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House Crashing: A Happy Casual Farm House

You guys know Lesli, right? She’s a friend of ours who lives in out in the country (Greenwood, Virginia) and happens to be an amazing painter (you might remember our giveaway with her). She has an awesome blog and a sweet old house – complete with extra high ceilings that we covet and 100+ year old details that make “old farmhouse” the dream for so many people (us included). So we can’t wait to show you around. Let’s get to snooping…

Lesli DeVito Standing In Foyer Of Happy Farmhouse Near Charlottesville Virginia

Almost every item in Lesli’s home has been loved back to life. Like the old bench that sits in her entryway, which she got secondhand for $50 and painted a fresh new color. All of the mixed and matched art above it has such a fun and casual vibe – almost like it’s a beach house. The best thing about this house out in the country (with gorgeous views of the mountains) is that nothing feels too precious. Clara had a blast (and I didn’t have to have fifteen heart attacks worrying that she’d break something since the house was so kid friendly and fun). Oh and see that suitcase that Clara’s standing on? It can be seen in this Burger birthday video (Lesli’s daughter actually gave it to Clara to take home – how sweet is that?).

Foyer With Frame Collage Wall and Colorful Teal Church Pew Bench

To the left of that entryway are two large rooms with awesome envy-inducing high ceilings. The room in the front is a living area, and the one in the back was once a formal dining room but Lesli realized that her family got more use out of making that another sitting area with a big couch for reading (you know, so Lesli can curl up and read in one space while the kids watch TV in the next room). So she moved the dining room to the other side of the house and made this side into one big casual chill-out area.

Colorful Traditional Farmhouse Living Room With Wingback Chairs And Pink Bookcase

I think some of the most noteworthy choices that Lesli made in the room had to do with color. Look at those bold patterned curtains! That awesome kid-art with bright pink mats! Even the colorful Uglydoll on the couch is inspired! Too many exclamation points? Sorry, this room just gets me excited. And the coolest thing is that Lesli actually designed the fabric for those curtains herself (it’s a horse painting that she did, which she uploaded to Spoonflower and duplicated a bunch of times to create an abstract ikat-ish effect). I got woozy when she told me that. Seriously, it was horse-print-induced hysteria.

Farmhouse Decor With Pink Curtains And Colorful Pillows

Here’s that room behind the one we shared above (which used to be the formal dining room until she moved that to the other side of the house). I love that Lesli made things work for her family instead of being locked into using the same layout that the previous owners did. And see that round coffee table? It was actually a kitchen table from Lesli’s old house, but she cut the stand down to make it coffee-table height. Isn’t that a smart use-whatcha-got trick?

Traditional Farmhouse Vintage Style With Lots Of Artwork And Chandelier

Check out that big mirror over the mantel. It’s original to the 100+ year old house. Gorgeous, right? Lesli was so humble about everything but I was totally standing there drooling. The cool thing about this house is that it’s a great example of how you can fill an awesome old farmhouse with inexpensive items and reinvent old thrift store pieces. And nothing feels like you’re going to break it or ruin it… it’s approachable and comfortable.

Chevron Print Couch IN Front Of Vintage Fireplace With Oversized Mirror

Here’s a secondhand cabinet that she rescued with some fresh paint. I love the pops of yellow and the wooden fish on the wall with the name of her city painted on it. And see that bolt of fabric leaning casually in the corner? I love it there. The whole house is so refreshingly unfussy and easy.

Vintage Kitchen Storage Display With Decorative Objects

Here’s her upstairs bathroom complete with a few more pops of color in the art and the textiles. It’s cool to see how Lesli mixes old (the ornate antique mirror) with new (the geometric bath mat – which is actually a TJ Maxx find) along with a whole lotta fresh white.

Blue and Yellow Bathroom With Vanity

Lesli’s bedroom was having some drywall work done in a few areas, but we were able to sneak this shot of the corner of the room complete with a fun graphic chair, a non-working fireplace that she filled with books, and a window cornice that she actually made out of fabric and foam core (seriously! she took one down and showed me and it looked so legit – I never would have guessed it was foam core under there and not wood). And as for a little more info on that chair, she got it cheaply because it was a floor model and then recovered it with $9.99 Dwell Studio fabric from U-Fab (she found a great upholstery guy out there who only charged $100 to recover the chair!).

Vintage Fireplace Mantle Used For Storing Books Bookcase

Now on to my favorite room in the house! You may have seen her daughter Phoebe’s room since it actually won in a recent Washington Post kids room contest, but even if you have, it’s totally worth a second look. Everything from that awesome colorful chandelier (from Urban Outfitters!) to the bold blue wall with the fun pink border and some more patterned fabric cornices (plus that great geometric rug that she got on clearance from PB Teen for $150!) was completely fun and charming.

Twin Bed Side-By-Side In Blue Room With Pink Border And Colorful Crystal Chandelier

Without a doubt my favorite thing in the room were the beds. Can you believe that Lesli got them at a thrift store for super cheap and then painted and upholstered the back herself? It looked complicated (how do you curve the fabric like that?) but the curved panel actually just pops out so she added some batting and some fabric, pulled it taut and stapled it in the back, and then just screwed the panel back on. Easy peasy. The fabric is Premier Suzani Slub in Corn. Don’t they look like a million bucks?

Blue Pink And Yellow Bright Pillows In Kids Room

The room that her sons share was just as sweet with fun orange accents (the over-sized ceiling shade and the curtains that she made with this fabric were awesome)…

Boys Room With Orange and Blue Accents

… but my favorite things in that room were these crazy.awesome.lamps. They were just cheap glass lamps that she got from Target, but they were fillable – so she decided to fill one of them with a bunch of tiny toys that her son had collected when he was younger but no longer plays with. And the other one got filled with old cars that used to be enjoyed all the time. I thought it was such a cool way to keep something sentimental around that your child might not actively play with anymore. Imagine the possibilities: legos, polly pockets, colored pencils, rubber erasers, the list goes on! Now I can expand my shadowbox obsession to fillable lamps…

Glass Lamps Filled With Toy Cars In Boys Bedroom

So there you have Lesli’s awesome house. Thanks so much to her and the family for so graciously inviting us over to crash! We had the best time, and couldn’t wait to share all of her creativity with you guys. I mean, from those spoonflower curtains that Lesli designed herself to the lamps full of kid paraphernalia, we definitely left feeling super inspired! Now let’s play the what’s-your-favorite-part game. I gotta stick with those genius thrift store beds that she completely redid for Phoebe’s room. Amazing.

Psst- Don’t wanna stop snooping around? You can check out dozens of House Crashing adventures right here.

Comments

  2. Karen says

    Very pretty. One item that may have set Lesli back a little is the solitary dress painting over her TV set. I think I recall from 43rd Street Festival of the Arts over the last few years that the artist’s amazing paintings were $500+. Think he was at the Mary Munford/Bon Air Artists Show in October as well. Look forward to your book signing this Sunday–will be there with my daughter, Georgia, your biggest fan in the near west end!

    Reply

    • lesli devito says

      Yep, that’s one of mine. I kept seeing that dress in my mind, my wedding dress and one day..in the midst of painting cows and dogs…I just painted it. I put it smack dab over the TV to remind me…that everything I became…started with that feeling…the feeling that made me paint that dress…to just DO IT and that is why I wanted to see it everyday…cause lets face it…I am a BRAVO junkie! knew where to find me!

  3. Kelly @ babiole de windsor says

    Waited a couple of hours to see you tonight but you ran out of books :(…did meet some fun lovely ladies in line though. Glad to see you’re drawing such large & fun crowds but please bring more books next time….

    PS: Love everything about this house you crashed!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So sorry Kelly! They sent the same giant stack of hundreds of books that we’ve had at the last 10+ events (none of which ran out of books) so we were so surprised to sell out! Definitely will ask them to bring even more next time – you DC folks were amazing!

      xo,
      s

  6. Maria says

    What a fun house crash! The lamps would be a great way to display all of my dad’s fishing lures…thanks for the idea!!

    Reply

  7. Daisy says

    Hi Sherry! Please pat on Lesli back on my behalf for her mind blowing creativity and sense of colors.

    You are so right I also like room color and bold curtains. In Phoebe’s room, I like most is bed background color and painting on it. And that traditional one mirror is surely an master piece.

    One more creativity I like most is lamps filled with toys lol..—a perfect use of toys.
    Overall I’m flat on this décor. Like it very much. Thanks for sharing it.

    Reply

  9. Laura in Denver says

    I love the idea of filling the non-working fireplace with bookshelves. And the way she made the curtains. My house is a different style entirely but these are completely adaptable & brilliant ideas.

    Also you guys I got your book & it’s great. (No, I don’t know Sherry and John and no one paid me to say this.)

    Reply

  10. suganya says

    We JUST got our tickets for the Living Social deal in D.C!! We will be driving from Durham, NC with our 6 month old and maybe our doggie to see you on Saturday.. Should be interesting! :)

    Reply

  14. Kate says

    Super post! Love seeing the house crashing adventures pix. I am enjoying your book tour posts as well. You guys seem so nice and down to earth. I actually remembered you from a wedding post on the Knot website, and was thrilled to find your blog and see your DIY life evolve.

    We will be buying our first house soon and are dying for couch ideas and help. Often times I’ll see great furniture and especially couches (since I’ve got my eyes peeled for them) in posts and would love to hear where to buy them. I’m interested in design and really enjoy following your blog, but am just not very good at it myself. So any couch help tips would be awesome!

    Congratulations on the newly published book and may the DIY gods shine down upon ya :)

    Reply

  20. Karoline says

    OMG. LOVE this house. I will be subscribing to her blog with a quickness. I am obsessed with the chandelier in her daughter’s room, perfect for my rainbow-loving colorful little girl, and the fillable lamps. I can totally see filling a lamp with little toys that are sentimental, maybe her Strawberry Shortcake figures once she finally gets too old for them, or the tiny Playmobil animals that she loves so much. Such a great idea!!

    Reply

  25. Erin says

    This is by far, my favorite house crash. Seriously in love with the personalized and beautiful touches in this home. I found almost an identical church pew on craigslist for $50- my only craigslist treasure to date! And it’s been sitting on my front porch for two years, awaiting me to muster the courage to paint it. I was going to stay safe and do a weathered black, but this totally inspires me to try a fun color instead. I adore that blue bench. Thanks for posting and sharing this home with us!!

    Reply

  26. Rachel says

    Ok, I absolutely adore this place. What an amazing job she did!!! The line that caught my attention the most is “she found a great upholstery guy out there who only charged $100 to recover the chair!).” Um…I need his name. LOL I’m in C’ville and would REALLY like to know who that is.

    Reply

  30. Kevin Hildebrandt says

    This is a really cute house all around. Very vibrant, bright, and kid friendly. This was an enjoyable article to read with GREAT pictures of the home. I loved the lamps they were something I would have wanted as a child. Thanks for your nice article.

    Reply

  32. Rachel says

    I love the re-upholstered chair; amazing finish! The huge mirror above the mantel is fabulous! Phoebe’s room is adorable, I love the headboards and the chandelier. The boys’ room in this house looks my oldest son’s room, same color and concept, except I do not have fillable lamps which I think are sooo cool!

    Reply

  34. Amber Cox says

    Hey Sherry,
    What’s the paint color she used on the walls in the “big chill-out area” in the front room? I love it with the pink accents and am planning something similar for my daughters (Ruby and Clara)’s bedroom.
    Thanks!
    Love love love
    Amber

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Maybe try scrolling back through the comments to see if she stopped by with that info? If not, I hope she drops in with that paint color for you :)

      xo
      s

  35. Lesli DeVito says

    Hi Petersik Family…
    Just stopping by to say Hi and to answer the question above…
    If we are talking about the same room…The light pink room is painted in Benjamin Moore “Pink Cloud”. And the other room – BM “Spring in Aspen”. But NOW the kids playroom (the one with the pink cabinet) is painted Sherwin Williams Sea Salt.

    have fun!

    Reply

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