Home Stylin: Sherie's Mid-Century/Modern Home

 

 By Sherie McDaniel

Introduced by Amy

I am so pleased to introduce my sister Sherie, third in line of six kids, and acted as peacemaker and judge during fights for us younger three.  And, let me tell you, she makes "homemaker" and "mommy" look cool.  I love her nutty kids....they know Metallica and Sia songs better than Old McDonald.  She is funny, caring, sarcastic, smart, can cook, decorate, create, remodel, sing, play the piano, and thinks of THE most hilarious Halloween costumes!  Whenever we get together we stay up way too late, and laugh our bums off.  

I'm so excited for her to show her sweet house--it's one of a kind, quirky, and ever evolving.  Enjoy!

-Amy

I’ve always enjoyed decorating my space, but realizing my personal style and real passion for it has come in the past 10 years.  I have no training in decorating, so I just go with what I like and probably break every rule.  I would define my style as mid-century modern / contemporary.  I’ve lived in a 111 year-old house for almost six years and I love the combo of the old exterior and architecture with a modern interior.   We’ve been making improvements since day one (and still at it) – most are cosmetic, and for some odd reason, I love doing it. We’ve gone through countless tubes of caulk, tubs of wood putty, and gallons of paint - Home Depot is a regular stop.  And you should see me with a caulk gun – nothing short of breath-taking.

I get quite varied comments from people who come to my house.  Most are complimentary … but I’ve gotten a few confused looks and raised eyebrows, which always makes me laugh.  But I don’t ever mind – I actually take it as a compliment when people think my house is “strange” or “different”.  I don’t want my house to be typical or boring, so if it’s “strange” to some people, even better.

The magazines I turn to most for inspiration are Dwell and Elle Décor.  Dwell has a lot of the mid-century style and Elle Décor has a more sophisticated modern feel.  I usually only have time to flip through one after I’m in bed, so I keep a small notebook close by where I scribble down any ideas for future projects.   Once in a while I search online for ideas, but I prefer magazines so I can mark pages and compile them to figure out the common denominator of those spaces to help me see what I like and why.   Sometimes inspiration comes from a cool logo or other random places.

We don’t have any flea markets around here (apparently that’s where you can find a Eames plywood chair for 5 bucks….gah!), so I often scour the local thrift store in hopes of finding some great lamp or chair from the 50’s – sometimes I’ve gotten lucky.   I also check the online classifieds for the area (KSL Classified) and ebay.  For more contemporary modern pieces, I check Ikea, amazon, overstock.  

My husband is great at supporting my style choices.  He doesn’t have a strong decorating preference , and luckily, likes my style.  He’s raised his eyebrows a few times at my ideas, but has gone along with them and likes that our house is “different”.  
  

Advice I would give:   I think it’s worth spending a little more on great, well-made pieces of furniture (I adore my couch) but be patient until you know your style and exactly what you want.  I loathe the light green carpet in our living room, but the luxurious tan shag I want is pricey, so we’re saving up.  Check out magazines and online sites for ideas – or anything around you that is pleasing to your eye.  There’s lots of great DIY projects out there from furniture to light hangings.  Most of all, go with what you like and don’t try to mimic others – it’s okay if you want to paint an orange circle on your kitchen cupboard (asymmetrical none the less) or screw a big board to the wall with wallpaper tiles.  Be different, make it your own – it’s your domain!

Here's Sherie's Home: 

The previous few owners did a lot by themselves, which is great, IF you do it right.  They were more into doing it cheaply than making it look nice… and we’ve reaped the benefits J.  I’m pretty sure cardboard should never be  used in house construction, or putting in an outlet through a brick wall then leaving the cord exposed on the other side – and really, is insulation worth the cost??  YES.  “Are you freaking kidding me??” is probably the most common phrase I’ve muttered when delving into an improvement.  So it’s been a learning experience and I’ve enjoyed the work and seeing the finished product.

Front room - with the big windows in the front, I knew I could get away with a dark color on the walls.  Seems depressive, but gray is my favorite color.  I’ve discovered I love neutrals – brown, gray, black, white, and I’ve added small pieces of bright colors.  

Before...Yikes.

After!

The big white square behind the tv are four tiles made made for use as wallpaper – they have a braille pattern on them.  After I glued them to the board, we didn’t know how to hang it, so we ended up just screwing it to the wall.  I got some farm-code in me from my dad.  And I adore the couch in front – we splurged on it – high quality with great shape.

The bathroom was quite the nightmare – there was a nasty, moldy shower and way too many cupboards for that small of a space.  We tore everything out (finding a pink and orange claw foot tub under the shower surround and the space for a window) and after four weeks of no bathroom and with the help of friends, it came back together. 

Before, during remodel...

After!

The kitchen was pretty rough, but just needed to be painted and cover up the high-voltage cord and outlet in back of the oven – apparently the previous owners didn’t think that was a concern.  We kept the old cupboards, painted them white, added some cool pulls, and an orange circle.  I like the strange.

Before

After!

Dining room – I found this chandelier on ebay – great mid-century piece.  The art on the wall is from 70’s found from a vintage store in Salt Lake.  

The stairs were pretty scary – the old tread was very worn out and there were knicks in the wood everywhere, plus every other balister was missing, so a small child could squeeze right through them.  I spent many an hour puttying, sanding, and painting the steps.   We had a carpet runner installed down the steps.  We were hoping to keep the old minister, but it was much cheaper to have the banister re-made instead of custom-made balisters for the spaces, but we’re happy with the end result.  

Before...

After! WOOO!

We needed a place to put our jackets and coats, so we hung hooks on one side of the mudroom, and attached these Ikea bins for the kids gloves, hats, shoes – it’s worked out great.  

 That's my home! 

-Sherie

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