I visited my sister in DC the week the Young House Love show house first opened to the public. Being only two hours away, I couldn’t pass up the chance to see it with my very own eyes. I don’t care what anyone says about bloggers stalking bloggers. Why can’t people who share similar interests be friends? Isn’t that what being friends is all about?
Anyhow, I know how much hard work and time John and Sherry put into this house and I genuinely wanted to support them and the good cause. The Richmond Homearama benefits Habitat for Humanity. A portion of ticket sales is being donated to the cause plus John and Sherry donated their entire design fee to the organization while their builder is sending money Habitat’s way, too.
After touring the house, I had so many questions floating around in my head. I thought it would be fun to do a little Q & A. Luckily, John & Sherry were up for it.
Q: Okay, so I was totally eavesdropping on the comments other viewers were making while touring the house. I heard “beach house” and “Florida house” which I thought was so funny. I mean, just because a house isn’t tan and cream all over doesn’t mean it’s a beach house. Anyway, I’d love to know how you would describe the house using the Jonny Adler three word rule.
S: Hmm, I think we were aiming for happy, fresh, and comfortable.
Q: I also kept hearing the phrases “well used space” and “good layout.” I agree. The house is roughly 3,600 square feet but it doesn’t feel like an empty canyon. It’s so cozy! The use of custom built-ins throughout optimizes floor space and storage. Do you think your years spent living in modest ranches had an influence on how you approached the layout?
J: That’s so nice to hear. I definitely think coming from smaller homes (our first was 1,200 square feet) has inspired us to make use of every last inch – and has definitely influenced our love of built-in storage, smart layouts, and other features that optimize space. We also didn’t want the house to feel cavernous (3,600 square feet is a lot of space compared to what we’re used to) so adding functional built-ins and storage systems really made the rooms feel less sprawling and more cozy to us.
Q: You’ve never built a house from scratch before. What was the most surprising part of the process?
S: It was a definitely a whole new challenge to choose everything pretty much all at one time (from light fixtures and flooring to doorknobs, cabinet hardware, and even furnishings and accessories) instead of letting rooms evolve over time, which has always been our method in the past. We’re huge fans of trial and error, so it felt like a giant blitz to make all those decisions at once. In the end, there are definitely a few things we’d tweak if we had more than a few weeks to pull the house together after construction was completed, but overall we’re really proud and excited about where we ended up.
Q: On a similar note, you guys are used to doing most of the work yourselves. How did you feel about handing over the paint brush / hammer to the pros? Was the instant gratification nice or did you miss the pride of doing it yourselves?
J: In some cases it felt really alien to us, I’m not going to lie. But most of the time it was pretty amazing. John Waters (the builder) and his team were great, so it was pretty novel to leave a list of paint colors and sketches for the built-ins and wainscoting and come back a few days later to see them completed. There were moments when we looked at each other and said “we could get used to this…”
Q: Personally, I loved the playroom and laundry room. They are functional and super stylish. Which room is your favorite? Least favorite?
S: We love those rooms too! I think we’re also really into the living room, the breakfast nook, and the master suite with the big living area on the front porch being our favorite space of all. (Once we furnished and accessorized that blank-slate we were ready to move in). As for least favorite, there are a few things we would have done differently in the guest bedroom if we had more time, so that’s always “the one that got away” in my head…
Q: If you had to do it all over again is there anything you would change?
S: We’re not in love with the wall color we picked for the guest bedroom because in hindsight since the room has a few eaves and cutouts, we wish we had gone with something lighter that we could have put on the ceiling as well – that way it would de-emphasize those angles instead of making them stand out with dark walls and a white ceiling. We also wish we had hung a big quatrefoil mirror higher in the upstairs hallway (we just ran out of time) and we’d change the guest room bedding if we had the chance, too.
Q: I counted no less than three fiddle leaf figs. They were tall and green and I wanted to take them home with me. (Not that I would have anywhere to put them.) My sister was eyeing all the colorful art on the walls. If you could take one thing from the show house to use in your own home what would it be?
J: I want all the outdoor furniture – especially the stuff on the front porch. Between the porch swing and the egg chair along with that cushy sofa, I’d be a happy guy.
S: And I’d have to agree with your sister and say the art. I loved how much it changed a room when we hung it. That or the curtains. They went up and the space went from bare and cold to a place I wanted to hang out.
Q: Everyone wants to know. Did you get to spend the night in your show house?
J: We considered it after a few late nights, but we always ended up driving home for practical reasons (to get something we needed the next day, etc). We do joke that before the house is sold we want to have a pizza party there with our friends and family – just to pretend it’s our place for one night.
Q: What are some ideas or wisdom gained from this experience that you will be taking with you as you forge ahead with the renovation and decoration of your own home?
S: It was really interesting to work at a higher price point than we’re used to at home. While we love the thrill of being thrifty and DIYing, the show house helped us appreciate how much one or two thought out splurges or customized updates really can bring to a space. So I think we’ll be embracing more of a high & low mixture when we can, rather than trying to pinch pennies at every corner.
Thanks to John & Sherry for entertaining my nosy questions. If you aren’t able to attend the Richmond Homearama in person, you can read more about the show house and watch for the final room reveals over on YHL.
I have been to a few Homearamas over the years. Normally, I find them too over-the-top for my taste. So it was really refreshing to tour a show house that felt more like a home than a staged mansion. My sister and I genuinely felt as if we were walking through a family’s happy home. It was welcoming, colorful, completely livable and down-to-earth – much like John & Sherry in real life. Bravo!
images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking, published with the consent of Young House Love
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