Quiet Luxury of a Modest Midwest Home – Tour A Designer's Own Minimalist Remodel & Addition3/4/2024
This post is dedicated to my husband, James Janvrin. For being the forever supporter, doer and one to making the impossible possible. This post may contain affiliate links which help support our blog efforts. *Trade discount price
After years of designing spaces for clients it was finally my turn for a home makeover. My husband and I have finished turning our modest raised ranch into a minimalist oasis full of light and luxury. The moral of this design story is that every home is worthy of moments of thoughtful design and premium details. This post is a long time coming – over three years to be exact. That is how long my husband and I have been planning and executing our whole home renovation and addition. This remodel had so many set backs and obstacles over the years. From having to terminate our original general contractor and framing crew mid-build to being shut down by the city inspector. We have since moved in and loving all the functionality and beauty we have created. Now that we are here, I am not going to rehash the jagged journey. Rather simply showcase all the sweet spots we will be enjoying in for years to come. They are intentionally minimalistic and meant to inspire you to slow down.
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Some design projects we share on the blog hit close to home but the reveal I share in this post is my actual home. For over a decade I have had visions for how I wanted to update every square inch of the dated raised ranch we purchased in 2009. Early on there was my son’s nursery, and now big kid's bedroom, which has gotten a lot of attention with its super makeover. It was the room that inspired me to open YouthfulNest. This last summer was finally time for a family room remodel – taking it down to the studs and rebuilding it into my vision of Midwest Coastal. This space had become our son’s playroom and occasional hangout for the older kids to get their gaming on. It wasn’t just unattractive, the old carpet was nasty and smelly. There was water damage behind the fireplace built-ins and most certainly mold growing in places we could and couldn’t see. I hated being down there myself; it made me depressed. Except I couldn't ignore it since it was the first thing guests in our home saw and more importantly where kids played. It could no longer be ignored.
This post is sponsored by some of our favorite brands and retailers, but the content and opinions expressed are our own. This post may contain affiliate links which help support our blog efforts.
Last March I was introduced to a high energy, high powered mother-to-be Zulay Henao. In our first video consult call I learned a lot about this first-time mother-to-be and her nursery design needs. First, her name is pronounced like July but with a "Z". She is an actress, co-founder of Modern Muze, a lover of all things boldly feminine, and she knows how to rock a bathrobe. I also learned that she and her partner, actor Kevin Connolly, star of Entourage, were expecting a baby girl in August 2021. Her vision for the nursery room was an eclectic one. Bringing together vintage and modern aesthetics, inspired by nature and kissed with glamour. Like I said eclectic style. This post is sponsored by some of our favorite brands and retailers, but the content and opinions expressed are our own. This post may contain affiliate links which help support our blog efforts.
Where do we start with this insanely happy place of a boys' bedroom? It's like no matter where you look there is built in fun even when it comes to the bed situation. We've got bunk beds that look like the most stylish tree houses, a play gym mounted right onto the wall and something literally named a play sofa. So you can just imagine how excited these two little boys were when they saw their new space?
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Pandemic or no pandemic babies and kids continue to grow and outgrow their rooms. This is why the producer of the hit T.V. show Get Out of My Room, from NBC Universal Kids, turned to YouthfulNest. The typical formula for a T.V. design makeover show has a designer and crew working with the homeowner in person. Unfortunately, with the new normal of social distancing, this in-person scenario has not been desirable. Instead, YouthfulNest was welcomed into the New Jersey home through a completely virtual process. The Mann’s family worked with their designer via an initial voice consult call; an online eDesign service and final room walkthrough via Zoom. Two years ago the young Mann sisters had their shared bedroom designed on the show Get Out of My Room. It was bright and bold and the sisters loved it. Then they outgrew it.
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"Their tag, "Life is stressful. Designing shouldn't be." really resonated with me. At the time I was pregnant and didn't have the time to think about décor. The idea of simply sharing my vision, reviewing the design and then shopping the items online was exactly what I needed." – Elizabeth Warren, YouthfulNest client 2018 In 2018 Elizabeth was pregnant with her first child and working for Motherly, the go-to website, and community for all things motherhood. She had heard about our services through work conversations. Her decision to purchase a YouthfulNest package was the value it brought her in three major ways:
This post is sponsored by a partnership with Project Nursery, but the content and opinions expressed are our own. This post may contain affiliate links which help support our blog efforts.
These days as we stick close to home many families are re-evaluating their living spaces. As we sit longer in a chair binging Netflix or sit around the dining room table – we can't help take note of spots that aren't quite as comfy as we thought they were. We also have a desire to make our spaces work better. The nursery is one space in the home YouthfulNest strives to guide our clients to be comfortable and functional. With all the hours we spend in the nursery comfy isn't just a physical feeling but also a visual one. Your eyes take in your environment and you internalize what you see. So soft or muted colors are often recommended for a more calming space for babe and parents. Our recent partnership with Project Nursery takes into consideration all aspects of setting up the nursery. This southern charmer of a nursery has all that. Comfort, beauty, and functionality. Designed by YouthfulNest designer Caitriona Boyd for Morgan Bullard – this is one mama who is sitting pretty and comfy.
This post is sponsored by some of our favorite brands and retailers, but the content and opinions expressed are our own. This post may contain affiliate links which help support our blog efforts.
Like babies each nursery project is unique and beautiful, this nursery design for Natalie Ehrlich is no exception. Nor was this mama's honest account of pregnancy whilst raising a toddler and all the tough stuff that sneaks up and tries to steal the bliss of motherhood. Natalie is a mama already with a little girl Lilly – a lively, now two year old, girl who ruled her world. But as only a mother knows their world was about to change with the arrival of her second baby, a boy to be named James. This post is sponsored by some of our favorite brands and retailers, but the content and opinions expressed are our own. This post may contain affiliate links which help support our blog efforts.
I connected with celebrity stylist ElShane through a national community for working moms like myself called HeyMama. Our early communication was a bit shaky. You see ElShane had one little girl already and has an amazing larger than life personal style. So why would she need a nursery designer? She admitted it was hard to trust another person with the creation of such a personal space, even a design professional. On our first calls I shared my initial thoughts on how she could get all the functionality in the tiny space she was having to carve out of her New York City rental and I walked her through the convenient e-design process – she ultimately realized the YouthfulNest virtual expert service was exactly what her busy schedule needed. This shining star of a nursery is the true meaning of good things come in small packages. This post is sponsored by some of our favorite brands and retailers, but the content and opinions expressed are our own. This post may contain affiliate links which help support our blog efforts. Disclaimer - Bare is the best practice of nothing but baby in the crib.
Items in crib are for photography styling only. If you are like me you can't stop gazing at this nursery image and not feel pure joy. It also makes me smile because I recall the first conversation I had with Christine Yeargin, author of Cake for Breakfast blog, about her vision for the nursery and the bold, bright oversized floral print she was in love with. After seeing our first designs and considering the bolder wallpaper prints Christine decided they just weren't for her and we moved away from colorful wallpaper to a minimal look using a clean wall paint as the backdrop to delicate, fresh and soothing styling. We're calling it Boho Chic. |