One month after moving into the house, we invited my brother-in-law up to shoot a video of it. I was certain 4 weeks would be plenty of time to get the house decorated. Completely decorated. He must have bit a hole through his tongue after arriving. The house was in no condition to be filmed, yet he said nothing of the sort.
We shot it when the trees were still green (unlike the current picture above). When it smelled so new. When those shorts still fit. When Hal took the stairs backwards. And I hadn’t yet lopped off my ponytail after reading a Pinterest DIY. We shot it when there were only 3 timid holes in the wall and one 3M hook. When the office walls were white and the mudroom un-wallpapered. We shot it when I was tossing pizza every Friday of summer.
Seven months removed, and I’m so happy we have this video. It works well as a before but I like to think of it more as a start. Making a house a home takes a really long time. You have to live in a space to know a space. And once you know it, you can design the space to work well with its function, making a couple mistakes along the way too. (Design tips below.) We’re still in the process of finishing rooms. But it feels like home and is starting to look like it too. I’ll be sharing a lot more about the house soon—the range, those cabinets, the schoolhouse green wall, the wallpapered mudroom, and the quirky grandma artwork. (And that pizza recipe too!) But consider this the start.
See more of #thefauxhouse on Instagram. Or read through the posts here.
Fauxtips for designing a space
• Live in a space for at least two months.
• Define the function of the space. How do you use it? What else do you need to make the space work for you?
• Create pinterest boards or mood boards. Do you see a common thread? That’s probably your style. We lean cozy, modern farmhouse with pops of color.
• Then begin determining the form, or the design, of the space. Layer in pieces slowly. You’ll make plenty of mistakes during this phase. Save all receipts.
• Edit the room as you would a word doc. Move things around. Sometimes the lamp was just in the wrong spot.
• Then let the space sit for awhile. It will either grow on you or rub you the wrong way. Edit again then move on.
Credits
Builder
Brownsmith Restoration, MPLS
House Sponsors
Rejuvenation
All Modern
Wayfair
Forage Modern Workshop
Video Production
Caleb Theimer, ATX
What kind of wood or stain did you use on the front porch?
We used Behr Paint Transparent weatherproof all-in-one wood finish in cedar naturaltone.
LOVE your beautiful home!! ❤️ What is the name of the exterior white that you used?
Thank you! Sadly, we can’t find a leftover paint can and our memory fails us.
I love your space! We have some property that we are planning to build on eventually. Would love the scoop on your building process. Did you work with an architect for your layout?
Hi Bray! We didn’t work with an architect, only a builder. He and his team are insanely creative. The structure of the house is pretty basic. It’s nearly a square outside of the front door cut out. We worked with him and his team to come up with a layout that worked well for our family. For example, I really wanted an office right off the kitchen, since I’m going back and forth between the two. I also wanted it closed off yet still feel open to the rest to the house. The glass door accomplished that. We wanted all the bedrooms and laundry rooms upstairs. We opted for smaller bedrooms and larger closets to keep the clothes mess hidden. We wanted a semi-open floor plan but for each of the rooms to feel distinct. Our builder used the staircase, front entry closet, and the divider wall/pantry to help define each of the spaces. Hopefully this helps! I plan on sharing the full floor plan in the coming weeks!
Thank you so much! This is good to know! Look forward to seeing that post.
Hope we can find a builder like that in Va to save the cost of an architect. Thank you for your reply!
Waiting for that floor plan!
Hi Krista! We’re still working on it behind the scenes. We’ve gotten a lot of requests so we’re working with our builder to sell the plans. Will post as soon as it’s ready!
Have you shared the plan? We are on the search! 🙂
Our builder has started selling it. You can email them at [email protected]. They hope to have a landing page up of it soon as well!
Such a fun video, Melissa! and such a treat to get a glimse into your new home. 🙂
Love this so much, Melissa! Let’s catch up soon.
Your house is so beautiful! I love the white and black and small bits of color. So nice! Thanks for sharing! I’d
Love to see more!!!
OMG I LOVE IT ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
What a peaceful, beautiful home! I absolutely love it.
i love this! it’s beautiful in every way. what a treasure to have a record of the everyday, and especially of little hal at that age. happy heart over here for you. the house is also beautiful, and simple, even at the start. i can’t wait to see more. (and you have one talented bro-in-law. love those details he captured!)
So freakin’ pretty! I love every time you post a picture where we can catch a glimpse of it, so to see it in all it’s glory is really exciting! It’s just like a magazine <3 Love
awww <3 I got a tiny tear by the end of this!! It is so gorgeous and home-y and it truly seems to fit you guys like a glove! Can't wait for the pizza recipe and more home details. Be very proud…your hard work shows!
So fun!! Love seeing all the personality (human and home alike!)
Thank you so much for sharing this video! It really helps you get a feel for all of the design pieces. I am completely in love with your home.
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
I feel like I am always saying this, but your house is an inspiration. I love it so much! and that video, all the feels!
Thank you! My brother-in-law is such a good visual storyteller.
Yes! his talent is evident!!
Beautiful, friend!!! We’re over a month in now (which I cannot believe) and still have 0 things hung and many unfinished rooms. Still, this house makes me happier than ever! Hope it’s the same for you. 🙂
Nail holes are the hardest!
Your house is gorgeous! I am sooo in love with the kitchen ♥
summerdaisy.net
Thank you! We’re really happy with how it turned out. Sharing all the nitty gritty of that space soon.
Your house is beautiful Melissa! I love the video …your brother in law captured you so perfectly. I hope you’ll do more of them!
Thank you Chris! He is so good at telling stories and depicting people as they are.
Oh, lady, I love this! I knew nothing about design, really, until I moved into my apartment here in LA and discovered SoCal’s obsession with mid-century modern and my own with functional minimalism. I’m always so inspired by glimpses into your home, and—as you put it above—the editability of your space. I find that the longer I stay somewhere, the easier it is to become stagnant in my approach to decorating and design, and that’s something I’ve been consciously wanting to change. I’m inspired! Your home is beautiful.
Thanks Lily! I thought my background in graphic design would transfer seamlessly to spaces, but alas, it didn’t. The learning curve felt long but I think I’m starting to get the hang of it. PS—I love the term functional minimalism. Brilliant!
It’s so prettttttty! Be so proud, just lovely. xoxo
Thanks for encouraging me! I let out a loud, pent up sigh when I read this. xo