Houzz Tour: Happy-Chic Ranch House
Joi from Nuestra Vida Dulce Invites Us Into Her Fearless, Color-Rich Home
Market Editor, Houzz.com
Market Editor, Houzz.com More »
For most people, painting a home's exterior is a huge, time-consuming endeavor. Not so Joi Svezia. She and her husband painted their 1960s Illinois single-story house in just one afternoon. "Good thing it's a ranch-style!" she jokes.
The quip perfectly illustrates Joi's can-do attitude and willingness to set forth with gusto into any home improvement endeavor. On Nuestra Vida Dulce (or, "Our Sweet Life") she chronicles her and her husband Dave's many DIY decorating projects, as well as her knack for finding thrifted, discount, or just insanely affordable items and updating them to work in their home. We asked her to share how she does it, as well as give us a look inside the three-bedroom, 1,073 square-foot house they call home.
The quip perfectly illustrates Joi's can-do attitude and willingness to set forth with gusto into any home improvement endeavor. On Nuestra Vida Dulce (or, "Our Sweet Life") she chronicles her and her husband Dave's many DIY decorating projects, as well as her knack for finding thrifted, discount, or just insanely affordable items and updating them to work in their home. We asked her to share how she does it, as well as give us a look inside the three-bedroom, 1,073 square-foot house they call home.
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One of the first things that caught our eye was the amazing art installation on a wall in the living room. They're actually ceiling medallions, which Joi purchased from Architectural Depot. In bright white, they truly pop against Sherwin Williams' Perfect Greige covered walls.
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Joi is pretty fearless with pairing bold colors in her home, but that wasn't always the case. After going through myriad magazines and homing in on the images that really "spoke to" her, a pattern started to form. "I quickly discovered that I was drawn to rooms with an eclectic sense of style that mixed patterns and colors seamlessly," she says. "In our living room, I started with the striped pillows on the chairs and from there I began to bring in colors from those pillows all over the room."
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| When it comes to a favorite spot in the house, Joi is set on this welcoming space. "I absolutely love our living room," she says. "I feel like it's the first room that I put together that really represented my husband and me as a couple. We're fun, easy going people who don't take life too seriously and I think our living room gives off a similar vibe." Private Comment
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Joi turned one of the home's three bedrooms into a colorful and inviting office space. The chevron window curtains were a DIY using inexpensive white drapes and black acrylic paint. You can see the entire project from start to finish chronicled on her blog.
The warm gray on the walls is Iron Mountain by Benjamin Moore.
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The warm gray on the walls is Iron Mountain by Benjamin Moore.
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Would you believe that the lamps and credenza here together cost less than $30? Okay, okay, so the shades were extra, but we've still got to hand it to Joi for always finding a great deal. The lamps were originally a brassy black combo, but with a little Valspar spray paint they're fresh and fun.
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The farmhouse table in the dining area was handmade by Joi's father-in-law and inspired by a now discontinued piece from West Elm. You can get details of the building process here.
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| Joi collected the plates over time from big box stores, antique shops and thrift stores. When it came time to hang them, she took a picture on the floor of the plates in a rough layout, used "invisible" hangers that adhere to the back of the plates and referred back to the photo as she hung them up.
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The cabinets were originally "an awful orange-y color" when Joi and Dave bought the house. One of the first projects they tackled was to update them to their current Alabaster shade from Sherwin Williams. It's one of Joi's favorite projects to date, thanks to the dramatic difference it made.
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| The deep brown-gray paint is Mercer by Ralph Lauren, matched at Home Depot to their Behr brand. Private Comment
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A vintage campaign dresser provides extra storage space in the kitchen. "I love thrifted furniture because I feel like our home now has a more collected feel and personality," says Joi.
The stripes are painted in the same Alabaster and Mercer shades used elsewhere in the kitchen.
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The stripes are painted in the same Alabaster and Mercer shades used elsewhere in the kitchen.
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The curlicues of the white headboard in the master bedroom really stand out against the dark gray drapes. We had to know where she picked it up.
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"I found the headboard at an antique store," says Joi. "It is actually two twin headboards zip-tied together to make for a queen headboard." So smart, and who would ever know?
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The nightstands were a recent Craigslist acquisition. Joi recommends checking the online source as well as local thrift stores often to score big.
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Also, make sure to look past color and other aspects of a piece's appearance that can easily be altered. As she puts it, "a little elbow grease and some paint or fabric do wonders!"
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Joi relates closely to Jonathan Adler's "happy chic" style. "Our home is eclectic-vintage-modern!" she exclaims.
A thrifted brass lamp shines against the room's walls, which are painted in Benjamin Moore's Stonington Gray.
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A thrifted brass lamp shines against the room's walls, which are painted in Benjamin Moore's Stonington Gray.
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Unlike the rest of the house, the guest bedroom features a calm neutral palette. Joi focused on textures and patterns instead of color to add interest here. The ikat curtains were made from fabric found on sale at Jo-Ann's.
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As far as design words to live by, Joi recommends to "do what makes you happy and think before you buy. You don't have to settle solely on what big box stores have to offer to make a room come together!" Based on Joi's happy and thoughtfully put together home, we'd have to agree.
Thanks for sharing your house with us, Joi and Dave!
Next: See more Houzz Tours
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Thanks for sharing your house with us, Joi and Dave!
Next: See more Houzz Tours
Comments
andipete says:
I see a lot of this type of home decorating - colorful with geometic pattern, with relatively simple furniture - what style would you call it?
13 months ago ·
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Denise Vilim says:
What an inspiring house tour!! Joi is certainly creative with an eye for layering colors and her home is stunning! Thank you so much for sharing this!!
13 months ago ·
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Becky Harris says:
Andipete, I was just thinking about what a wonderfully "collected" home this is as I read the Houzz Tour. I recently saw Photo Stylist Annette Joseph speak and she talked about how she prefers the word "collected" to "eclectic," as it is a look pulled together with well-thought out, curated pieces and combinations, and not a hodge-podge that the word "eclectic" sometimes infers.
13 months ago ·
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Lily Gahagan says:
I like that name, Becky. Also, as Joi mentioned, Jonathan Adler's "happy chic" style seems to describe the space well too!
13 months ago ·
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kimbersays says:
Very similar to Kristen Buckingham (on a much less expensive/smaller scale). I like it a lot in this house.
13 months ago ·
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andipete says:
Becky, thanks for your input! That's a perfect word for this style.
13 months ago ·
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elliotreid says:
Really lovely. It's both fun and sophisticated, which isn't easy to pull off!
13 months ago ·
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buleyjunk says:
Wow so inspiring to see what can be done with some innate artistic sensibility and a willingness to work...no sugar daddy or trust fund required. Beautiful house!
13 months ago ·
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Mandi Smith T says:
One of my favorites to date. Love her style and the fact that she did it on a budget (without it looking like she did)! M.
www.interiordesignmusings.blogspot.com
www.interiordesignmusings.blogspot.com
13 months ago ·
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Litsa Koursaris says:
I love it. This is what I'd wish for my home. I love how much variety there is, I find it fun, playful and cheeky. Great job making it all work, its nice to see such a liveable, homely space.
13 months ago ·
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Catherine Murphy says:
Really nice work. I wish I could do that! That takes a lot of creative thinking to put it all together.
13 months ago ·
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Karen Ho Fatt says:
Awesome job, just goes to show what a bit of passion and ingenuity and thoughtfulness will do.
13 months ago ·
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Robin Pickens says:
This is beautifully designed and thought out. I love the grounded wall colors making a calm backdrop for accents of color and playfulness- so lovely! Your home is very accessible and warm. Thanks for sharing it!
13 months ago ·
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mcneicelaw says:
this house is so cute - it has the whimsy of a beach cottage but the comfort of a sturdy warm "home" to return to after work. Great job!
13 months ago ·
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sheila017 says:
I like the fan in the kitchen and the standing pillows in the bedroom. Everything else is boring.
13 months ago ·
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James G Wahlin says:
Oh... I feel sorry for the husband. I equate mixing designer paint colors at the Home depot to downloading free music over the internet. Bad karma. And the first picture of the cieling medallions on the wall makes a finish carpenter cringe. Too "funhouse", makes me queezy.
13 months ago ·
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lronald says:
I'm with you missionmillworks. Looks like a lot of people here would love to live in a little old lady's house.
13 months ago ·
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Someone may slap their name on a collection, but there is no such thing as "designer" paint colors, because you can't copyright a color. I'd imagine this lady matched the color in Behr because their paint is superior in quality to Ralph Lauren.
13 months ago ·
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wandm says:
A lot of good ideas. And I do like eclectic, although it's not for everyone. Still, I don't think the insulting tone of some comments is particularly constructive.
13 months ago ·
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ooshi says:
Insulting comments not useful.
Love the creative decorating!!! Awesome nightstands from Craigs list.
Love the creative decorating!!! Awesome nightstands from Craigs list.
13 months ago ·
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dragonflie says:
Do you know anything about the source of the kitchen island? Its simplicity and size would be perfect in my kitchen!
13 months ago ·
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Lily Gahagan says:
hi, @dragonflie! Joi's father-in-law actually made the kitchen island. You can read more about it here: http://daveandjoi.blogspot.com/2010/10/kitchen-island-addition.html
13 months ago ·
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interiors by loraine says:
What a fun house! Reminds me of my first apartment in 1965
12 months ago ·
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blancaa says:
Joi's house is anything but boring and old lady like. She has good taste and her design is gorgeous. I love the pops of color. So do her many followers :)
12 months ago ·
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Danielle Fallert says:
Joi has an amazing talent!! She is has an amazing eye and wonderful way of redoing things and mixing new, old and DIY itens together giving her home a cozy eclectic feel and look! Haven't we all been taught...If you have nothing nice to say then keep it to yourself!! Joi you are an inspiration!!!!
12 months ago ·
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isangcamacho says:
I think her husband is one lucky guy to have a very creative and fearless wife who can pull off this look AND be thrifty about it (and not being ashamed to say it). Plus, I see this house is a home with a lot of love, romance and harmony going around. For the naysayers, I think it is better that you keep your comments to yourself. Or, you might want to show us pictures of your house?
12 months ago ·
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