WOW! I love those black doors! I love black, but I never thought about black doors! They are so dramatic looking. I’m a little jealous! How do you get to go into these gorgeous houses?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We usually house crash people we know (in Kristin’s case she and Matt are great friends of ours) but sometimes we get people who submit photos of their home to be considered for a house crashing session, and if we’re ever in their neighborhood then we set something up. It’s so fun to explore so many amazing homes and share them with you guys!

      xo,
      s

  9. Jennecca says

    Hi I love YHL! I am a young house owner and was wondering how you tell what type of house you have(i.e. bungalow) and then how to find the traditional detials to bring out in them? Would really welcome the advice, Thanks.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hey Jennecca,

      Well there are all sorts of homes! Foursquares, ranches, ramblers (which are slightly different than ranches), bungalows, split levels, colonials, victorians, etc. The best way to find out what you have is to do some google research or even find a book at Barnes & Noble or the library that explains the characteristics of each one and allows you to hone in on yours. Then you can most likely see some gorgeous inspiration images of that type of house in the same book- and if not you’ll then have a term for your house that you can google (or you can find another book all about that style of casa). Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  10. Wendy says

    What a beautiful home, inside and out! And I love the “cottages” that are so deceptive in their size.

    I’m a big one for artwork so I’d definitely steal that idea first. But what I really want to steal is the gorgeous art in the breakfast nook of what looks like is a sandpiper. Love it love it love it!!

    Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  11. tammylee says

    Just wondering if KK has any pictures of the exterior of their home before they worked their magic. Or did the home look like it does now when they bought?

    Reply

  12. Kelley says

    I live in Charlotte & so many of these homes are torn down for larger,less interesting home. Happy see one lovingly restored. Would love to paint it.

    Reply

  13. krstn says

    Dreamy! :) I have a question for your friends though – what do they do with their Wandering Jew plant (that purple one) in the winter? I have a few inside ones and am contemplating putting one in a container outside on my porch – but where do I put it in the winter, when cold weather can kill it? (Cold weather in the garage could kill it too)

    Reply

  14. KK says

    Jennifer – The black bookcase in Idea #2 is from our trip to market in Hickory. The maker of the bookcase is Four Hands. They are based out of Austin, Texas.

    Melissa W / Tammy Lee – This is our second home and although we loved redoing our first home, we bought this one when it was already built and completed! So we didn’t pick out the baseboards or touch anything for that matter. :) I can tell you that they are 8″ high. 7″ from the floor to the part where it curves and then the curved part at the top has two “lips” vs. just a plain quarter round.

    Michelle @ Design Palate – As far as recovering wingback chairs, I HIGHLY recommend a professional do it for you. The pattern on my wingback chairs is one that has, what they call a “repeat”. So I needed to make sure the fabric was “repeated” perfectly. If you have a stripe or dot or something where you can’t see where the fabric repeats, you could brave it yourself. But if you spend $$ on fabric, I think it’s best for something more complicated like a wingback for you to hire a professional. I did not spend $600 to recover my chairs, however, my fabric was $24/yard and I think in the end I ended up spending $450 per chair with the fabric and recovering costs. Which is great considering the chairs were free from my Mom.

    Krstn – We have a wandering jew plant? HA! Thanks for letting us know.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Definitely semi-gloss. Flat paint on doors and trim is a no-no since it’ll instantly look dirty (and semi-gloss is a lot more wipeable and durable). Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  17. Rachelle says

    Love the bungalow. My husband and I are in a bungalow in Austin, TX that was “renovated” about 25-30 years ago. The dimensions from our street view look similar to the bungalow here. So much of it head-scratching that its difficult to figure out what the best way is to improve it. So, my questions to Kristin and Matt: what condition was your house in when you bought it? What renovations/additions were already there and what did you do? Would it be possible to show us the square footage of the original plus additions and/or a floor plan (ala YHL)? Sorry if I missed this in the posts – but I’m curious about how other people have approached their bungalow designs and redos. Thanks!

    Reply

  18. KK says

    Hi, Rachelle.

    Austin, Texas is where my heart is. So if you want to swap homes, we’d be up for it. ;)

    Our home looks small from the front, but it’s 2400 square feet. It just goes straight back. It’s considered a “mill house”, which means it has a long hallway in the center of the house leading to lots of rooms off each side of the hallway with a great space and master across the back.

    We bought our house brand new. It was originally 700 square feet. The guy who redid it was going to live here and then decided to sell before they moved in.

    Sorry that probably doesn’t help, but there are so many great homes in Austin. I’d suggest going to open houses of homes similar to yours and see how they’ve redone theirs.

    Reply

  19. Melissa says

    Not sure if anybody else already mentioned this… painting the frames by some window manufacturers will void the warranty. So, if your windows are still under warranty, be sure to check!

    Reply

  20. Barbz says

    John and Sherry,

    Kudos for a beautiful crashing! Love the confidence, creativity, playfulness and vibrant energy of this lovingly photographed space.

    I’d also like to offer my appreciation for your keeping the comments section, snark-free and positive! I love Apartment Therapy (which is how I found your site), but am often disappointed by some of the snarky comments by those who choose to attack anything that isn’t stark, white and uber modern! Viva color, comfort and personality!

    And, aren’t the dogs just the cutest? Nothing like a sweet puppy dog or two to make a house a home, as the ever-adorable Burger-meister demonstrates!

    They are in our lives but for a short time… and live in our hearts forever!

    Hearts,
    Barb

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Barb! We certainly do our best to maintain a drama free zone over here in the hopes of keeping things happy. Sometimes it’s hard because everyone has an opinion (and saying things online is a lot more anonymous than saying them to people’s faces) but we’re constantly impressed by how amazing and supportive our readers are of each other!

      xo,
      s

  23. Lisa says

    I love every detail of their home!!!!
    We have been playing with the idea of painting our doors black as well. We have a colonial and i’m just wondering if it would look ok and do we leave the interior of them white?

    Thanks,
    Lisa

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We would definitely do both sides of the doors black since we think they might look a bit hodge-podged and odd if one side is black and the other side is white. If they’re all black on all sides they’ll become sort of a strong neutral feature in every room, and we think they’ll loo great in a colonial.

      xo,
      s

  24. Handy Man, Crafty Woman says

    love the bowl w/ cards and letters that she keeps out for a year. sadly, we don’t get too many of those anymore… seems like everything is email nowadays. I miss letters and cards (and I do send them myself sometimes.)

    Reply

  26. Lauren says

    Hi Sherry and John,

    Becoming addicted to YHL. :)

    WHERE did Kristin get her couch?

    Also, random question for you…what kind of camera do you use? Shopping for a new one and asking around, and thought I’d ask you guys too!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So glad you found our blog! You can find the answer to your sofa question right here in the comments (just scroll up or head over to her original House Tour where she answered those questions) and as for our camera, that info is on our FAQ page (click the tab under our blog header to see more). Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  27. Meredith says

    just found your blog today and i spent HOURS looking all through it when i really should have been cleaning my house! i also live in charlotte (cotswold area), so it was fun to see this “house crash”! i had a question about her pendant light, but saw it answered above– City Supply is now on my list of stores i need to go check out!

    i’m sure you are told this a million times a day, but you have an amazing talent and i absolutely LOVE your design style. i looked all through your house tour and i’m now inspired for some new projects in MY house! i also really appreciate that you make your remodels so affordable. there’s a lot of great design sites out there that are fun to look at but i know i could never afford any of the products they used. with yours, every time i clicked to find out where you got a product, i got a big grin on my face because they were all within a price range that i could justify! love it! we’re currently working on redoing 2 bathrooms and i’m struggling with ideas, but your bathroom remodel pictures are really helping out! i’m thinking of using this dresser for our vanity (http://www.westelm.com/products/g009/?pkey=cdressers-nightstands-vanity) with the sink that you used from overstock! THANK YOU!

    Reply

  28. Kimberly Pinkerton says

    I love their eclectic style! I was just very surprised that the drum shade light costed them so much money. It is very easy to make those lights with a light kit and shade of choice. Even better, you can get an old light fixture and remove all but the chain, wire, and ceiling mount and just attach your new modern/graphic lampshade. I made one from an old brass chandelier and a gorgeous silk graphic lampshade. Total cost was below $25.00 for mine. I have seen lots of great shades at Target, Marshall’s, and on sale at Potterybarn. Potterybarn’s tend to be just solid colors but they are around $20.00 on sale. Why not paint your own graphics to jazz up a plain drum shade?

    Reply

  29. Jen F says

    Hi, I have looked everywhere to see if they said where they got their dining room rug, and I can’t find it anywhere. I have been looking for something similar for my dining space and haven’t been able to find one….thanks so much!

    Reply

  30. blinkhead says

    What a lovely bungalow house, i’ve never seen house like this before, I really want have a house like this. surely my girlfriend will love this bungalow house cause she is want have a small house with beautiful design. Thanks

    Reply

  31. Funmilayo says

    Love the Ebony door idea! might have to copy that one, whenever I finally decide on a color for our walls :P
    The bowl idea is quite functional too, I wonder if we could pull that off as a general mail holder in our foyer..hmm
    thanks again!

    Reply

  32. Seane says

    I have lived in many Californian bungalow and to this day they remain my favorite as far as the three bedroom, lounge dining and kitchen layout is concerned. They have bones that allow you do design the interior in so many different styles. Wonderba! Just love this era.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Turn off the electricity to your entire house (not just that room- just to be safe) and connect the similarly colored wires along with the grounding wire. Just be sure you know what you’re doing beforehand by googling around for a tutorial or getting a simple electric 101 book from the library for free. Safety first! Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  34. MichelleS says

    Where did that beautiful chest of drawers in the entryway come from (the one with the orange wooden bowl on it)? I love it!

    Reply

  35. Lorie Smith says

    I LOVE the idea of the bowl full of cards and letters from throughout the year! I think I might make that a new tradition starting with this years Christmas cards…thanks for the GREAT IDEA!

    Reply

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