I had fun last week helping my daughter add the finishing touches to her beautiful Scandinavian-style home, full of light woods, pops of green, and lots of plants!
A Visit to my Daughter’s New Home
My daughter Zoë and her husband Sam recently moved into a new home!
They had outgrown their condo in the city. It was time for a home in the suburbs!
I spent the past week with them, enjoying time with my granddaughter Poppy and helping put some finishing touches on the new place.
Advising on furniture placement.
Hanging pictures and a breadboard gallery wall.
Painting the powder room.
And searching with Zoë at an antiques store for a few furniture pieces and accessories.
Today here on the blog, I am giving you a quick tour of Zoë’s and Sam’s main living space — kitchen, dining area, and living room.
Plus some of the fun things we did, including Poppy’s 2nd birthday party!
Let’s have a look around!
Zoë’s and Sam’s Style
Let me start by saying that Zoë and Sam have great style. And the home they bought suits them perfectly.
The new neighborhood is full of charming cottages — with a few modern places mixed in to keep things interesting.
Their home was recently renovated, with a bright and airy open floor plan, beautiful gourmet kitchen, stone tile fireplace flanked by floor-to-ceiling built-in shelves, and big windows looking out on wooded park land.
They moved all the furniture from their condo, but since the house is much bigger, they have needed to make a few purchases. I had fun helping Zoë source some new-to-her pieces!
Scandinavian Style
I would best describe Zoë’s style as Scandinavian.
What exactly is the popular “Scandi” style?
Think neutral tones, with pops of colors that reflect nature.
Light woods such as oak, pine, and birch.
Clean lines and simplicity.
Open and airy spaces.
Lots of natural light.
And minimal accessories.
Scandinavian style is all about creating a space that feels comfortable, light, and efficient, with a strong connection to nature and a focus on simplicity.
The Living Room
The living room is a great example of Zoë and Sam’s personal take on this Scandinavian style.
They decorated it with a mix of things from their condo, new purchases, a few vintage pieces, family artwork and collections. And lots of houseplants!
From their condo:
- Two low-slung Hans-Wegner-style wood arm chairs with a woven rope back and seat.
- A unique coffee table made from teakwood branches
- Large round foot stools with woven rattan tops
- An arc-style floor lamp
- A collection of carved wooden bowls, gifts from Sam’s grandparents.
- Sam has a green thumb, and their home is filled with plants!
- A water color done by Sam’s grandmother.
New purchases:
- A Crate and Barrel sectional slipcovered in green cotton.
- A clean-lined light wood sideboard from Article.
- A vintage Turkish rug purchased through Etsy.
Lucketts Store finds:
- A console table made from an old tabletop and a base of thin unfinished boards nailed together. I love the contrast between the old top, with its rich patina, and the rustic simplicity of the base.
- A bench fashioned from sturdy old legs painted a dark brown, and a live-edge unfinished top. Again, the mix of old and new, traditional and contemporary, refined and rustic is what tickles my fancy!
Lucketts Store
With three floors chock-full of unique antique and one-of-a-kind “vintage hip” furniture and accessories, Lucketts Store is a great one-stop shopping destination!
The store is located near Leesburg, VA. Additionally, twice a year, in the Fall and Spring, they host a huge Vintage Market at the Clarke County Fairgrounds in Berryville, VA.
These events are worth a trip, even from afar!
You can read about my experience at the Fall Vintage Market in my blog post A Vintage Hip Day at the Fall Lucketts Market.
Pulling It All Together
With a solid vision and so many wonderful pieces, the living room came together easily.
Sam had already done a great job styling the shelves with plants and their collection of wooden bowls.
And I was able to figure out a way to hang the beautiful watercolor painting on the slate tile above the mantel. Three candlesticks from Lucketts were all the decor needed to finish off that focal wall.
I reconfigured the space a bit — sliding the sectional over and back, and moving the two chairs to either side of the fireplace. With the coffee table in between the chairs and sectional, it now makes for a perfect conversation area.
We placed the bench from Lucketts in front of the window (where the chairs were originally).
And the new-old console table adds some interest to the back of the sectional, which is the view from the kitchen. A small wicker chest that was my mom’s holds toys under the table. (The photos for this post were taken before we moved this down from the bedroom. ) A few unique accessories from Lucketts are all that are needed on the table.
The light woods keep things bright and airy. While pops of green add warmth and speak to the leafy view out the windows. The organic shapes of the wooden bowls, branch coffee table, and live-edge bench roots the space in nature. And the quirky sofa table adds depth and a layer of interest to the space, while remaining clean-lined like the rest of the furniture. The subtle pattern of the vintage neutral wool rug grounds the area with softness.
The room is fresh, but also warm and welcoming. I love it all!
The Kitchen and Dining Area
Zoë loves to cook, and her new kitchen is the perfect spot for her to whip up delicious homemade meals.
The kitchen is huge, with plenty of both storage and counter space.
It has beautiful taupe colored custom wood cabinetry, with light quartz countertops on the perimeter and Silestone that mimics the slate tile fireplace on the large island.
Big windows on the sink wall bring in light and open to the wooded view.
All Zoë added was a vintage wool Turkish runner and a pair of sleek counter stools — plastic for easy Poppy cleanup!
One of my jobs during my visit was to hang a gallery wall of bread boards on a small feature wall as you enter the kitchen. These boards previously graced the dining area in their condo. I love the handmade warmth the boards lend to the modern kitchen.
The dining table and chairs, are tucked into a window-filled nook between the kitchen and living room. Also pieces from the Canadian company Article, their simple lines and light oak wood have that perfect Scandi look!
There is also a separate formal dining area that is currently empty, and serves for now as a fun play space for Poppy.
Powder Room
The tiny downstairs powder room was definitely a design challenge for me. And certainly different from the style of the rest of the house.
The black (!!) toilet and countertop and elegant marble tile floor are bossy design elements I have never worked with before. Plus, the walls have a stucco-like finish and were painted a nondescript light beige.
I was toying with the idea of painting the walls green to tie in with other rooms.
But then Zoë and I were inspired by a vintage mushroom print we saw at Lucketts.
And when she said she was ready to embrace a dark moody bathroom, I was all in!
Off I went to the paint store again for samples. The winner, appropriately, was Porcini by Benjamin Moore — a warm not-quite-gray not-quite brown color. Which just happens to be an almost perfect match with the kitchen cabinets. Not that anyone is going to actually notice, but I love how it subliminally ties this previously out-of-place little space to the rest of the house.
And, unlike a green, as I was originally thinking, the dark color (it reads much darker in the windowless space) sort of absorbs the black toilet, instead of making it pop.
Zoë ordered the two reproduction vintage mushroom prints pictured on the board above in a poster size. With simple thin black frames from Amazon, I think they will pull this space together beautifully.
And I absolutely love that this little bathroom is such a fun surprise when you open the door. But it still relates to the rest of the house.
Mission accomplished!
Shop The House
For your convenience, I am sharing shopping links to the exact or items similar to those in Zoë and Sam’s house. If you purchase through the LTK links (the pictures), I will receive a small commission, at no added expense to you.
Thank you for supporting my blog!
Museum Outlets:
Article:
Adel 71″ Sideboard – White Oak
Last Week Into Next
Away
Sorry I missed you last week! I was hoping to get this post out while I was away, but it was a busy week!
In addition to all the house projects, Zoë and I went out for a delicious dinner.
We also took Poppy to see a production at a local children’s theater. She was completely mesmerized by it all!
And of course there was plenty of time spent rolling things across the floor with Poppy (her favorite occupation these days). Looking at books and moving bunny sunglasses from my eyes to my head and back to my eyes over and over and over again. Cooking with Zo. Runs to the hardware store. A few Peloton workouts and some plain old “hangouts”.
Plus, Poppy’s birthday party! As a toddler is wont, she refused to wear the birthday crown I sewed for her, exclaiming “NO HAT!” every time we tried to place it on her head. Hopefully, at the least, it will be a keepsake for her or her parents. A remembrance of when she turned defiantly wonderfully 2.
We made Molly Yeh’s homemade “funfetti” cupcakes, prompting us to go all out on the rainbow theme!
Happy birthday, sweet Pops!
Home
After saying a sad farewell, Maddie, Cisco, and I buckled in for the long car ride home. We broke up the trip with a stop in my hometown, including a visit to peer down the driveway at my childhood home. Aside from the strange car and child’s plastic basketball hoop in the driveway, it looked exactly the same. As if I could head in and find my mom waiting for me in the kitchen. It has been almost 6 years, and I still miss her every day.
I arrived home in the dark, but from the deck I could hear the sound of waves breaking and peepers singing their spring song, while watching the almost-full-moon rise over the harbor. And, oh, that fresh ocean air. This all is home to me now.
Our family has spent the week on tenterhooks, anxiously checking our phones each morning and whenever we hear a ding. Leah’s due date is Sunday, so the next time you hear from me I should have happy news!
Happy Easter to those who celebrate!
And may we all feel the hope of rebirth and renewal that accompanies spring!
