As of 5:30pm yesterday, our second big Homearama Showhouse deadline was hit. Phew. The builder was throwing a preview party at the house so everything had to be done, cleaned, and ready to be shown off to a whole slew of people (realtors, prospective buyers, generous local companies who donated furnishings/accessories to this cause, etc). Heck, the weather even cooperated in the final seconds and gave us this nice photo op.
It was kinda weird yet exciting to have the place alive with people, music, and food. They brought in caterers to show off the kitchen/appliances, and Sherry and I pretty much gorged since we had been running around in hyper-drive all day. There were literally picture frames and window treatments being hung in the last few minutes, so it was one of those down-to-the-wire moments.
We were also able to begin snapping some “after” photos in a couple of the rooms (we figured they’d never look cleaner). And since we’re hopelessly impatient, here we sit at 11pm, sizing and uploading pictures so that we can share them with you right away. I blame all the cookies I downed at the party.
So here’s what we had time to photograph before the crowd rolled in: the study, the butler’s pantry, and the main bedroom. Get ready for lots of photos and lots of source links.
You’ve seen the office in various forms already, including this mood board, but here she is in her final state:
Here’s a shot with the double-doors pushed fully out of view. The rug and chair were donated by West Elm, the table is from a local furniture purveryor called Green Front Furniture (I think the manufacturer is called Barkman, but I don’t have a link), the light is from our Shades of Light collection, and the curtains were made by U-Fab, in this fabric (the curtain rods are from Lowe’s). The walls are Simply White and the ceiling is Skydive (both by Benjamin Moore).
As we mentioned a while back, we wanted to stage a more feminine office than what we’re used to seeing in other showhouses (they usually feel sort of study-ish and masculine). So Sherry had a blast planning a little spot she’d love to call her own.
The metal tray and vases are from Target, and the big fiddle leaf fig is from a local nursery.
Tucked along the inside wall is a bit of open storage to help keep this fictional work-at-home mom organized. It’s this whitewashed wood & metal shelf from West Elm.
A theme with all of the shelves in this house is that they’re a little bit more bare than we’d probably keep them in our own home (read: we have more clutter), but for budget, time, and practicality reasons we went a bit lighter for the showhouse (two weeks to outfit nearly 25 spaces = mad dashes like whoa). So even if it’s not completely realistic, we tried to add a few office-y details (binders, boxes for file storage, a few frames, containers full of paperclips and rubber bands, etc) while keeping things from getting too busy.
The shelves are mostly stocked with items from HomeGoods or Target, plus some magazines and books that we brought from home.
At a local craft fair this weekend we picked up some more of these motivational “wisdom cards” that we have scattered around our own house. This one says “know when to show up.”
Speaking of motivational art, once the curtains were hung and that metal shelf came into the room we had less wall space to hang the two larger prints from Help Ink that we originally planned to put in here (we ordered large 24″ x 36″ prints) but they kindly sent along some smaller extras for us, which we were able to frame at the last second (literally minutes before we snapped these photos yesterday).
So yeah, the fictional gal who works in this study has pretty much zero excuse not to be motivated.
We were going to have the electrician add a floor outlet (for plugging in desk items, like the computer charger) based on our final furniture placement. But instead he’ll probably just do it for the eventual owner so it can be customized to their furniture layout, and not ours. Especially since a real laptop won’t be hanging out on that table for the show (we have a stack of notebooks that’ll be in its place most of the time).
Now let’s slip through the butler’s pantry (i.e. the small hallway between the kitchen and dining room) which is nearly impossible to shoot since it’s so small, but is such a fun accent in person (it garnered a lot of attention during last night’s event, which was really fun to witness firsthand). We pictured it serving as a fun spot for a family to write out meals for the week, jot notes to each other, or even scribble up a drink menu for a party if they want to use the small space as a makeshift bar – but we wanted to set it up as a fun little coffee/wine station with a bolder look for the show.
So we called up a local restaurant called Urban Farmhouse who is known for their chalkboard menus and signs (heck, we even Instagrammed one last summer). A few days later Li was there creating this masterpiece for us, all of which she hand lettered (any locals who want to hire her for signs and chalkboard art can email her at [email protected]).
As Sherry mentioned yesterday, it’s all done in chalk marker (so it’s not dusty and can’t be smudged) but it can be erased with a magic eraser (or just painted over if the eventual owners don’t want it). But for the purposes of the show, it’s a fun surprise to cap off our little coffee/wine set-up in there. And it was awesome to see how many people were taking their photos in front of it for the party.
Let’s switch gears and check out the main bedroom.
The funny thing about sharing the office and the bedroom in one post is that they both have a similar palette. The office’s jumping off point was the rug Sherry found along with that awesome Help Ink art, and in here we were inspired by that awesome painting that was donated for the duration of the show by Lesli Devito (all of her art is for sale by the way, and she’ll ship it anywhere in the US).
The king bed is a woven banana leaf frame from Green Front Furniture, which is also where the wood nightstands hail from, along with the dresser made by Universal. The curtains are the same fabric as the office ones, just in aqua (also made by U-Fab) and the walls are Stonington Gray by Benjmain Moore.
We haven’t found the perfect thing for over the bed, so that’s why it’s bare (we figure bare is better than hanging something we don’t like up there) but the camera was set on a low tripod, so when you walk through at eye height the light fixture hangs down into that spot and fills things in a little more, which is nice. Still wouldn’t mind finding something for that wall before the show though…
As you know, we’ve also experimented with mixing in some gold and brass accents throughout this house (we have two gold fixtures in the kitchen over the island, one in front of the fireplace in the living room, one in the hallway above the stairs, another one in here, and a few more peppered throughout). We didn’t want to use gold/brass exclusively (we fell for a few other silver and oil-rubbed-bronze lights – and even a few colorful/painted ones), so we just mixed in enough of each type to feel intentional, so no light fixture is the odd man out.
In cases like this one over the bed, it’s awesome that it’s paired with chrome, so the fixtures in the nearby bathroom (which are all chrome) feel related. This wood ring chandelier was donated by Shades of Light.
The rug is this Fair Isle 9×12′ donated by Dash & Albert and the bedside lamps are HomeGoods scores.
We kept the night tables simple, kinda like the cleaner version of what ours usually look like. Sherry picked up some inexpensive jewelry from World Market along with a simple mug and a plate (also from there) to casually hold the things that our imaginary lady takes off before bed.
As we mentioned yesterday, the bedding’s from Pine Cone Hill and we love how it relates to Lesli’s art.
Our first instinct was to put more lamps on the dresser, but that made the room feel kinda lamp heavy (with two on the side tables already), so we went for plants and baskets.
Two woven benches (clearanced down to $33 from Target) sit at the foot of the bed to round out the texture-heavy space (we love how they tie into the woven headboard). And you can see where one of our original Help Ink prints that we got for the office ended up since the color worked nicely in here. Oh the benefits of carrying a color scheme through more than one room…
If we had the foresight, we probably would’ve ordered a version mounted on wood to tie into the wood furniture, but for now the simple white frame from JoAnn Fabrics does the job. There are definitely a ton of things we learned/would have done differently throughout this process, so we’re thinking about writing a post like that for you guys when this whole show is said and done. There’s a giant learning curve, so trial and error has really been our method along the way.
Across from the bed is where the feminine elements of the room get balanced out a bit, thanks to some gray nailhead chairs with blue pillows (all HomeGoods finds) and some gritty framed photography. The side table is from Target and the gold planter is from HomeGoods. In the background you can see a bit of the “atrium” as we’re calling it (with a Shades of Light driftwood fixture and West Elm brass-framed mirror).
A local shop called Modern Artifacts was kind enough to lend us some artwork for the show, so at the last minute (i.e. yesterday afternoon) we picked up some of these yellow-hued urban photographs by Bill Dickinson. They relate to some of the yellow in Lesli’s artwork and hey, you get a little peek into the bathroom there.
The party started before I could finish photographing the main bedroom’s en-suite bathroom, but we can’t wait to share that room with you guys (it’s one of our favorites). But this post is long enough anyway, so we hope to be back at least one more time this week with more after photos and sources.
Psst – Wanna see more showhouse info & photos? Click here for Our Full Showhouse Tour, which includes final pictures of every room, the floor plan, budget info, a video walk-through, and shoppable showhouse furniture & accessories.
karen says
okay this looks sooooo nice!!! i love it! you did so great..i want to see more!
i just don’t get why people where their shoes inside..on rugs!
robin says
This is all so beautiful and so much work went into it all. I cannot fathom that you wouldn’t take money for all this hard work! How much would a designer charge for mad dashing around town plus that little thing you 2 have called style!?
Rachel @ The Sunny Disposition Home says
Absolutely lovely~ I love the clean feeling of the home. That’s what I would like my home to look like. Always clean with no clutter….but that ain’t gonna happen! Wonderful jobs and I’m sure the catered food was the best you’ve ever eaten, since you all have been working so hard!!
http://www.thesunnydispositionhome.blogspot.com
Natalie says
The house looks AMAZING from what I’ve seen so far, I would love to live there! I love your style!!! I’ve recently redecorated my living room and I’m looking to add a tall plant in a corner and I like the look of the plant that is in the study, can you tell me the name of it?
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a fiddle leaf fig. We have a few at our house and so far we haven’t killed them….
xo
s
Jess says
WOW!!! Coral, turquoise, aqua! What a beautifully balanced and absolutely joyful space you’ve created! I don’t know if it’s weird to be proud of people I’ve never met, but I am completely proud of you for what you’ve built in this show house. And the fact that you did it for such a wonderful organization is even better. Good on you, Petersiks!!!
YoungHouseLove says
You’re so sweet Jess, thanks so much !
xo
s
caroline [the diy nurse] says
What a stunner! I’m in love :)
Colette says
Wow, you guys did such an amazing job on this house. It’s so refreshing and different from any other show house I’ve ever seen. I was wondering (and I don’t mean to be a killjoy) …. are you worried about any of the smaller items, such as those gorgeous earrings beside the master bed, being stolen? The only reason I am asking this is because they warn you when you stage a home not to leave any small items out because unfortunately, they can “disappear”.
YoungHouseLove says
We have heard that for the most part these shows have pretty good track records for things staying put, but we’ll have to see! There are people in each house to look things over (and even police who park outside each night as the show goes on) to keep an eye on stuff – so here’s hoping!
xo
s
Amy says
First, I’m geeking out about the exterior! The color and the stone and the big bulky timbers balance each other and give it a rustic sophistication that is so attractive and not as complicated as a log home, yet it would totally satisfy my desire for one, especially without all of the added extra maintenance and …the interior is to die for!! The use of blues in so many shades, mixed with natural elements and pops of warm shades is so perfect. I would be so happy there! You guys have really had fun with this, and it shows!! :)
Laurie says
Can I please just have that entryway?????? Love that chunky reclaimed wood. Looks like Tahoe or Colorado. I really like the light airy feel you’ve accomplished. Love the dark floors too. You’ve given life to a lot of different light elements that might not stand out while browsing on the web. I have them all bookmarked for hopeful future purchases!!!!
Michelle Khan says
Simply stunning design! Everything is inviting and cheery! I found myself saying I want to be there!
Nina D says
Wow. Just wow.
Everything looks amazing – – can’t wait to see it all. You guys have done an enormous amount of work and should be (very justifiably) proud. And all while growing a tiny human, too!
Congratulations on a job very well done!
Jane says
I am literally hyper ventilating at this beauty here. Such a beauty , this house!Cant wait to see it all.
BTW , it seems so funny that you guys were ORBing every gold light fixture , door handle a couple years back but now you are BUYING gold light fixture!! Fashion repeats! Good for me though because gold accents are a big part of Home decor in our Indian culture :)
YoungHouseLove says
It’s true!!
xo
s
kimi says
I just cant even handle how awesome this home looks!!!!;) You guys surely ROCK!!!! GREAT JOB!!! So impressive!!!:)
binhtheredonethat says
Love everything, especially the office!
Question: what is the color for the bedroom? Thx.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s Stonington Gray by Ben Moore.
xo
s
Debby says
Wish I lived closer to Richmond! Great job ! Love the chalkboard art does she sell prints/posters of her work?
YoungHouseLove says
A few others have requested that so we’ll have to tell her. She’s crazy talented!
xo
s
Carmen says
This show house looks absolutely amazing and you two have done an amazing job! Congratulations!
Emma says
Wow! Congratulations on a job well done. I LOVE LOVE the window treatments. Especially in the master. And all of your rooms exude a fresh bright and airy feeling. Just in time for SPRING =) Very cool of you to give a shout out to your awesome Chalk Artist Li.
Lauren G says
Looks pretty good, although i think the master bedroom looks so much more like the “tween” room than the one you decorated. I don’t know many men who’d be comfortable in that master. Thank goodness the decor isn’t permanent.
Jill says
You guys are amazing! I can’t believe you made all this happen within weeks of the due date! I am so impressed and I hope you are able to get some rest, relax and wait on your new little one. You must be so proud and relieved!
Susan M says
What are the dimensions of the office? It looks kind of small. I actually have a piano and real living room furniture (I know, most people don’t any more), but whenever I look at these newer homes, I think where would I put the piano?
YoungHouseLove says
It’s a 10.5 x 12′ room, so it’s not giant like the master or the living room, but I think you could fit a piano and some smaller furnishings (but maybe not a full sofa or anything).
xo
s
Sina says
I am OBSESSSSED with this house!!! You two have done a FANTASTIC job of bringing all good things together- like always. You do just a great job blending color and neautrals.
IN LOVE!!!
Melissa@TheChicDream says
It looks great guys! I love the chalkboard art. She is super-talented. The finishes that you used for all of the permanent items (wall colors, lighting, hardware, etc.) are perfection. It will be so easy for someone to move right in and make it their own. I especially love the office doors and door hardware.
Emily says
Love the house!!! I’ve been soooooo excited to see pictures of the finished project, what a great start to my day :) Well done, that is so much work and it looks amazing!
Jess says
I need to live here.
Or, hire you to built me a home.
Whichever.
Lindsay says
You guys seriously killed it on this house! I mean, I can’t stop looking at the photos they are so pretty. You should feel so so proud of the things you are doing! Way to go!
Patti says
Well done YHLovers! I would move in there TODAY. Now I want you to take a vacation. Seriously, I want a post tomorrow saying ‘Hey y’all we’re in Hawaii until the barnacle arrives! See you next month!’ No not really but I’m so tired and exhausted for you!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I think my doc might freak if I left Richmond at this point…
xo
s
Kristin F says
Simply gorgeous. I so want to pare down and go lighter in my house. It’s hard to do when you’ve inherited most of your furniture and your mom would have a fit if you got rid of it like I have. :)
Do you happen to know how long Homerama is on this year? I may be making it back to RVA in June and would love to swing over and see this all in person.
YoungHouseLove says
It runs for the first three weekends of May. So sorry you’ll miss it!
xo
s
Leiann says
Wow you guys! This home looks just beautiful! I wish I could see it in person! You guys, along with the the entire team, did a fantastic job. I can’t imagine how exhausted you must be, because it makes me tired just reading it! I’m having a hard enough time trying to figure out my new kitchen cabinets, I can’t imagine building and furnishing an entire house in such a crunch!
Looks great–you should be proud! :)
Renee says
Maybe you covered this in a past post, but could you explain how this works financially? Did you have a budget? It seems you purchased decor from so many different places and sometimes in bulk amounts – how did you ever keep it financially straight? And were you given a credit card to make all those purchases? Surely you didn’t have to keep receipts?
YoungHouseLove says
We were given an overall decorating budget by the builder (which breaks down to around $500 per space, which could easily be busted by one rug or one bed, which is why we hustled to get a lot of things borrowed or donated). So the items that come out of the decorating budget are things that we charge to our business credit card and we keep all the receipts and invoice the builder and he pays us back. It’s not too hard since we just keep an envelope with all of the showhouse receipts in there, and also have an itemized charge list on our business credit card (we use our personal one for buying things for our house to keep things separate).
xo
s
Marcia says
Before even seeing all of the photos I have to take a minute here at work to tell you kids how delightful and talented you are. The house is gorgeous! Well done! Now go have that baby…
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Marcia!
xo
s
ashlea says
I love the house plans. And the house of course. You guys did awesome. I just don’t see how Sherry had the energy!
CrayolaJW says
I really love this project and what you guys did with it. Everything looks tranquil without being boring – I would move in tomorrow!
Richard says
You guys should be SO proud of yourselves!
Kami says
I WANT IT!!! ALL OF IT!!!!
haverwench says
A modest proposal: when the whole thing is done, take all these “after” photos and add a showhouse tour to the “House Tour” section of the blog, along with your real-life house tours. That way we can go back and look at all the rooms together in context.
YoungHouseLove says
We’d love to do that, along with a video tour :)
xo
s
Amanda says
This house looks amazing!! I will definitely be using some of the features as inspiration for my next house redecorating. Way to go!!!!
Dana says
Beautiful job & thanks for sharing! Look forward to hearing more about the “learning curve” in a future blog.
karen says
Love the look, and that it’s so you two. The color scheme matches your book.
Lesley says
I love how light and cheery everything is! I’m drooling over the color scheme in that office. I’m planning a second nursery now, and am dreaming of a blue ceiling!
One note, the link to the U-fab fabric for the curtains in the office is taking me to the shades of light shop instead, d’oh! I was curious to see the fabric as I can’t quite tell on my screen if they’re more grey or more taupe-y. :)
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry I fixed that about at hour ago but it might take a while to cache. Maybe try refreshing?
xo
s
Lesley says
Yep! Fixed! Thank you! :)
Diane says
Everything looks so beautiful. My favorite is the home office. What a cozy but light filled room I could see myself in there. It actually has a look of someone who has just walked away for a minute but will be right back.
Monica says
The place looks fantastic. You guys did a great job. Where did you find those great baskets (one one the bedroom dresser, coffee table in living room and entry way console). I love them, but whenever i see them they’re super expensive.
YoungHouseLove says
HomeGoods! I love them. Might have to buy one for our house too…
xo
s
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
OMG John & Sherry, you two have out done yourselves! Gorgeous!!! I LOVE everything I have seen so far. Can’t wait to see more. You both should be so proud of yourselves. :)
Berry says
All of these spaces are amazing… I’m planning to come to the show in person but it’s probably best that I see most things beforehand on the blog so I don’t have some kind of fangirl anxiety attack when I actually walk in to a sea of your super-awesome work.
I am coveting so many things in this showhouse that I know I could never do a job like this (nevermind the fact that I don’t have the knowledge, vision, etc.). So many things big and small are just great–especially love those geode bookends and the office chair/desk.
Mary says
WOW! You guys did amazing!! Everything looks so happy and fresh. I just pinned practically every picture in this post as inspiration for when I finally own a home and can decorate and paint how I want with no landlords holding me back. Try and relax and enjoy this experience before your new son joins the family! (AHH! so exciting!).
P.S. Pinterest is already exploding with pins from your post today and you’re other show house posts. I love seeing pictures from my favorite blog when scrolling through pins!
Mary says
your*
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Mary, you’re so sweet!
xo
s
Isabel says
Only three rooms and all I can say is WOW! Can’t wait to see more. Great job as always. I hope you guys feel proud of this incredible accomplishment, I know I do for you! That D&A rug is just what I need in my master bedroom to add some punch to the otherwise soothing blue palette. Hopefully hubby will agree!
Lindsay says
Wow, you guys have done a flat out AMAZING job. You’ve only shown a few rooms here and already I can’t even come up with a couple specific things to comment on because there are just TOO MANY!! I can’t imagine how much work this all must have been, but it looks sooo good! And as I sit here solidly on the couch in the midst of my maternity leave (impatiently waiting for my daughter’s arrival around the 20th) I’m especially impressed with Sherry’s ability to complete this home stretch while so pregnant!! :)
I know you’ve mentioned that whoever buys the house has the opportunity to purchase a few things if they want to, but have you two fallen for any items so hard that you want to buy them too? Just curious.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Lindsay! I think we might need to buy the Burger painting… haha!
xo
s
Andrea says
I love that everything is so light and airy. Just curious, are there any pieces from the showhouse that you are planning on keeping/buying after the show? I just feel like if I designed and furnished a whole house to my taste I would buy nearly everything I could afford for my own house. :)
YoungHouseLove says
I think we might have to buy the Burger portrait! Haha!
xo
s
Joanna says
I might have missed it but where are the frames in the study from? I loooooooooooooooooove them.
I love the house. It is so bright and happy, and so different from most of the show homes I’ve been to. Whoever lives there is a really, really lucky family!
YoungHouseLove says
Those are from Target (the ones on the wall)! Loved the wood finish! The smaller ones on the bookcase are HomeGoods.
xo
s
Olivia says
Congrats on meeting yet another deadline – so impressive! Now for my volunteer proof-reader duties: “There were literally picture frames and window treatments being hung in the last few minutes (even a window treatment).” A lot of window treatments going on in this sentence! :) Hope you can get some rest soon…
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Olivia! All fixed :)
xo
s
buhdoop says
I love how the quarter rounds are bare wood. They look good against the white of the trim.
This house is really nice so far. Almost like a fabulous single working Mom house, which you don’t really see in show houses. Bravo for having the guts to be original.