Combining our Passions in to a Decorating Style

A couple of weeks ago I was asked by Compass, an online home finder company in New York, to share my starter story. You know, the story of your home and how it molded you as much as you molded it to you :) I loved the idea of this and totally jumped on the chance to really look at our home again.

So for starters, the home we are in now is not our first house together. In fact when Reed and I first got married we lived in a itsy bitsy house while we finished college, I mean it was so small you could plug in the vacuum in one room and do the entire house. Yes, thats small. If you wanna see more of how we made that itsy bitsy space in to our own check out these links >>

But for the purpose of this project, I felt like the home that we would say is the starter to our story is the one we are in now, our boondocks house.


We still don't own this house, but it's a step up from our last one because the landlords have agreed to let us make it fit our needs and style. Reed and I have done tons of projects both inside and out in the past year and a half. But I think the room that shows this the most is the living room. We have really combined both of our passions in life to make this space a beautiful expression of us as a couple. It gets changed around a couple times a year but the gist stays the same. 

Outdoorsman meets artist. 

Odd combo I know :) 




This room is bright and fun but oh so comfy. We've managed to have all our most important pieces in this space. Including some of Reed's animal mounts and my all time favorite painting. 

Most people think if you are gonna have taxidermy in your space that you have to go natural, rustic, or lodge/cabin style. But I don't agree! I think Reeds taxidermy is beautiful, and when paired with the bright teals, whites, and other pops colors in the room a beautiful juxtaposition happens and makes every corner of the room interesting. 




I'm not sure how I would describe our style, other than a perfect combo of the two of us. Maybe whimsical rustic?? Whatever you want to call our style, this house has allowed us to grow in to this style and really find out how to combine our contrasting passions in to a beautiful and unique piece of work. 

This house is in no way our dream, but it is exactly what we need.
What is your starter story?? Did you  have a house that molded you and your family in to what you are now?

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PS. If you are in the NY area be sure to check out Compass and find your perfect home :)