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Making a House a Home

3 years ago by

Photos Erik Melvin

I can’t remember if I’ve shared this with you or not…but Josh and I bought our first house!

I’d love to wax poetic about the uniqueness of our situation and circumstance, but let’s be honest, we’re very much following the trend of the last year of people leaving cities for space, nature, serenity…but, I will say, we had been thinking about leaving New York before the pandemic began. We even went to look at Doris’ house in Garrison a month before New York locked down.

But, like many of our *very lucky* fellow urbanites, we decamped to Cape Cod last March and ended up finding our new home, in Bedford, New York, last June. The house was basically move in ready when we found it, which was ideal as we were not looking for a huge renovation project after the stress/anxiety/what the f!*k-ness of this past year. But this led us to the interesting task of trying to make a house that felt nothing like us, into a home that felt very much like us, without breaking a wall or re-tiling a bathroom. A unique challenge given that Josh and I have pretty much opposite taste in interiors.

Making a House a Home

We decided to tackle the house on our own, without the help of a designer, which was definitely overwhelming at times. Where we did bring in help was with choosing colors. Enter Farrow & Ball and their color consultancy program which we were able to do virtually with the brilliant Patrick O’Donnell — an international brand ambassador for Farrow & Ball who gave us guidance and wisdom on how to bring color into our home to give it character without looking it looking like a disjointed mess. We followed most of his suggestions (Card Room Green on the walls, Studio Green on the trim in the living room) and only went rogue in a few spaces—like our bright yellow Babouche powder room—and I’m happy to report it worked out! And really laid the foundation for how we approached the rest of the house.

Wall Color: Schoolhouse White in Modern Emulsion, Farrow & Ball; Cabinet Knobs, Rejuvenation; Cabinet Pulls, Rejuvenation; Yellow Bowl, TF Design

Making a House a Home

For the kitchen, which the previous owners re-did just a few years ago, we made it our own by simply switching out the cabinet hardware to give the space more contrast with new knobs and pulls from Rejuvenation. For the dining area, a new light fixture to tie in with the kitchen and some new tableware from our dear friend Tina Frey helped pull our contrast-vibe together. Simple and clean.

Black & White Tableware, TF Design; Linen Napkins, Last Light; Pendant Light, Bench, Jute Rug and Utility Hook, Rejuvenation; Utility Area Wall Color, Drop Cloth in Modern Emulsion, Farrow & Ball

Making a House a Home

For our media room, we went a bit more whimsical and deep with dark Studio Green walls and ceiling, velvet curtains and a tiger print rug for a playful touch. And we had to upgrade our sofa to a larger sectional when we adopted our second dog, Hugo, who is enormous and loves to cuddle. This Gabriel sectional from Sixpenny in their Warm Oatmeal Medium Weight Linen with washable slipcovers was the lifesaver we were looking for to ground the room.

Gabriel Corner Sectional, Sixpenny; Velvet Throw Pillows, Soho Home; Linen Throw Pillows, Hawkins New York; Rug, Lemieux et Cie; Pendant Light, Hem; Coffee Table, HD Buttercup; Wall and Ceiling Color, Studio Green in Estate Emulsion, Farrow & Ball

Making a House a Home
Making a House a Home

In general we wanted to keep the house feeling more eclectic and not too perfect—hard to do when you can’t travel and pick up odds and ends to break things up. But our living room has a mix of old—a vintage desk bought at auction—and new—this velvet sofa from Lulu & Georgia that is incredibly comfortable—for a mix of mid-century and more traditional shapes.

Sofa, Lulu & Georgia; Armchairs, Soho Home; Illustration, Marleigh Culver; Wall Color, Card Room Green in Estate Emulsion, Farrow & Ball; Woodwork Color, Studio Green in Estate Eggshell, Farrow & Ball

Making a House a Home

When it comes to bedrooms and bathrooms my favorite is to make the space feel like an incredibly comfortable hotel room. I find I always sleep well in a beautiful hotel. For this, you need a big bed with a great mattress and incredibly luxurious bedding—Frette or bust!—and dark curtains to block the light. We used the same velvet that’s in our media room. I still fantasize about adding a soaking tub to our bathroom, but in the meantime the plush Frette towels still make every shower feel totally luxurious.

Bedding and Towels, Frette; Mattress, WinkBeds; Bedroom Wall Paint, Pigeon in Estate Emulsion, Farrow & Ball

Making a House a Home
Making a House a Home

But what is perhaps my favorite part of our new home is the land it sits on. We have an acre filled with trees, lush grass and an ever changing array of flowers and plants. We’ve become obsessed with time outside. I’ve spent the spring sitting on this Outer set with a cup of coffee and a crossword in the mornings and our weekends are now spent gardening, adding new flowers into the mix. I just can’t wait until we start to entertain here—but I guess we’ll have to make some friends first!

Making a House a Home

17 comments

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  • Congrats Emily! What a post! Love the light in your house.

  • Emily Yeston 12 juillet 2021, 9:12

    Thanks so much Dina! x

  • Wow, so beautiful Emily, happy to hear such happiness and see such beauty in your new home. I’m sure you’ll make friends very soon.

    Polly x

  • Emily Yeston 12 juillet 2021, 9:12

    Thank you Polly! x

  • What a beautiful home! Serene and sophisticated yet also full of great color and texture.
    I love the coffee table in front of the velvet sofa…not seeing it sourced. Well done!

  • Emily Yeston 12 juillet 2021, 9:11

    Hi Jessica! The wavy coffee table is from AllModern, but it’s from a few years ago–doesn’t look like it’s currently available.
    Thanks so much for your comment! :)

  • Dawn Solich 10 juillet 2021, 4:39 / Répondre

    I love your style Emily! Daring, with your use of color, and chic, chic! My favorite is the tiger print rug and what you chose to go with it—really different. It’s a wow!

  • Emily Yeston 12 juillet 2021, 9:11

    Thank you, Dawn! Hope you’re great!! xx

  • Caroline Candido 11 juillet 2021, 7:45 / Répondre

    Hi there! Love your new home! We just recently moved to Bedford in September and would love to make new friends. Would be great to meet up. – Caroline and Steve Candido

  • Emily Yeston 12 juillet 2021, 9:12

    Hey Neighbor! Will send you an e-mail :)

    xx Emily

  • Desi McKinnon 12 juillet 2021, 10:59 / Répondre

    Congratulations! What is the architecture on the outside of the house like? I love the light and bright matched with the moody and cozy. Hope you make great friends soon.

  • Emily Yeston 12 juillet 2021, 5:27

    Hi Desi!
    It’s a cedar shake shingle colonial style. Super simple! Thanks so much for your note :)
    x Emily

  • Jorge Alexandre Teixeira 14 juillet 2021, 6:02 / Répondre

    Olá Olá !!!
    Nº 1 : Contratulations for your Wonderful Abode !!! I can totally feel your touch into it despite all the suggestions and inputs from the Pro’s !!!
    And 2…you both look Amazing (like the long hair , Josh !!! Looks Good on you, m’a Man !!!) !!!

    A warm Hug,

    J

  • Emily Yeston 16 juillet 2021, 9:11

    Hi Jorge!

    Thank you so much :) Always so good to read you!

    xx Emily

  • I love all your artwork and, in particular, the “split” print of the flower on your office wall. Would you mind sharing the artist? Thank you!

  • Emily Yeston 16 juillet 2021, 9:10

    Hi Barbara!
    This artists is Marleigh Culver and the print is from Tappan Collective!
    x Emily

  • Wow, how lovely

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