Who’s in the mood for some house crashing? This gorgeous old home is in the Forrest Hill area of Richmond, and we couldn’t wait to scope it out for you. Because, get this, Wendy’s house is used for commercials and photoshoots! As in, it’s such an amazing backdrop, the house is practically famous. Cool huh? And she’s a professional retail design and merchandising pro who just happens to design light fixtures when she’s not styling spaces. In other words, she’s got mad skillz (more on her here) so we couldn’t wait to snoop around. Oh look, here’s Wendy out on the porch to welcome us in:
Her porch was super charming with everything from a pretty light blue ceiling to a chippy old door and a happy red vintage mailbox. And you know I love those extra wide porch steps, right?
Once inside there’s a grand staircase that leads upstairs and a fun shimmering silver wall that Wendy painted herself with craft store paint when she was bored. Naturally we hit it off since I’m known to go a little crazy with craft store paint too (as seen here). Wendy said she just pulled it up and down the wall in sort of a “dry brush” method, so it looks like fun metallic wallpaper with a vertical “grain.” We also thought those three exterior lights over the art were really fun and unexpected.
If you look to your right while standing in that subtly metallic hallway, you see the dining room. And yes, John and I were utterly smitten with the cool pink industrial cart on casters. See the white duck on the top shelf? Yeah, basically I said “I’m home” and ran in and geeked out about it. Composure is a beautiful thing to lose. Anyway, check out the fun metal stars above the doorway with the small framed art dancing around up there. So playful and cool. Of course Clara loved the doggie too.
When you walk further into the dining room there’s an awesome old fireplace and a school-sized chalkboard that’s jam-packed with scribbles, notes, and letters to and from visitors. It’s really amazing. Oh and do you notice that the table is also the same metallic color as the entry hallway? Wendy was having a New Year’s party and thought her dining room “needed something” so she painted the table silver with her daughter – just for fun. Coolest mom ever? She’s definitely in the running.
Wendy had some of the most stunning lights we’ve ever seen. Check out this handsome guy:
It was really inspiring to learn that Wendy has hunted down nearly all of the stuff in her house from places like local thrift stores and secondhand shops (she loves Trash To Treasure on Lakeside Ave). She even finds things on the side of the road, yet her place looks so elegant and – well, expensive. Here’s my beloved pink castered cart up close and personal. And my white duck friend. Is he not the best looking wood duck you’ve ever seen? I like how he slyly tucks into the top shelf looking dapper.
When you enter you can also turn to your left to see the living room, complete with a giant teal sofa that Wendy saved up for after “visiting it at the store a bunch of times” (it’s from La Diff here in Richmond). Wendy’s basically me in another (more stylish) body. I visited Karl The Sectional for months before we got him. So I understand the deep sofa love that she described. And look- more fun metal stars over the doorway:
I was immediately drawn to the giant clock over the piano. It was actually a gift from her father so it’s really meaningful along with being just plain cool. And do you notice something about the coffee table? It’s another old cart on casters. So simple yet full of character. This was just one of those houses that you feel so comfortable and casual and “welcomed” as soon as you step inside. It’s a wonder I didn’t flop down on the big teal sofa for a little afternoon nap (well, it’s actually not a wonder because Clara doesn’t let me get away with that sort of thing).
And now for a clock close up:
Here’s the view from the piano looking into the entryway and the dining room beyond:
Oh and this is the view from the teal sofa. Yup, there’s yet another awesome original fireplace. And see that awesome tripod floor lamp in front of the fireplace? That’s one of Wendy’s designs. It was so gorgeous in person- this photo doesn’t do it justice. I could totally picture it in a Candice Olson room or something.
Beyond the stairs that lead upstairs was a nice spacious washroom. Aren’t those old doors cool? Wendy made them. Yeah- she added a chippy paint technique along with some architectural salvage finds (the iron grates, the handles, and even the ornate corner pieces) to create two one of a kind doors that obscure her washer & dryer.
This was one of those awesome old homes with tons of character, so this is a shot of her second staircase. Yup, she has two. The front one and this one, which is right off of the kitchen and the washroom. So cool. And I loved that she hung a basket on the wall like that. It kind of looked like a faux tortoise shell. And you know how I get about animal decor…
Here’s her awesome kitchen with an old cabinet in the center of the room. She got it from a school that was getting rid of it and remagined it as a kitchen island. John and I fawned over all those long skinny drawers. I also really loved how she hung what looked like a plate rack vertically and stuffed it with napkins and linens. Sweet.
Here’s a guest room in the back of the house. Once again Wendy wowed us with her use of charming old items in new ways.
This time it was those chipped multi-colored shutters, where she hung a little tin basket of faux blooms:
Wendy was a really inspiring “curator” (which is probably why she gets paid to style things for a living, haha). John and I especially loved this asymmetric wall of frames, shelves, letters, and even old lighting hoops that Wendy had on hand.
Here’s Wendy’s bedroom with a charming four poster bed that called my name. Don’t worry, I restrained myself and did not try to swan dive into it. But Clara tried. Twice.
And here’s her light and airy en-suite bath. Doesn’t it look like a beach house out of a magazine? I loved the breezy little half-curtains and the weathered old secondhand dresser that Wendy uses for linens and towels.
So there you have it. A local home here in Richmond that we’re still talking about. Thanks so much to Wendy for letting us poke around! And get this, Wendy is selling her gorgeous house. So if anyone’s interested, you can contact her through her site. Now let’s play the favorite part game. I’m dying for the pink cart on casters, the cutie pie white duck decoy, and the soft blue paint on the porch ceiling. Meanwhile John will not shut up about the giant clock. But is anyone really surprised by that?
Psst- Check out our recently created inspiration gallery (where you can search by color or room) with over 330 other stunning spaces!
Anne says
I love her creativity! Takes hutzpah (sp??) to pull off! Any chance on finding out where she got that BEAUTIFUL bed?? I love it – simple and gorgeous. Thanks for another great voyeristic glimpse into fun decorating. Love it! I just wish you were here in NOVA and we could nominate a house. How many times I’ve driven by a house and wanted to be able to check out the inside!
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s hoping she drops in with that bed info for ya!
xo,
s
thecounselormom says
What an awesome house!!! I want to move in it!
Marissa says
So creative, unique, and beautiful! My favorite was the washroom doors concealing the washer and dryer. Stairing at those would make laundry much more enjoyable. :)
Manda says
I love her lighting and popped over to her website. The tripod cage light in the living room is amazing and would be the perfect kind of thing for the rowhouse my brother is renovating. Going to wait for some Shades of Light sales!
YoungHouseLove says
You can get 10% off using code YHL0505 (thru Aug 2nd)! No pressure, just putting that out there for ya. Haha.
xo,
s
Tammy says
Oh Em Gee Oh Em Gee this house if FABULOUS!!
From the beautiful wood floors, to the pink rolling shelf, to the teal couch, to the entire kitchen, to I can go on and on. Wow! :)
Awesome House Crash!
tara says
GORGEOUS HOUSE!!! I love love love it!! The kitchen island, those beautiful laundry room doors, and that awesome teal sofa. My husband and I recently purchased our first sofa ( a giant gray 3piece sectional) and we also visited it for two months before buying it! I’ve even been back to visit her since bc I just needed a fix:)
(PS. Those faux blooms in the tin bucket are crispedia, or the more fun term is billy balls!)
Anita says
Thanks, I was wondering what they were called!
Karla says
Yes, Billy Balls. I actually don’t believe those were faux either. They dry exactly the same as they are normally. When my son passed away in 2009, I asked the florist to put those in every single arrangement they did for his funeral and I still have them and framed most of them in 2 shadow boxes. They make a cool statement in the room and everyone always asks about them! :) They are my favorite “flower”
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry for your loss Karla. They were beautiful little flowers. Apparently so pretty I thought they were fake!
xo,
s
Karla says
Thank you :) They are really cool looking in real life! My sis in law had bundles of magenta carnations for her bridesmaid bouquets (no greenery) and I convinced her to add billy balls. They looked so cute. Like little yellow polka dots! She plucked the billy balls out after wards and made some posh shadow boxes like mine! :) One or two in a small shadow box would be a cool addition to any gallery wall!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that idea!
xo,
s
Amanda- Hip House Girl says
Oooh my fave is the piano/clock combination. I miss having a real piano so much. The shutters above the bed is also a cool idea- it almost looks like a window.
Amy @TriangleHoneymoon says
Love love love all the unique touches and the one of a kind furniture.
Laura says
It is so fun to see her playing with the modern and shabby chic elements. Definitely inspiring. I just saw large shutters at the Habitat for Humanity store in Charlottesville for $5 a piece and was wondering how I could turn them into art. Hers are a little too rustic for my taste, but now my wheels are churnin!! Thanks for the inspiration.
Briel K. says
Gorgeous home! I LOVE the chipped paint doors. They look so great!
randa says
i CAN’T pick just one. but among my faves are: the blue paint on the ceiling of the porch, the chipped front door, the clock, the tripod lamp and the metallic painted dining room table. holy smokes, this lady is good!
Christin says
I think I’m in love! Wow. That is a GORGEOUS home!! I wonder why whe would ever sell it! I love all teh old/weathered and repurposed items that the house is full of. The dresser in the bathroom might be my favorite.
molly says
I’ve been reading your blog forever and this house tour has prompted me to leave my first comment. LOVE IT! So wonderful, eclectic and happy.
Annie D says
I think I have found a template for when I buy my first house and start adding flair to it….i bet you find something new everytime you visit, something you didnt see the last time you were there….amazing!
Kim at Yellow Brick Home says
Eee! Love that bike wheel in front of the fireplace! (And also the tripod light, of course!). But that wheel looks so polished and fancy; I wonder what the story is?
It reminds me of our wheel – that we still don’t know what to do with – from our wedding day:
http://www.yellowbrickhome.com/2010/05/05/wheel-as-art/
It makes me happy to know her’s is just hanging out, too.
Wendy Umanoff says
Kim, Love your green bike wheel! I say hang it on a white wall as pop of color. Also think about using as your door wreath for the holidays. Adding some greenery, mini pine cones and berries will put smiles on your visitor’s faces when they walk up to your front door and knock.
-Wendy
heather @ like a cup of tea says
..can’t…breath…washer..doors..
*keels over*
Liz says
This is one of my all-time favorite posts – I’m going to refer back to it as we work to decorate our house! Really fantastic.
Lindsey @ A Pear to Remember says
ditto!
The Catty Cat Lady says
I love the birdy bedspreads in both bedrooms!
And thanks for your reply yesterday to my comment Sherry. I’ve always love your blog and never commented before. Made me feel all warm and jammy inside.
Shannon says
Maybe we should relocate to Richmond. ;o) I love everything about that house, this is my favorite house crash yet!
Natalie says
She has such great taste! A Question not related to this house crash…when you moved in your current house you used a site to create the floor plan to show on the blog..what was that site? Thanks!!
Rachel Hope says
I love that you crashed Wendy’s house! She’s mama to one my old roommates, Max. Those pictures are beautiful and the house looks even better in real life. Wendy is the best!
Natalie says
Nevermind…I found it. Floorplan.com :)
Cara says
Love the doors hiding the washer/dryer, the kitchen island and the coffee table. She did such a great job of mixing modern with traditional. Love this house!
angel p says
I am loving what looks like a mantel hanging over her bed. Genius!!! Also, love the picture that appears to be hanging over a chipped wood board in the hallway. I could totally do that at my house and it would fit right in. I’m also really loving the coffee table. Saw something very similar on old looking casters at Home Goods just a few days ago and my husband says “what would you use that for?”. Duh!!! He definitely does not get design. LOL.
Lindsey @ A Pear to Remember says
p.s. I AM INTO THE CLOCK OVER THE PIANO.
I can bring my beautiful 70 year old piano to our new place, and was thinking of hanging our big modern crate and barrel mirror over it. but this clock is making me think
a) maybe I want a clock over the piano (i LOVE clocks)
b) maybe I want oversized art over the piano. I love the idea of working the piano into a room to blend with art—maybe a big modern abstract piece in bright colors? that could be amazing.
Katie J. says
What a great house! I loved the porch, all the vintage/shabby-chic furniture peices, and the rugs! I am a sucker for rugs… it’s like women and shoes.:)
pippin says
love the use of the rugs that add a lot of great color and nice contrast to the white.
Corinne says
IMO it looks old and cold and like someone brought a yard sale inside. I like your house so much better!
Kim says
Back to the ironing (drawing) board-what if you keep your old cover for messy ironing projects? I need a new cover but I’m keeping the old one for that purpose.
YoungHouseLove says
I think we’ll do that for sure! I’m way too protective of my new one. I won’t recover it just to iron stuff, but when I use the hem tape I might put the old one back over it! Haha.
xo,
s
Kacie says
What a gorgeous house. It’s so full of character and charm. The big clock face is soooo freakin’ cool!
Kacie
http://www.acollectionofpassions.blogspot.com/
Ashley @ DesignBuildLove.co says
LOVE that master bedroom and bathroom!!! The canopy bed looks sooooo inviting!
Totally cool light designs too! Talented lady!!!
Hillary says
There’s pretty much nothing that I didn’t like about that house. Oh, that master bath! The light! The white! Too good.
Tamisha says
I LOOOOOVE Forest Hill neighborhood. We cruise over the bridge over there all the time (mostly on our way to the farmer’s market on Saturdays. Great house. Love the lighting. I’m a lighting fiend.
krissy says
total perfection!!!
is she accepting roommate applications??! i’m all packed and ready to move in! ;)
Hilary says
this house didn’t speak to me, it was a little to eclectic for my tastes! I can appreciate the hard work she put into the decor though :)
Tia says
I’m actually not a fan of this one, but I like that! I love seeing things I don’t like because they help me figure out my own personal style more. I love that you guys feature all kinds of homes in your house crashing to demonstrate a huge variety of things that us readers can do in our own homes.
Nancy S. says
Wow, I loved everything about the house until I got to the part where you said they were selling it- doesn’t anybody just LIVE in their houses any more? I couldn’t bear to part with it if it were mine…
YoungHouseLove says
Her kids are all grown up and out of the nest so Wendy thinks it’s time to move on. But it’s an awesome home for a new family to move right into and enjoy. Some homes are made for kids- and this one has a giant awesome backyard!
xo,
s
Sabrina says
Gorgeous! I know we passed that house when we thought about moving to Virginia! In love with it! I don’t know if you answered this question or not but have you guys thought about crashing your first house to see what the new peeps have done with it?
YoungHouseLove says
They definitely know we’d love to stop back in if they ever invite us, so the ball is in their court!
xo,
s
Kelsey says
That home is INSANELY gorgeous and unique! I am IN LOVE! My fave’s were all the industrial touches…the pink cart…the industrial shelf in kitchen…the coffee table. GAH they were all gorgeous! I loved the picture wall and the kitchen island too! I am going to be copying this post in my own home!
alg says
I LOVE the artfully natural look of her front porch landscaping.
(I was going to say “tidyish”… but that didn’t do it justice. It’s so eye-catching, yet unpretentious.)
Also, the washer/dryer doors are spectacular, and totally the kind of thing I love to do :) The giant chalkboard is a fantasy piece of mine & I’d put it exactly where she did :) And don’t even get me started on that turquoise couch!!!!!!!
The whole house is just faboo!
Thanks for sharing!!!
Lanie says
omygosh, omygosh, omygosh…Somehow your pictures are back showing up on my computer!! That was the longest week of my life. Whew!
:)
YoungHouseLove says
Yaaaay! So glad!!!
xo,
s
Rebecca says
I’m not a fan of the industrial style in this house, though I know it’s super trendy now. That kitchen island, the chair at the island, the wire cages on the lights, the ironwork pieces, not for me. Also the railroad/factory cart converted to a coffee table is so ubiquitous in design right now that I just cringe when I see them. :-(
Amber V. says
I am furiously fighting feelings of inadequacy. It’s amazing to me that people really live in spaces that look like this. With a dog no less!
I have two great big dogs that make sure that my house is NEVER this together. By the time I am done swiffering, the floor where I started has hair on it and footprints on the rugs. Throw in the dog toys that wont stat in baskets for long… it’s not a good look.
Oh well, at least I can live vicariously through your housecrashes!
Becca says
I love every single bit of that house! Beautiful! You guys have the greatest job :)
Katy says
I want to know where the beautiful duvet came from on the bed! The bird pattern is amazing!!
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s hoping Wendy drops by with that info!
xo,
s
JennyB says
She said in an earlier post that the bed and bedding came from Pottery Barn..I think??
The whole thing is so cool. I couldn’t imagine parting with it if I were her.
Sarah says
I just recently started following your blog and I absolutely love it! I’m actually using one or your mood board posts as inspiration for our living room make-over. And I saw that you live in Richmond, VA! I grew up just 30 minutes southeast of there in Prince George County. It’s always exciting to see such fabulous creativity coming from where my roots are planted. My parents still live there so I’ll have to let them know about all of the wonderful shopping areas you find, like Trash to Treasure.
paintergal says
I can see why you were smitten. I love the porch with the sky blue ceiling. If I ever have a house with a porch, that will defnitely happen!
Melissa @ thefauxmartha says
Favorite house crash so far! Love everything about it!
dawn says
oh yay! this is in my hood! have always LOVED this house, walk by it every evening on our family strolls!
LARY says
I’m drooling over here. Favorite house crash by far! I want to move in hahaha