House Tour

Name: Ashley Reynolds (I live with my husband Brad and our two cats - Hamlet and Norton)
Location: Moscow, Idaho
Square Footage: 800 square feet
Years Lived in: 1.5 years
Rent or own: Rent (student housing through our university)
Describe your style: Upcycled, vintage vs. modern, quirky, colorful...
Blog/Website: ashleyreynolds.blogspot.com and vintagerenaissance.etsy.com

What's your favorite free/found item?
The old door that keeps our porch colorful. Brad found it on the side of the road! We gave it a good sanding and a turquoise painty wash.

What's your favorite purchased item?
So hard! I vote our modernized cuckoo clock in our living room at the center of our collage. We bought it after our wedding with a gift card to Target! Love it!

What has been your biggest obstacle in decorating/design?
Budget, definitely! We are both putting ourselves through college right now, young and just starting out. I would say our entire two bedroom apartment was decorated on less than $800 (even the furniture) over the past year and a half. So proud, and in that way, it's been a good obstacle, more of a challenge really, and it's encouraged us to buy secondhand and rework things that have been given to us from family to make them work into our style, which is really eco-friendly.

Is your design style organic or planned?
Planned, but sometimes (most of the time) it is trial and error, and in that way, it's a little organic. I think it's very important to be flexible and open to the continual evolution design begs for.

What is your favorite spot in the house?
It might sound silly, but it's definitely our entryway. It cheers me up instantly when I walk inside. The table is is one of my favorite colors; orchids are my favorite flowers, and the caricature reminds me of our trip to New York last summer (also a favorite). A lot of favorites in one little space!

How has your style changed in the past 5 years?
I have become more and more of a fan of editing. Maybe it's the whole studying Writing and Literature in college....my design used to be very cluttered, but I appreciate simplicity so much right now. I have also become very involved and passionate about upcycling and ethical shopping. The majority of our furniture and decor we have bought secondhand. I always used to picture myself tossing the old stuff once we could afford nicer stuff, but now I can't even imagine!!

What is your favorite resource or store?
Thrift stores!!! Awesome finds, saving the environment AND proceeds being donated to charities?! Doesn't get any better!

What is your biggest decorating/design pet peeve?
A lack of personality! A space should always be a reflection of the people living in it. I'm very much into self-expression!

What has been your favorite design trend?
Ooh, this is a hard one! I'm not sure if they're a trend, but I love the invisible shelves!! We got ours from MoMa, and we love them! Since then, we see them popping up everywhere. My husband and I adore reading, so it's great that we can display books we love so easily and beautifully!

What is the biggest influence on your design/decorating style?
Probably the internet. I love reading design blogs; I follow several, and have been so inspired by all the people out there in the blogosphere. I probably would have never been truly in love with design if it wasn't for blogs like this one and readers like the people who are reading this right now!

What in your home dictates how you design/decorate?
The layout of our home is very "chopped up." Each room is separated; one day I would love an open layout! But we really wanted to give our home a cohesive feel; I didn't want it to be "themey," so even though it would have been easy to give each room a totally different style, we tried to incorporate the same style in each room, and if you notice, blue/teal runs through our whole home.

What is the simplest thing you have done that has made the biggest impact?
Paint! I 100% believe that paint is magical. We paint anything and everything! Walls, furniture, vintage decor...we even painted birds on our headboard! Color your world!

All photos courtesy of Ashley