Can you believe it has been a month since our last house crashing adventure? And while February’s house tour was from across the pond, this one was local, so we got to stop by and soak up all of the details in person.
Meet Becky and Brian (and their dog Fergie). They live just outside of Richmond with their two daughters and this charming red door. It’s Heritage Red by Benjamin Moore – and she got that charming “Hello” decal here.
When you walk inside, there’s a room to your right that they call the music room. Let’s just say that the yellow piano, which Becky painted herself, had my heart immediately. It was Brian’s grandma’s piano that was passed down to their family (here’s a link to Becky’s post about painting it). Becky also found the swivel stool at an antique store and made the slipcover herself. It was such a fun house to walk through because so many things had a secondhand story or a handmade touch.
Her dresser-turned-bathroom-vanity was another example of Becky and Brian putting their stamp on their home. She got it at a local secondhand shop, painted it and distressed it, and then her dad and Brian cut out the middle and added a recycled sink basin (picked up from the Habitat For Humanity ReStore). Becky also loves to collect old mirrors to hang in groupings on the wall, so she always has an eye out for them at thrift & antique shops.
There’s a first floor guest room which had such a cheerful vibe, even with those moody walls (they’re Gravel Gray by Benjamin Moore). The playful rooster art was a $30 find at the Yankee Candle Store in Williamsburg.
The pretty bedding is a Bed Bath & Beyond find, and the dresser is another secondhand score that Becky painted herself. She also distressed it with a palm sander and filled in the distressed areas with Walnut oil or glaze – and added those cute numbers for each drawer (found at a craft store).
Becky worked in some more personal touches in the kitchen, like a panel of chalkboard paint on the pantry door, and by painting the stools that she got from Ikea red with a homemade chalk paint recipe that she found online.
The main bedroom was a really soft and sweet space. The floral coverlet on their bed is a $20 Rosebowl Flea market purchase from Pasadena, CA. I loved that Brian didn’t mind pink in the bedroom, and the mixture of the wooden bed (from Pier 1) and the pine bench at the foot of the bed (from HomeGoods) was interesting to me (instead of pairing it with painted or distressed wood). Becky doesn’t remember the color on the walls, but Palladian Blue or Quiet Moments by Benjamin Moore might be close.
This homemade jewelry rack is another example of Becky’s ability to see something and reimagine it. She got it at the Junk Bonanza Flea Market in Shakopee, Minnesota as an old crib railing, initially thinking that she’d hang magazines or blankets from it, but it turned out to be perfect for her jewelry.
Her daughter’s room has more feminine touches and the sweetest secondhand hutch that Becky also found in Minnesota. It even came that color so she didn’t do a thing to it.
But possibly the coolest spot in the whole house is Becky’s basement studio. She runs an Etsy shop called Farmgirl Paints, where she sells stamped leather cuffs made from secondhand belts (no wonder she has so many thrift store finds, right? She’s always patrolling for belts) – and everything happens down in her basement studio.
The green wall along the back of the studio is chalkboard paint that Becky had mixed up at Lowe’s in “Spring Green” and she got the shop sign made by American Vintage Inc (she sent her an inspiration picture with reclaimed wood, metal sides, and frosted bulbs and this is the end result).
There were so many creative details in this basement to document. Like this cool twine Farmgirl Paints sign that Becky made – and even posted a little flipagram tutorial on Instagram.
There were a lot of work stations for various shop jobs (making the leather bands, stamping the metal disks that go on them, adding snaps, billing, packing, etc). It was such a fun work environment thanks to all of the color and the playful wall decor. How cool is that old “humble” sign Becky found?
She also mixed in some big box finds, but the funny thing is that I assumed everything was thrifted or homemade due to all of her other pieces. So it shocked the heck out of me when she said this numbered wall cubby was from Target a while back.
There’s also a room that’s tucked away in the very back of the basement that Becky calls her art studio. To make the desk, she and her husband dug through an awesome old salvage yard here in Richmond called Govenor’s Antiques. The owner helped them pick out the perfect doors (there are two of them, joined in the middle, braced along the back wall, and further supported by two legs that they made out of spindles on each end). It’s 13′ long and full of crafting supplies. I was like a kid in a candy store.
That green lamp has a great story too. Becky was antiquing in Charlottesville, Virginia and I fell in love with that HUGE barn light, which was hanging right over the checkout counter in a small shop. So she sweet talked the owner into selling it to her.
Possibly my favorite organizational coup of all was this old school display case made of wire that Becky picked up at The Screen Door antique shop in Asheville, North Carolina. She bought it without having any clue what she’d do with it, but soon realized that all of her little tubes of craft paint fit perfectly. And how cute is the chalkboard camper that Becky drew on the chalkboard wall behind it?
We want to send a HUGE thanks to Becky and Brian for so graciously inviting us into their joy-filled home and allowing us to snap photos to share with the interwebs. You can read more about her life/shop/house over on her blog, but first I’d love to hear what your favorite parts were, or what has you inspired (her whole house made me want to thrift like crazy). Between the decal on that shiny red front door, the yellow piano, and her tricked out basement studio, it’s hard to even pick a favorite.
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Julia@Cuckoo4Design says
So good and fun!
Kate says
I’m sure you’ve been hearing this a lot, but I got the octopus hook in the mail today from Target! Very exciting!
YoungHouseLove says
Ahhh! That’s so awesome. It’s so crazy that they’re out in the world.
xo
s
Lisa R. says
What a beautiful, happy house! I am ordering that door decal tonight. I also must know where that lovely shower curtain is from????
YoungHouseLove says
Hope she drops in with that info for ya!
xo
s
Becky @ Farmgirl Paints says
Hi Lisa the shower curtain is from Bed, Bath and Beyond. :-)
Rene says
This is honestly my FAVORITE house crash you guys have done! I LOVE EVERYTHING. My favorites are definitely the basement and bathroom. But everything in that house is incredibly charming and colorful and it makes me feel happy. The yellow piano… IN LOVE!
Pam the Goatherd says
LOVE.IT.ALL.
But if you were going to force me to choose I’d have to say the “hello” decal on the door…or maybe the yellow piano…or the red chairs in the kitchen…or the chalkboard wall…or…
There’s no way I could pick just one!
Natalie @ Paper & Birch says
Wow, what great style! You guys did a fantastic job ~ thanks for sharing this!
Kelly Hanrahan says
Hi Sherry & Becky. What an inspiring home! I am wondering what colour you used in the Music Room? It feels so light and welcoming.
YoungHouseLove says
Hope she shares that info with you!
xo
s
Becky @ Farmgirl Paints says
I think it’s called Platinum Gray by Benjamin Moore :-)
Kathryn says
Definitely a “girl” house! From your pics there’s no sign that a man lives there!
Pam the Goatherd says
I totally disagree! The music area, guest bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and even Becky’s workshop come across as being very gender neutral to me. The bold colors and lack of “frills” in those rooms keep them from being too girlie.
The master bedroom is a little more feminine than what my husband would feel comfortable with, but I’ve heard that some men like having a more feminine décor in the master bedroom because it gives them a sense of having infiltrated the secret world of his woman. Perhaps Brian could weigh in with some insight on that.
Brian Strahle says
Kathryn,
I have often joked that my wife has taken over the house and the only rooms I get are my office, the garage and my drum room. However, I really do love my wife’s decorating style and how our home feels warm, relaxing, fun and peaceful. I like antiques and the fact that our house feels unique and personal because of her style. I also like that our house doesn’t remind me of work. It is our retreat.
Asheville Annie says
Love this so much! Such a perfect balance of function and whimsy, and not at all contrived – their beautiful home looks effortless and yet I’m sure hours and hours of love have gone into making such a colorful and personal space! I live in Asheville and I am at the Screen Door at least two or three times a month. All my best finds have come from there. If you are ever down this way you must check it out! And our neighborhood tailgate markets that happen all around Asheville every Saturday are another treasure trove of goodies I prowl around on a regular basis. Now, I must go draw a camper on my chalkboard… :-)
Susan Jeffries says
I love Becky’s home and her heart! Thanks for sharing!! Susan
Alyce says
Great post! Isn’t Becky the sweetest? And I only know her online.
I just adore the dresser vanity. How creative is that?
Sacha (@zigged) says
Why is there no link to Becky’s Etsy shop? I mean, I looked it up easily enough, and she is on vacation right now, but a direct link would’v been cool.
YoungHouseLove says
In the last paragraph there’s a sentence (with a link) that says: “You can read more about her life/shop/house over on her blog” (there’s a link to her shop right under her blog header, so I thought that was a nice one-place-to-find-it-all link). But I can add one directly to her shop too. Off to toss that in for ya :)
xo
s
Kelli says
The front door is perfect – what color is that red?
YoungHouseLove says
It’s Heritage Red by Benjamin Moore.
xo
s
Katie says
Can you tell me the name and brand of the yellow on the piano? Also, can you tell me the name and brand of the wall color behind the piano. I want to duplicate this look!!!
Thanks!
Katie
Valerie @ Making It Worthy says
It appears in the bathroom (chalk mirror) and on the black chalk wall in the basement with the little camper there are scripture verses, but I’m not sure because it looks like you kind of avoided them in the photos. This couple’s faith is obviously a part of their home decor style, please don’t be afraid to include it (if you were trying to avoid it that is).
YoungHouseLove says
We included that sweet quote in the picture above that one. It says “You’re my place of quiet retreat, I wait for you to renew me.”
xo
s
Seaweed & Raine says
What an awesome space! Can I move in? Can I work for her in her cuff making space??? Oh bliss (slight geographical issue since I live in Sydney, but it just makes me want to yell “Yes! I love this space!”).
Sheree
anna whiston-donaldson says
Gorgeous house! Becky sure has a knack!
Anna says
That front door is awesome. Great inspo. :) The whole house is amazing, so bright and fun.
Erin says
I am a piano teacher and, to save money, took the swap of paying $100 less for my piano if I would finish the staining work myself. There was hardly any to be done (the guy was in the middle of refinishing it when I came to purchase), so of course I took the $100! He even threw in the stain so I knew what color to use! Win-win!
Uuuuuntil we realized he had used a gel stain like paint (not wiping it off) and hadn’t sanded off the original finish. The stain he put on can be scraped off with a fingernail! Cue me crying a million tears and staring at my almost-but-actually-not-at-all-finished piano every day during lessons and feeling very down for the next (ahem) 6 years. I’m very nervous to try refinishing it myself! It’s just wood, but it seems so much more complicated because it’s also a very expensive, breakable instrument that I can’t afford to replace if I mess it up!
So, in summary, their piano is the most inspirational. Their beautiful, beautiful piano. (cue more tears)